Improving Healthy Behaviour in the Workplace

Work is required to meet the needs of life and create prosperity, but it can impact the worker's health and safety. The risk factors of work are derived from the work process, the materials and tools involved, and the workplace; however, workers themselves can also be a source of harm if their health condition is not fit to work, and/or if they perform unsafe acts while working. One important factor that determines workers' health is their lifestyle, both in daily life and at the workplace. This article aims to share information about the Workplace Health Promotion program stage cycle development model. This model has evolved following the development of our knowledge derived from a literature review of both books and journals, an analysis of current issues, and our research involving students, as well as collaboration among campuses, faculty, companies, and other stakeholders in community social responsibility programs. This model consists of eight stages from which the name of RAPKPIEK is derived: recognition of health hazard and risk; analysis of needs; program planning; communication; preparation; implementation; evaluation; and continuity. The original program has been enhanced with three added initiatives: ethics and value, leadership engagement and worker participation, and the assembly and mobilization of human resources and infrastructure. Our research and our field experiences found that the RAPKPIEK model successfully improved several health indicators and established a healthy lifestyle in many workplaces. This model can be used as a guide for the development of interventions and form the basis of evaluation in workplace health promotion programs. However, it is suggested that the RAPKPIEK-plus concept of advancement needs to be further investigated for its effectiveness in order to promote better and more sustainable health behaviour in the workplace.