{"title":"Work-life balance and health among pharmacists: physical activity, sleep quality, and general health.","authors":"Esmaeel Soleimani, Reza Tahmasebi, Hadi Daneshmandi, Seyed Hossein Salimi, Fereshteh Aliasghari","doi":"10.1186/s12913-024-11701-w","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Pharmacists face unique occupational challenges that can impact their health and well-being. This study examines the relationships between work-life balance factors, physical activity, sleep quality, and general health among pharmacists in Shiraz, Iran.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional survey was conducted from 7 August 2021 to 21 November 2021 among 136 pharmacists working in community and hospital pharmacies in Shiraz. Participants were selected using stratified random sampling. The Persian versions of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (P-IPAQ), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (P-PSQI), and General Health Questionnaire (P-GHQ-28) were used to assess physical activity, sleep quality, and general health status, respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square, Fisher's exact, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Low physical activity was reported by 35.3% of pharmacists, with longer work hours significantly associated with lower physical activity (p = 0.009). Poor sleep quality was prevalent in 57.4% of participants, with no significant associations with demographic variables. General health was categorized as unhealthy for 50.7% of pharmacists, with female pharmacists more likely to be in this category (χ2 = 4.383, p = 0.036). Older pharmacists reported better general health status (Mann-Whitney U = 1792.500, p = 0.024).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Pharmacists face significant challenges in maintaining work-life balance, evidenced by low physical activity, poor sleep quality, and compromised general health. Targeted interventions, including workplace exercise programs, optimized schedules, and comprehensive wellness initiatives, are needed to support pharmacists' well-being and enhance patient care quality.</p>","PeriodicalId":9012,"journal":{"name":"BMC Health Services Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"BMC Health Services Research","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-11701-w","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Pharmacists face unique occupational challenges that can impact their health and well-being. This study examines the relationships between work-life balance factors, physical activity, sleep quality, and general health among pharmacists in Shiraz, Iran.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from 7 August 2021 to 21 November 2021 among 136 pharmacists working in community and hospital pharmacies in Shiraz. Participants were selected using stratified random sampling. The Persian versions of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (P-IPAQ), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (P-PSQI), and General Health Questionnaire (P-GHQ-28) were used to assess physical activity, sleep quality, and general health status, respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square, Fisher's exact, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.
Results: Low physical activity was reported by 35.3% of pharmacists, with longer work hours significantly associated with lower physical activity (p = 0.009). Poor sleep quality was prevalent in 57.4% of participants, with no significant associations with demographic variables. General health was categorized as unhealthy for 50.7% of pharmacists, with female pharmacists more likely to be in this category (χ2 = 4.383, p = 0.036). Older pharmacists reported better general health status (Mann-Whitney U = 1792.500, p = 0.024).
Conclusions: Pharmacists face significant challenges in maintaining work-life balance, evidenced by low physical activity, poor sleep quality, and compromised general health. Targeted interventions, including workplace exercise programs, optimized schedules, and comprehensive wellness initiatives, are needed to support pharmacists' well-being and enhance patient care quality.
期刊介绍:
BMC Health Services Research is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that considers articles on all aspects of health services research, including delivery of care, management of health services, assessment of healthcare needs, measurement of outcomes, allocation of healthcare resources, evaluation of different health markets and health services organizations, international comparative analysis of health systems, health economics and the impact of health policies and regulations.