Understanding Australian schoolteachers' health needs: unwrapping the potential for prevention

Abstract

Teachers play a pivotal role in shaping the future, yet their health and wellbeing are often overlooked. Teachers' lifestyle behaviours, such as physical activity, diet and sleep, significantly impact their chronic disease risk. At the same time, mental wellbeing plays a crucial role in attrition rates. Despite this, limited research exists on teachers' lifestyle behaviours, their correlation with mental wellbeing, and effective interventions with this population. This thesis addresses the evidence gap by understanding teachers’ health needs and making recommendations for future programs to improve the overall health and wellbeing of teachers.

Employing a mixed methods approach, five interrelated studies were conducted: a cross-sectional survey involving 1,136 primary and secondary school teachers in New South Wales, Australia; a secondary analysis of the nationally-representative National Health Survey on teachers’ health; a scoping review of lifestyle interventions with mental wellbeing outcomes in teachers; an audit of Australian professional development programs addressing teacher health and mental wellbeing; and a qualitative study involving 23 teachers.

The findings highlight the need for evidence-based interventions to address teachers' low adherence to health guidelines and heightened levels of burnout. These issues are interlinked, and lifestyle interventions demonstrate promise in enhancing teachers' mental wellbeing. A lack of evaluation of existing professional development programs targeting wellbeing and health indicates their efficacy is not known. Looking ahead, this thesis provides actionable recommendations for future interventions, advocating for sustainable co-designed programs that offer choice, foster social connections, and build a culture of health and wellbeing in schools. These insights fill gaps in the literature and offer practical guidance, urging policymakers, schools, and stakeholders to prioritise teachers' health and mental wellbeing.