Lifestyle practices and perceived work stress levels among personnel in a selected academic institution in Cavite, Philippines

Abstract

Work stress is considered a burden in terms of the health-related effects and costs on both mental and physical aspects among employees. The purpose of this study was to determine NEWSTART+S and work stress levels among personnel of an academic institution in Cavite, Philippines using a cross-sectional quantitative research method. The majority of the participants were between 40 to 49 years old, mostly females, married, and had achieved a graduate-level education. In relation to the lifestyle practices of NEWSTART+S, respondents obtained an excellent practice level on water, temperance, air, trust in God, and social support. On the practices of nutrition, exercise, sunlight exposure, and rest, respondents obtained a good practice level. In this study, respondents obtained a moderate level of work stress; it appeared men do more exercise and the active pauses at work compared to women. Further, results suggest that graduate respondents seemed to practice more activities related to trust in God than undergraduate respondents in terms of belief in God, attendance to spiritual meetings, and engagement in activities such as meditation, prayer, and Bible reading. There was no strong correlation between NEWSTART+S practices and work stress among employees; no predictive power was found. Thus, being involved in activities related to NEWSTART+S does not necessarily mean that people will not face work stress among employees of academic institutions. Other factors could have played a role in producing a moderate work stress level among employees. Therefore, qualitative, longitudinal, and experimental studies are recommended to better understand this phenomenon among this population, as well as to see the possible impact of the effects of the practice of NEWSTART+S on work stress among employees of non-Adventist institutions.