Climate change & environmental pollution

Asay, G.R.B., Roy, K., Lang, J.E., Payne, R.L., & Howard, D.H. (2016). Absenteeism and Employer Costs

Associated With Chronic Diseases and Health Risk Factors in the US Workforce. Preventing Chronic Disease 13, 21 -35

Reference journal articles like this.

Galvin, R. (2002). Disturbing notions of Chronic Illness and Individual Responsibility: Towards a

Genealogy of Morals. Health: An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Social Study of Health, Illness and Medicine 6(2), 107-137

Harvard School of Public Health (2017). Environmental Barriers to Activity. Retrieved from http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-causes/physical-activity

environment/

NHS (2018). 5 healthy habits that could add more than a decade to your life. NHS Choices.

Retrieved from https://www.nhs.uk/news/lifestyle-and-exercise/5-healthy-habits-could-add-more-decade-your-life/

Reference websites like this.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2012). Workplace health: Local government

Briefing. Retrieved from https://www.nice.org.uk/advice/lgb2/chapter/costs-and-savings

Shockey, K., Smith, C., & Knudsen, E.A. (2017). The Impact of Work-Life Balance on Employee

Retention. In H. W. Goldstein, E.D. Pulakos, J.Passmore, & C. Semedo (Eds.), The Wiley Blackwell

Handbook of the Psychology of Recruitment, Selection and Employee Retention. London:

John Wiley Publishers

University of Cambridge (2014). Price gap between more and less healthy food grows. University of

Cambridge Research News. Retrieved from http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/price-

gap-between-more-and-less-healthy-foods-grows

Wilkinson R. & Marmot M. (2003). Social determinants of health: the solid facts (2nd ed.).

Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe.

Reference books like this.

Name:

A. Student

Class:

AES

Date:

Mark:

Title:

Individual lifestyle habits have been identified as a factor in workplace productivity. Define healthy lifestyle habits and discuss the reasons why some individuals do not have a healthy lifestyle. Consider the extent to which it should be the responsibility of employers to encourage their workers to have healthy lifestyle habits.

EVALUATION 1

Full reference: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (N.D.). Work Life Balance. Retrieved from http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/work-life-balance/

How do you know this source is suitable for academic use? Refer to the authority, reliability of evidence or data, objectivity, currency and use of expected academic conventions.

Authority: No author given. However, OECD is an intergovernmental organisation and, therefore, has authority.

Reliability: There are no citations to external sources within the article, which lowers its credibility somewhat. However, the OECD is considered to be a reliable source of comparable statistics and data.

Objectivity/Subjectivity: All of the evidence is factual/statistical and there is no personal language/opinion.

Currency: No publishing date is given, but statistics are up-to-date. Therefore, the text is current.

Academic conventions: There is no referencing, but the report uses clear, impersonal language. Therefore, it can be considered to be an acceptable academic source.

How is the source relevant to your title? What are the useful points / arguments made in the text?

This source provides recognised reasons why poor work-life balance is detrimental to physical and mental health. This information can help to support the point made in paragraph 2 that it could be considered impossible for people to be solely responsible for their own health. By showing the difficulties of maintaining a healthy work-life balance today and noting that government policies can help to alleviate these issues, this source suggests that government schemes and also those implemented in the work place, can help in solving this issue so it is not all the individual’s responsibility.

Summarise the key points of the text in your own words so it is clear they you have read and understood the source. You can use bullet points to list the useful points.

Useful points made in the text are:

Long working hours may have a negative impact on health and increase stress levels.

People are too tired when they get home after work- reduces leisure time and the benefits which are associated with relaxation.

Government policies can help to support work-life balance e.g. UK child care subsidies.

EVALUATION 2

Full reference: Harvard School of Public Health (2017). Environmental Barriers to Activity. Retrieved from http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-causes/physical-activity environment/

How do you know this source is suitable for academic use? Refer to the authority, reliability of evidence or data, objectivity, currency and use of expected academic conventions.

Authority: No author given, but Harvard is number 6 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2018 and, therefore, has authority.

Reliability: This source is reliable as it is published research from a reputable academic institution. The sources on the reference list are academic.

Objectivity/Subjectivity: For the most part, the language is formal although there are some contractions, personal pronouns (‘we’) and question forms. However, all of the content is based on research and is fully referenced. Therefore, the text is objective.

Currency: The article was published in 2017 and most of the sources on the reference list are from within the last ten years. Therefore, the text is current.

Academic conventions: The article follows academic conventions. A full reference list is provided which corresponds with the in-text referencing. There is an introduction which states the purpose of the text and the structure is logical. The language style is mostly formal apart from a few contractions, personal pronouns (‘we’) and question forms.

How is the source relevant to your title? What are the useful points / arguments made in the text?

