Category Archives: Public Health

AFTNews, AFTNews, Mental Health, Mental Health, Public Health

Beyond Blue Monday: addressing burnout and crisis fatigue in the workplace

While Blue Monday traditionally signifies a peak in winter blues and shines a light on Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), the current global landscape is far more complex. The prolonged exposure to crises, economic uncertainties and climate anxieties are creating a sustained strain on individuals. Concerns regarding crisis fatigue and burnout among the global workforce are also prompting organisations to re-evaluate their mental health support strategies and to prioritise proactive mental health support for employees.

The International SOS Risk Outlook 2024 data identifies burnout, the cost-of-living crisis and mental health concerns as the top risks to organisational wellbeing this year. Mental health emerges as a critical concern, as the pressures of burnout and financial difficulty can manifest in emotional and psychological distress. The survey data also underlines a growing understanding of the direct link between employee wellbeing and organisational success.

With 82% acknowledging the vital role of health and wellness policies in recruitment and retention and 77% see safeguarding employee wellbeing as a board-level priority

  • The World Health Organization also highlights that globally, an estimated 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety at a cost of US$ 1 trillion per year in lost productivity.
  • Burnout rates among the global workforce have nearly doubled in just two years, soaring from 11-18% to 20-40%, with many reporting burnout levels as high as 50%.
  • This staggering data aligns with a recent McKinsey Health Institute study, revealing that 22% of employees across 30 countries are experiencing burnout symptoms at work.
  • Despite a significant rise in global burnout rates, the perceived risk its impact will have in 2024 varies across regions.
  • Globally, 80% of surveyed global senior risk professionals identifies employee burnout as the top threat to their organisation and workforce. Notably, this concern is most pronounced across the Middle East (93%), Oceania (88%), Africa (84%) and Americas (84%), which are exceeding the global average.

Dr Rodrigo Rodriguez-Fernandez, Global Health Advisor at International SOS said “The post-holiday return to work is known for its challenges and for many employees, this period can be a tipping point for exhaustion, chronic stress and burnout. Some may still be facing the lingering effects of the festive season, navigating financial pressures from rising bills after the holiday celebration. Heightened geopolitical uncertainties and ongoing global crises are also amplifying employee anxieties and creating a complex landscape for businesses navigating workforce wellbeing and productivity.

“Employee demands for strengthened mental health and wellbeing support within the workplace had been steadily increasing even before the recent succession of crises. This pre-existing trend has now acquired greater urgency amidst employee experiences of burnout and crisis fatigue. Blue Monday offers a timely opportunity for organisations to assess and strengthen workplace mental health initiatives. When employees feel supported and empowered to take care of their mental health, they are likely to be more engaged, focused and able to excel in their roles. Organisations that recognise this and prioritise on cultivating psychosocially safe work environments – from providing stress management workshops to flexible work arrangements, are not just doing the right thing, they are also making a strategic investment in their workforce & potential.”

International SOS urges organisations to take action and implement proactive strategies to prevent burnout and combat crisis fatigue in the workplace:

1. Create an emotionally open culture and encourage open communication: provide a safe space for employees to talk about their mental health and wellbeing. Encourage them to speak up if they are feeling overwhelmed or struggling.

2. Provide flexibility and promote work-life balance: support flexible working arrangements that help employees to balance their work and personal lives. Promote regular breaks and empower employees to prioritise their wellbeing.

3. Invest in emotional wellbeing: provide access to mindfulness sessions, and stress management training. Partner with certified mental health professionals to offer confidential counselling and support services.

4. Offer employee assistance programmes (EAPs): consider providing support such as financial counselling services or benefits consultations to address anxieties surrounding economic uncertainties.

5. Equip managers with mental health first-aid training: upskill managers to identify signs of distress and offer initial support to employees who may be struggling.

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Beyond Blue Monday: Addressing Burnout and Crisis Fatigue in The Workplace is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. Quote Source: https://www.australiafitnesstoday.com/2024/01/22/beyond-blue-mond…in-the-workplace

 

AFTNews, Fitness, Public Health

Plastic Threatens Human and Planetary Health

Via AFTNN

The Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health presents an analysis report presented together with world-leading researchers from the fields of healthcare, the ocean and the environment to quantify plastic’s considerable risks to all life on earth.

