Units

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Sample subject outline - Semester 1 2013

Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.

Rationale

In an attempt to reduce deaths attributed to affluent lifestyles, early health promoting programmes in the workplace concentrated on executive fitness. Since the introduction of executive fitness programmes, many factors have been influential in increasing the awareness of organisational health and health and safety in the workplace. Research shows that health status inequalities exist between blue collar and white collar workers. Recently, workers, unions, and employers have become conscious of the fact that health promoting activities for all workers, based on the concept of "wellness" or "holistic" health may be beneficial components of organisational health and safety programmes and work-life initiatives. General trends in demographics, the cost of chronic illness and concepts such as corporate-social responsibility are also recognised reasons for workplace wellness initiatives. There is a need for the workplace wellness professional to have a basic understanding of the organisational and individual factors that influence health and wellness and the strategies that can be used to manage health and wellness. This unit will explore current models and theories around health and wellness in the workplace through the initiation of organisational and cultural change in the workplace.

Aims

This unit is designed to provide you with the knowledge required to become a wellness professional with a basic understanding of organisational health and wellness. You will explore health promotion and motivation models and theories that relate to the creation of health enhancing environments through the initiation of organisational and cultural change in the workplace.

Objectives

On successful completion of this subject, you should be able to:
1. Describe current organisational health/wellness issues, approaches and strategies
2. Analyse and evaluate available research evidence on organisational health /wellness issues, approaches and strategies.
3. Analyse an organisational health/wellness issue, approach and strategy.
4. Plan a health/wellness promotion intervention addressing an organisational health/wellness problem in a workplace.

Content

The unit will provide a systematic exploration of wellness in the workplace in the following ways:
Historical and contextual: An Australian and International overview of workplace health and wellness issues, approaches and strategies including laws; regulations policies; concepts; committees; agencies; union perspective; employer perspectives; employee perspectives.
Organisational framework: An exploration of organisational wellness strategies and approaches and social and environmental responsibilities. A consideration to organisational influences such as leadership, culture, risk, communication and
alignment with business mission and goals. Exploration of Issues around health management.
Programme promotion: needs assessment; planning and development; marketing; administration/management; motivation; evaluation.
Role of associated professionals: organisational health nurses; health and safety consultants; health and safety officers; occupational therapists, fitness counsellors; health educators.
Workplace Health Issues: patterns and trends of mortality and morbidity; physical and environmental conditions in the workplace affecting a worker's physical, emotional social and mental well-being.
Models of Behaviour Change:Cultural and policy-related wellness issues; Organisational support of wellness; the role of group activities
Workplace Health promotion agencies and programmes: identification of agencies, organisation, groups and the programmes they offer in Australian workplaces; types of strategies.
Economic considerations: cost-benefit analysis of workplace health promotion; union perspective; employer's perspective; employee's perspective; case studies. Integration of wellness programs, virtual and site based options, ways to track integration; ROI; productivity; presenteeism; work-life balance.

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

This unit involves lectures, student centred presentations, work place learning, invited guests/experts and field study work. The unit will also be supported through online material and group interaction.

Assessment

Assessment for the unit consists of 3 items

Assessment name: Interactive Seminar
Description: Students will prepare and deliver an oral presentation on a designated WHP topic/issue.
The presentation will be supported by a paper (1000 words) outlining the presentation's key points, a draft of which is to be made available to the class 1 week before the seminar. The presentation will be followed by questions.

Length: Presentation 25 minutes
Weight: 30% - Paper 10% and Presentation 20% (Peer assessment 10% and Coordinator assessment 10%)
Relates to objectives: 1-4
Weight: 30%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: From Week 10

Assessment name: Report
Description: Students will provide a written Report for Management for lecturer provided data from a Needs Assessment performed in a company.

Length: 2000 words
Relates to objectives: 1-3
Weight: 40%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Week 8

Assessment name: Journal
Description: Students will demonstrate knowledge and understanding gained throughout the unit by generating a journal containing:
(a) Comment (reactions, responses, feelings, & value) on content of presentations by invited speakers.
(b) Comment on content of each draft seminar paper (personal reactions, responses, opinions, feelings, stand on the issue, and comment on its value to you as a future WHP professional.
(c) Two questions, concerning the paper's content, that you would ask the speaker.
(e) Papers prepared for Tutorial classes.
Relates to objectives: 1-4
Weight: 30%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: End of Semester

Academic Honesty

QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.

A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.

Resource materials

Textbook
Chenoweth,D. (2011) ¿Worksite Health Promotion¿(3rd edn) Human Kinetics (available on line as an ebook (www.humankinetics.com)

Resource Material
HMB339 Blackboard Site
ACSM's Worksite Health Handbook, (2009) (2nd edn) Pronk, P. (ed) Human Kinetics Champaign, IL
Bray, I. (2009) Healthy Employees, Healthy Business NOLO, Berkley, Ca.
Chenoweth, D. (2007) Planning: Health Promotion at the Worksite (4th Edition). Brown and Benchmark, USA.
Chapman, L.S. (2006) Program Evaluation: A Key to Wellness Program Survival (4th Ed.) Seattle Wash.USA Summex Health Management.
Chapman, L.S. (2006) Wellness: Getting off to a Good Start (4th Ed.) Seattle Washington USA Summex Health Management.
Cox, C ED. (2003) ACSM's worksite Health Promotion Manual, Human Kinetics, Australia.
Conrad, C., (1987). "A Chronology of the Development of Corporate Fitness in the United States. Fitness in Business. 1 (5) 156-166.
Health Development Foundation (1987) Worksite Health Promotion: Program Planning & Organisation (ed. Haag, K.) Health Development Foundation, South Australia
Lowe, G. (2010) Creating Healthy Organizations, Uni of Toronto Press, Toronto Canada
National Coordinating Committee - Health Promotion in the Workplace (1993). "Health at Work - National Survey." Health at Work Newsletter. Winter, No. 16. (2,4-16).

Websites
www.welcoa.org
www.enwhp.org/index.php?id=4
www.thcu.ca/infoandresources.htm
http://www.ihpm.org/

Significant Journals
American Journal of Health Promotion
Journal of Health Organization and Management
The Art of Health Promotion
The Health Promotion Practitioner

Risk assessment statement

There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with the unit.

Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.

Last modified: 29-Aug-2012