Introduction: Despite being a fitness screened workforce, recent reports have highlighted a rising prevalence of obesity and chronic conditions in offshore workers (OW). Taking ownership of health, by engaging in self-care, is critical for those working in remote and hostile environments.
Objectives: What influences OW engagement in self-care?
Aims: By means of the TDF, this in-depth study sought to explore determinants of OW self-care behaviour from the perspectives of OW and remote healthcare practitioners (RHCP) to inform the development of self-care intervention(s).
Methods: OW attending a training course, at a local facility, were recruited by the researcher. RHCP who held membership with an independent academic organisation and had experience of working in the offshore industry were recruited to the study, via email, by the organisation’s secretary. The TDF was used to develop an interview schedule. Telephone interviews were conducted, recorded electronically and transcribed by the researcher. TDF analysis was performed independently by two researchers.
Results: Sixteen OW and 13 RHCP were interviewed. Self-care behaviours requiring behaviour change included diet and physical activity. TDF domains identified as behavioural determinants comprised: knowledge; beliefs about consequences; intentions; goals; memory, attention and decision processes; environmental context and resources; social influences; emotion, and behavioural regulation.
Conclusion: The evidence from this study suggests that OW engagement with self-care is influenced by a number of factors. Whilst opportunities exist for the implementation of a self-care intervention(s) within the population, intervention design should be tailored in accordance with the behavioural determinants to meet the specific needs of OW.
This abstract was presented at the Innovative Solutions in Remote Healthcare - 'Rethinking Remote' conference, 23-24 May 2016, Inverness, Scotland.