Universal Journal of Public Health Vol. 2(6), pp. 163 - 173
DOI: 10.13189/ujph.2014.020601
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Knowledge and Synthesis Gaps in Men’s Health: Type 2 Diabetes and Depression in Northern British Columbia, Canada

Mamdouh M. Shubair ^*, Meck Chongo , Jamie Reschny
School of Health Sciences, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC, V2N4Z9

ABSTRACT

The workplace is notable as an optimal setting for health promotion programs. The workplace offers a natural convenient environment to support the promotion of health and wellness of workers in organizations. Adult men (18 years of age or over) in natural resource industries who work full-time spend more of their waking hours at work, away from their families due to shift work, hectic hours, and busy lifestyles. The workplace setting can therefore be harnessed to offer workers frequent and sustained exposure to effective interventions during prime hours. The purpose of this Scopus review paper is to assess the magnitude of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and depression among working men in resource-based occupations (trucking; logging; mining; oil and gas; and forestry). The paper proposes a settings-based workplace health promotion (WHP) framework to be adapted from a community-based perspective. We argue the proposed framework can be applied to effect individual worker’s lifestyle behaviours, and from a socio-ecological perspective to influence organizational change and health policy. We propose WHP programs for men recognizing that gender has an important role in influencing one's lifestyle and overall health. From a socio-ecological perspective, the environment also plays a pivotal role in affecting lifestyle choices by supporting or hindering behaviours that occur in 'settings' such as family, school, workplace, or community environments. While arguing for WHP interventions, the paper recognizes the importance of upstream policy initiatives that should enhance and cultivate such interventions at organizational and community levels.

KEYWORDS
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Men’s Health Interventions, Depression, Diabetes, Epidemiology of Men’s Health

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Mamdouh M. Shubair , Meck Chongo , Jamie Reschny , "Knowledge and Synthesis Gaps in Men’s Health: Type 2 Diabetes and Depression in Northern British Columbia, Canada," Universal Journal of Public Health, Vol. 2, No. 6, pp. 163 - 173, 2014. DOI: 10.13189/ujph.2014.020601.

(b). APA Format:
Mamdouh M. Shubair , Meck Chongo , Jamie Reschny (2014). Knowledge and Synthesis Gaps in Men’s Health: Type 2 Diabetes and Depression in Northern British Columbia, Canada. Universal Journal of Public Health, 2(6), 163 - 173. DOI: 10.13189/ujph.2014.020601.