Identifying Health Behaviors in Maritime Union Members Susan A. Tweed, M.S., R.N. Sentara Healthcare & Old Dominion University Clare Houseman, Ph.D., R.N. Old Dominion University Stacey Plichta, Sc.D. Old Dominion University

Purpose To discover the knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes and beliefs of local longshoremen regarding health behaviors and the union’s role in health promotion and disease prevention through participation in a focus group.

Background Unhealthy eating and lack of physical activity are second only to tobacco use as the cause of preventable death in the united states. The worksite is one of the most influential environments for adults to participate in health promotion activities. Trade unions are important and unevaluated avenue for reaching working class populations. No studies have been found with maritime union workers that identify factors that contribute to promoting healthy behaviors at the worksite.

Methodology Five focus groups were held at various locations with a total of 30 participants. Snowball sampling was used as the recruitment procedure for participants. All participants were male and either active or retired HRSA-ILA members. Refreshments were provided and each participant was given a $25.00 gift certificate to a local store. A moderator’s guide was developed. The focus groups were facilitated in areas that were familiar to the participants either in their union local or in the benefits administration building. All focus groups were audio taped and transcribed by the researcher. All transcriptions were assessed for accuracy by two independent coders. The transcriptions were hand- coded using the constant comparative method.

Results Table 1: Demographics

Behaviors

Attitudes & Beliefs

Knowledge

Inhibiting Factors

Enhancing Factors

Suggestions

Limitations Many of the attendees were older and retired so the results cannot be generalized to other groups.

Conclusions Participants had good knowledge of healthy eating habits, importance of regular physical activity and its relationship to a healthy lifestyle. Although the work environment posed many obstacles that are difficult to overcome, the work environment also offered a number of opportunities that have been underutilized. Both positive and negative attitudes were expressed related to nutrition and physical activity. Being a maritime union member afforded many positive benefits such as livable wages and excellent health benefits. Participants provided many suggestions for interventions.

Focus Group Questions