Background: Purpose of health promotion
programs is to promote and to improve the
health of every employee. However, in many
cases the age-specific health promotion for
trainees is neglected. Studies of teenagers
(e.g. KiGGS 2007) show that physical, mental
and psychosocial skills are not developed sufficiently
and that especially teenagers with
poor examination results at the end of their primary
education have more health disorders.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to
evaluate lifestyle and health factors during a
two-year trainee-period.
Method: This study examines lifestyle and
health factors of trainees of the Heraeus
Holding GmbH who participated in a health
promotion program consisting of six units
over a two-year period. Subjective data for
the 77 mercantile and technical trainees was
collected by questionnaire.
Results: In most cases, at time point one the
health status of the trainees was below normal
levels. The health-status worsened during
the two-year study-period. Significant
results can be seen in the decrease of leisure
time activity (F = 15.36; df = 119; p = 0.028)
and in the increase of back pain prevalence
(F = 0.001; df = 124; p = 0.007). The trainees
gained 3 kg body-weight on average and
their subjective rating of their state of health
was significantly worse (F = 3.58; df = 129;
p = 0.006).
Conclusions: A health promotion program as
it exists here is not able to compensate negative
influences completely, but it does make a
contribution to the sensitivity and education
of trainees. This basis may play a major role in
the course of an integrated health management
program aiming to promote health and
performance until retirement age.
