INFLUENCE OF LIFESTYLE ON STRESS MANAGEMENT IN PUBLIC SECTOR HEALTH WORKERS IN SEMI-URBAN AREA – A PRELIMINARY STUDY

Abstract

Introduction: This research set out to evaluate the effects lifestyle has on stress in primary health care personnel’s working in the public Health sector in a semi urban region of Rivers State, Nigeria, and if possible understand how diet as well as other intrinsic factors might help in the management of stress. Method: The Holmes and Rahe stress scale was administered, as well as other questions in a self-administered questionnaire to test for how Age, diet, food type, physical activity and sleep affected stress on the stress scale. The questionnaire was administered to 53 individuals (8 males and 45 females), with ages between 24-60 and data was evaluated based on several different criteria. Result: A low level stress was found to be higher (37.7%) in the age groups 25-34 and 35-44 (60.0% and 68.8% respectively). Men (87.5%) were found to have moderate to high level stress than the women (57.8%). Respondents with moderate to high levels stress had 50% - 80% chance of major health breakdown within the next 2 years according to the Holmes and Rahe statistical predictor model which saw 35.7% of respondents who slept less than 7 hours a day had high levels of stress than does who slept more than 9 hours at night (28.6%). Regarding exercise, respondents who were inactive (30.8%) to low (43.5%) in terms of minutes per week of physical activity as well as those who were inconsistent (45.5%) with physical activities (in terms of number of times per week) had high levels of stress. Regarding body mass index (BMI) and stress, the risk for health breakdown within 2 years were observed as overweight/obese (64.5%) individuals had moderate to high levels of stress compared to normal (59.1%). Concerning dietary pattern, moderate to high levels stress were observed in semi vegetarian (100%), lacto-Ovo vegetarians (66.9%) and non-vegetarians (61.1%). Blood group was found to influence the way individuals dealt with the stress - with type O positive (68.7%) being the most sensitive, and type AB positive the least sensitive. Conclusion: Effectively knowing and practicing how to eliminate the negative factors of stress and modifying lifestyle especially sleep hours, food, physical activities in male population and the active age group can assure one of better health outcomes by reducing the chances of major health breakdown within 2 years. KEY WORDS: Sleep hours, Exercise, Physical activity, blood group, Diet, stress, Primary Health Workers.