Initiatives in the Workplace The Hotel Industry's Model

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Initiatives in the Workplace-The Hotel
Industry's Model

• Prepared for Workshop
• Towards Obesity Prevention in the Caribbean
• November 20 - 22, 2000
• Barbados
• Presenter Bernice Dyer-Regis
• Training Specialist
• Quality Tourism for the Caribbean

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Vision for Caribbean Tourism
"To be the Safest, Happiest, and Healthiest of
Comparable Destinations in the World"
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Quality Tourism for the Caribbean Caribbean
Tourism, Health Safety Resource Conservation
Project

• Meeting a health need through a public-private
  partnership
• IADB major funder
• Other funding partners - CDB, GTZ
• CAREC- CAST joint implementation
• Initial countries - TT, Barbados,
• Jamaica, Bahamas, OECS

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Quality Tourism for the Caribbean

• CAST
• 1, 100 Caribbean Hotel Association
• members and 750 allied members
• Provide high-quality education and
• training related to sustainable tourism
• Serve as a vital link to all tourism stake-
  
• holders in the region

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Quality Tourism for the Caribbean

• CAREC
• Improve health status of Caribbean people
• Increase capabilities of 21 member
• countries in various disciplines
• Provide technical co-operation, service,
  
• training and research

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PROJECT PURPOSE

• To improve the quality and competitiveness of the
  tourism industry, through the establishment and
  dissemination of quality standards, systems and
  registrations designed to ensure safe, healthy
  and environmentally conscious products and
  services for guests and staff.

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ACTIVITIES

• Needs assessment
• Caribbean wide standards
• Standards-based registration systems for health
  and environment
• Human resource development
• Recognisable brand identity
• (Alliances - tourism, health, hotels)

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BENEFITS

• Industry
• Quality competitiveness of tourism product
  improved
• Marketing edge, reduced insurance costs for
  participants
• More profitable, sustainable tourism
  development
• Meet and exceed local public health requirements
• Countries
• Improved national capacity for disease
  surveillance and control through monitoring
  illness trends in hotels
• Better health situation of workers families in
  industry
• Healthier conditions for intra-regional
  travellers, who made up 10-15 of the 14 million
  stay over tourists in 97

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CONTRIBUTION OF TOURISM"Tourism is to the
Caribbean what oil is to the Middle East"

• 1998
• 19.54 million tourists arrival
• 12.27 million cruise passengers
• Generated US 32.5 billion in economic activity
• One in four jobs in tourism industry
• Provided 2.9 million jobs in the region
• Responsible for 31 of the region's GDP

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MODEL LIFESTYLE PROGRAMME

• Premise- The Quality of Service Provided to
  Guests is Dependent on the Health and Wellness of
  Employees

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CARIBBEAN HOTEL

• 2, 300 rooms and suites
• 18 restaurants/5 coffee shops
• Staff of approximately 6000
• Staff dining room serves breakfast,
• lunch, dinner and snacks buffet style
• Nurse provides service to staff members

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BACKGROUND

• Nurse's observation of the following
• Vast majority of employees appear to be
  over-weight
• Significant weight increase in new employees
  after short period
• Employees' over-generous servings in the dining
  room
• Employees' unhealthy food choices
• More french fries/less baked potatoes
• More ice cream/less fresh fruit salad
• More stewed meats/less baked meats
• Little or no vegetables
• Generous servings of sauces, gravies and
  dressings

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• OTHER OBSERVATION
• Hypertension Screening - Pharmaceutical Company
• Significant number of workers high blood
  pressure
• readings above 160/100
• 20 of those were under 40 yrs

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HEALTHY LIFESTYLE PROGRAMME

• New Caribbean Cooperation in Health II - regional
  Health Priority Area of Chronic Non-communicable
  Diseases
• Applying the appropriate strategies of the
  Caribbean Charter for Health Promotion to the
  priority areas

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HEALTHY LIFESTYLE PROGRAMME

• OBJECTIVES
• Increase the knowledge of employees in relation
• to healthy food choices
• Equip employees with personal health skills
  pertaining
• to exercise and weight control
• Create a supportive environment at the workplace
  
• to make the healthy choice the easy choice

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PHASE 1 Collection of Baseline Data

• Select a representative sample of employees
  who have
• at least one meal per day at the staff
  dining room
• Measure weight and height to determine Body
  Mass
• Index (BMI) and also waist circumference
• Administer questionnaire to elicit information
  on employees
• Knowledge of their current health status in
  relation to diabetes, hypertension
• and heart disease
• Family history of diabetes, hypertension and
  heart disease

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Collection of Baseline Data Contd

• Perception of individual weight in relation to
  obesity
• Perceptions of obesity
• Food preferences at staff dining room
• Regularity of physical exercise
• Alcohol misuse and tobacco use
• Perception of relationship between obesity and
  chronic
• non-communicable diseases
• Willingness to participate in worksite healthy
  lifestyle
• programme

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PHASE 2 Programme Development/Implementation

• HEALTHY FOOD CHOICES
• Training for chefs in collaboration with
• CFNI re - modification of menu choices and
  recipes
• Education sessions for staff re
• Relationship between food, weight, exercise
• and CNCDs
• Healthy combination of menu items
• Achievement and maintenance of ideal weight

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Programme Development/ImplementationContd

• REGULAR PHYSICAL EXERCISE
• Setting up of gym at the workplace
• to facilitate employee work-out for
• 20-30 mins at least three times
• a week

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Phase 3 Programme Evaluation

• At 6 and 12 months after implementation
• Compare individual baseline data with
• current data re
• BMI, food preferences
• Knowledge/attitudes/practices in relation
• to diet, exercise and weight control
• Facilitating and mutilating factors

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THE WAY FORWARD

• Collaborate with CFNI in upgrading the initiative
  to a comprehensive Worksite Wellness Promotion
  Programme
• In conjunction with CFNI and the Caribbean
  Culinary Federation, develop training programme
  for chefs in the preparation of healthier meals