Report highlights:

  • Plastic causes disease, impairment, and premature mortality at every stage of its life cycle, with the health repercussions disproportionately affecting vulnerable, low-income, minority communities, children.
  • Toxic chemicals that are added to plastic and routinely detected in people are known to increase the risk of miscarriage, obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancers.
  • Plastic waste is ubiquitous in the ocean, on which we depend for oxygen, food and livelihoods, contaminating the water, the sea floor, entering the marine food chain.

The Commission concludes that current plastic production, use, and disposal patterns are not sustainable and are responsible for significant harm to human health, the environment, and the economy. It recommends establishing health-protective standards for plastic chemicals under the Global Plastics Treaty, requiring testing all polymers and plastics chemicals for toxicity before entering markets, as well as post-market surveillance.

These findings put us on an unequivocal path to demand the banning or severely restricting of unnecessary, avoidable, problematic plastic items, many of which contain hazardous chemicals with links to horrific harm to people and the planet.

Professor Sarah Dunlop, Head of Plastics and Human Health at Minderoo Foundation

Dr Philip Landrigan, Director of the Global Observatory on Planetary Health at Boston College is particularly concerned about the lack of progress made by regulators. “Very few details about the identity, chemical makeup, potential toxicity of plastic chemicals are disclosed by plastic producers. In most countries, they are under no legal obligation to do so.”

Regarding marine biology, the Commission’s findings reveal a greater need for measurement of the effects of plastic on marine species, especially concerning the ingestion of micro and nano particles.

Dr Hervé Raps, Physician at Centre Scientifique de Monaco, explains “Plastic waste endangers the ocean ecosystems upon which all humanity depends. Besides their intrinsic effects, plastics can also be a vector for potentially pathogenic microorganisms.”

The positive news is that the Commission reports that many of plastics’ harms can be avoided via better production practices, alternative design, less toxic chemicals, decreased consumption.

The Minderoo-Monaco Commission launched during Monaco Ocean Week, was formed to break down the silos in research on multiple hazards that plastic poses to human health, from extraction of its fossil carbon feedstocks through its everyday use, to its leakage and disposal into the environment. Its 48 authors, which include members from the Global Observatory on Planetary Health at Boston College, the Centre Scientifique de Monaco’s Medical and Marine Biology departments, and the Plastics and Human Health team at Minderoo Foundation, have presented a detailed analysis of plastics’ impacts across their life cycle on human health, the global environment, the economy, and vulnerable populations.

Download the report.

Learn more about The Minderoo Foundation.

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AsiaFitnessToday.com Plastic Threatens Human and Planetary Health is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. Source: https://www.asiafitnesstoday.com/plastic-threatens-human-and-planetary-health

AFT Podcast, Public Health

AFT Podcasts on Public health

AFT Podcasts curates some of the most interesting audio documentaries on public health. In this edition, we share BBC’s The Compass, with a particular focus on sugar, and industries it supports. Have a listen to Lainy Malkani’s Sugar-coated World.

Lainy Malkani digs into the history of sugar and how it helped shape the city of London.

Released On: 29 Sep 2021

Available for over a year

Lainy Malkani focuses on the story of sugar in the USA. From one of the oldest confectionery shops in New Orleans where the local delicacy of pecan nut pralines are made every day, to a former sugar plantation along the Mississippi river, she hears about the role of sugar in the history of Louisiana. She speaks to Khalil Gibran Mohammed about the legacy of sugar and slavery in the region, and hears from the manager of the Whitney plantation about what remains there today. From there to the sugar beet plains of the mid-West, Lainy looks at how sugar has influenced government policy over time, and how the commodity has become central to American culture, its diet and economy today.

Released On: 06 Oct 2021 Available for over a year

Lainy Malkani looks into the story of sugar in Thailand, now the second biggest exporter of sugar in the world. We hear how farmers there are coping with climate change, what sustainable production might look like and what sugar cane can be used for once the sweet juice has been removed, from fuel to water bottles. Lainy looks at the future of sugar, talking to those experimenting with sugar to try to make it healthier, like the company Douxmatok, who are hacking sugar crystals at a structural level in an effort to help us eat less of it without compromising on taste.

Presenter: Lainy Malkani

Producer: Megan Jones

Listen to more AFT Podcast Recommendations here.