Maritime must move beyond wellbeing awareness to change crew behaviour, says WellAtSea

The maritime industry faces the risk of conflating wellbeing activities with progress unless it focuses on whether health programmes are altering seafarer behaviour, according to Gisa Paredes, Managing Director of health and wellness platform WellAtSea - a division of OneCare Group. Despite increased spending on crew health and wellbeing, merely raising awareness does not guarantee healthier decisions, Paredes asserts.

Seafarers often comprehend the hazards linked to smoking, insufficient sleep, sedentary behaviour and unhealthy lifestyles. The larger obstacle lies in generating motivation, assistance, and an onboard atmosphere that enables individuals to convert that grasp into enduring habits they can maintain. WellAtSea contends that the most impactful programmes stem from a behavioural perspective rather than merely disseminating more information.

This incorporates understanding individual motivations, leveraging peer influence, establishing realistic objectives, and preserving engagement long enough for healthier choices to metamorphose into part of daily life.

An illustrative case of WellAtSea's methodology is its targeted anti-smoking campaign for a shipping operator. Instead of merely cautioning seafarers about the perils of smoking, the programme concentrated on fostering behavioural change over time through education, attainable goals, consistent engagement, incentives, and encouragement.

Advancement was acknowledged throughout the process, rather than success being measured solely by whether an individual ceased smoking immediately. "People seldom change merely because they are told something is detrimental to their health. Most smokers already grasp the health ramifications of smoking. The more pressing inquiries are why they persist, what might motivate them to alter, and what support will aid them sustain that choice," Paredes elucidates.

She further elaborates, "That principle extends far beyond smoking. Whether we are discussing exercise, nutrition, sleep, or stress, we must cease presuming that providing information automatically alters behaviour."

Peer influence has emerged as a crucial factor. WellAtSea employs wellbeing ambassadors to pinpoint individuals capable of motivating colleagues, facilitating the development of healthier behaviours from within the workforce rather than being viewed as an additional initiative imposed from shore. The significance of engagement is also progressively acknowledged by maritime employers.

One client initiative has demonstrated substantial enhancement in engagement rates by attaining participation of approximately 80%, with fluctuations closely monitored. Paredes clarifies: "Such a degree of attention underscores how differently wellbeing can be approached when it is integrated into a broader workforce strategy. It is no longer adequate to tally how many campaigns have been executed.

Enterprises should be questioning who is engaging, whether participation is being sustained, and, most significantly, whether behaviour is changing."