News Update
August 2009
Tiina Gets to the 'Heart of the Matter'
Tiina Hoffman, The Wellness Specialist for Firstbeat Technologies has just had a major article featured in the August edition of Occupational Health. Tiina works closely with the Optima-life team in the UK and the article follows on from a lecture Tiina gave at the UNUM WorkMatters, Fit for Work Fit for Life Conference, at the Royal Holloway College, Egham last year.
The focus of her article looks at optimal work performance and lifestyle balance. It explains how heartbeat analysis using the Firstbeat HEALTH system can be used as a 'practical tool... to comprehensively evaluate the overall lifestyle balance, with particular emphasis on stress, recovery and health-enhancing physical activity.'
Stress and long term illness in the workplace is a growing problem. According to Labour Force Survey (LFS) as detailed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), an estimated 442,000 working individuals in Britain, in 2007, believed that they were experiencing work related stress at a level that was making them ill.
Tiina discusses how the Firstbeat software can be used 'to demonstrate how well people recover from daily stress, whether their physical workload is appropriate and what their daily physical activity habits are like. The method gives a detailed view into the health effects of daily life to improve wellbeing and reduce the risk of getting ill.'
Many people have stressful jobs but cope admirably getting good recovery at night time ready to face another day. But for others stress can develop over a period of time. If there is little recovery during this time it can lead to fatigue and illness.
'In the area of stress, the aim of the measurement can be to demonstrate accumulated stress, identify key stress factors and stressful time periods, look at the balance between stress and recovery or develop personal stress management methods. The focus is not on making the day stress free, but in seeing if the person recovers when the circumstances allow it, ie during sleep, times of relaxation or days off.'
Self reported work related stress, depression or anxiety, according to the LFS accounted for an estimated 13.5 million lost working days in Britain in 2007/08.
In the article Tiina also examines the positive effect of physical activity and gives examples of how the software can be used to examine physical workload within the workplace. This can ensure that tasks being performed by the workforce sit within Health and Safety Guidelines and take into consideration the health and well-being of the employee.
Research is now available to show how excessive stress can also be linked to the development of Type 2 Diabetes and conversely how regular physical activity can help lower the incidence of this long term illness.
In their 14 year study of over 10,000 men and women aged 35 – 55 in 20 London civil service departments, Chandola, Brunner and Marmot, from University College London, reported that men with chronic work stress were nearly twice as likely to develop metabolic syndrome (a cluster of risk factors that increases the risk of heart disease and Type 2 Diabetes) than those without work stress. Women were five times more likely to develop the syndrome.
Tiina details how the Firstbeat Diabetes report, which works like a traffic light system, gives key energy expenditure, recovery and health indicators, as well as allowing the inclusion of 'traditional measures of Diabetes risk monitoring .such as blood values, body mass index, waist girth and blood pressure.' It is a highly motivational approach which can be used as both a preventative and rehabilitative strategy.
For Tiina merely telling people that they need to change their habits and develop a 'comprehensive approach towards their own well-being by addressing key lifestyle factors' is often not enough. 'People need personalised strategies to get them started'.
Tiina will be visiting the UK and the Optima-life team in the Autumn.
Quotations used in this article are taken from:
'A Heartbeat of Difference'
