Towards a healthier lifestyle for staff of a psychiatric hospital: description of a pilot programme

Various lifestyle factors contribute to morbidity and mortality. Health promotion programs have the potential to increase awareness about, and possibly modify, some of these factors. In the workplace, these programs can be accessed by large groups of people. A healthy lifestyles programme was piloted for non-clinical staff in Central Sydney Area Mental Health Service, Australia. The aim of the programme was to provide non-clinical staff working in a mental health setting with education and information on a range of health conditions and topics. A needs analysis survey, along with formal and informal liaison and discussion, informed the programme's development and implementation. A total of 28 sessions were held; attendance ranged from 1 to 51 with a mean of 13.57 and a median of 12.5. Feedback regarding the programme has generally been positive. This pilot demonstrates that nurses, with their colleagues from other disciplines, are well positioned to deliver health promotion and education initiatives that may contribute to increasing awareness, and possibly modification, of lifestyle factors.