Impact of a Total Worker Health® Mentoring Program in a Correctional Workforce
Rajashree Kotejoshyer1, Declan O Gilmer2, Sara Namazi3
1Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Farmington, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030, USA.
Summary
A peer health mentoring program for correctional officers showed that higher mentoring frequency reduced burnout. While health declined, mentees experienced slower increases in body mass index (BMI) and hypertension.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- Correctional officers experience adverse health effects early in their careers.
- A peer health mentoring program based on the Total Worker Health® approach was evaluated for new officers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of a one-year peer health mentoring program on new correctional officers.
- To investigate the relationship between mentoring characteristics and health outcomes.
Main Methods:
- A mixed-methods design with 269 cadets randomly assigned to mentored or control groups.
- Physical assessments and surveys were conducted at three time points.
- Repeated measures analysis, regression, and qualitative interviews were employed.
Main Results:
- Increased mentoring frequency correlated with reduced officer burnout.
- Mentees showed a slower decline in body mass index (BMI) and hypertension compared to controls.
- Overall health behaviors and outcomes declined across all groups over time.
Conclusions:
- Peer health mentoring may protect new officers by reducing burnout and mitigating declines in BMI and hypertension.
- Short-term physical health markers may not reflect psycho-social impacts in young officers.
- A participatory design is recommended for sustainable and effective long-term health mentoring programs.
Keywords:
correctionshealth mentoringhealthy workforce participatory programparticipatory action researchpeer mentoringtotal worker healthMore Related Videos
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