This source provides information which can be used to provide evidence towards the argument that there are a number of environmental reasons contributing towards an unhealthy lifestyle and the obesity epidemic- it is not merely down to individual preference and dietary choices. Findings from research show that a variety of environmental factors, such as parental activity levels or the socio-economic background can be influential: poor areas have fewer facilities and cost may play a role when facilities are available. In addition, people living in areas where security is an issue also report decreased amounts of activity.

Physical exercise: Environmental factors which may determine / influence an individual’s activity levels

Influences can be:

- family

- work

- initiatives at school/ traveling to school/ using facilities afterwards

- neighbourhoods

- government policies

- use of space/ town planning/ access to infrastructure

EVALUATION 3

Full reference: University of Cambridge (2014). Price gap between more and less healthy food grows. University of Cambridge Research News. Retrieved from http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/price-gap-between-more-and-less-healthy-foods-grows

How do you know this source is suitable for academic use? Refer to the authority, reliability of evidence or data, objectivity, currency and use of expected academic conventions.

Authority: This source is the University of Cambridge Research site, which publishes overviews of the research being conducted by the University. The researchers involved in this study are from the Centre for Diet and Activity Research at the University, so they have experience in this field.

Reliability: The study described in the article was published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One.

Objectivity/Subjectivity: The data was collated over a ten year period from the Office of National Statistics, a reliable source of data, and referenced against the National Diet and Nutrition Survey.

Currency: The study was published in 2014, and includes references which are nearly all from within the last ten years, so the source has good currency.

Academic conventions: Although the description of the article on the Cambridge website is in a news format, the study itself follows academic conventions in terms of structure, citation and referencing.

How is the source relevant to your title? What are the useful points / arguments made in the text?

The findings of the study directly link the increasing price of healthy food with ‘a deterioration in the health of the population’. This is useful to support the point that not everyone has access to the balanced and varied diet identified as key to a healthy lifestyle.

The researchers’ conclusions are also useful in supporting the point that the government intervention may be needed to ensure that everyone is able to sustain a healthy lifestyle.

The researchers suggest that the following should be addressed

- agricultural policy

- food production

- retail pricing strategies

EVALUATION 4

Full reference: Asay, G.R.B., Roy, K., Lang, J.E., Payne, R.L., Howard, D.H. (2016). Absenteeism and Employer Costs Associated With Chronic Diseases and Health Risk Factors in the US Workforce. Preventing Chronic Disease 13, 21 -35

How do you know this source is suitable for academic use? Refer to the authority, reliability of evidence or data, objectivity, currency and use of expected academic conventions.

Authority: The authors all have relevant PhD/MPH qualifications and therefore have authority.

Reliability: This is an academic study which has been peer-reviewed and is published by the Centres for Disease Control Prevention, an American governmental organisation which is accountable and reputable.

Objectivity/Subjectivity: The text is objective as all of the information is fully referenced to academic articles.

Currency: The study was published in 2016. Therefore, it is current.

Academic conventions: The text is written as a guide for the general public, so it is not written in an academic manner. However, the language/style is formal and the structure is clear.

How is the source relevant to your title? What are the useful points / arguments made in the text?

This study focuses on the impact of chronic diseases and unhealthy behaviours on work productivity, by looking at 3 risk factors: smoking, physical inactivity and obesity.

Annual absenteeism increases with the risk factors- and costs over $2 billion a year.

This source provides evidence for the argument that obese/ unhealthy workers take more sick days, which costs the companies and society money. The information supports the idea that companies would benefit from getting involved and assuming some of the responsibility in tackling lifestyle issues since by reducing poor productivity and absenteeism, they would gain financially.

Marker’s Comments:

Source Selection: This list contains useful and reliable sources of information: academic journals, government information websites and books, indicating a significant amount of research has been done. (Distinction)

Source Evaluation: All sources are clearly identified as being reliable considering a range of factors - currency, authorship, purpose, academic conventions and objectivity. (Distinction)

Marker’s Comments:

Understanding of Sources: The relevance of all sources to the topic is clearly and fully explained in the student’s own words, and the indication of how the source will be used to support points in the essay is explicit. The student is able to effectively identify and summarise key points of the articles. (Distinction)

Title:

Individual lifestyle habits have been identified as a factor in workplace productivity. Define healthy lifestyle habits and discuss the reasons why some individuals do not have a healthy lifestyle. Consider the extent to which it should be the responsibility of employers to encourage their workers to have healthy lifestyle habits.

Plan for overall structure

Introduction

P1. define healthy lifestyle habits (discuss key ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle)

P2. discuss reasons why an unhealthy lifestyle have become more common: work is a key factor

P3. Argument 1: the ethical case of employers encouraging healthy lifestyles among their employees

P4. Argument 2: the business case for employers taking some responsibility for employee health

P5. Counter argument and refutation: government / society approaches to ill-heath – why they are wrong

Conclusion

Add more paragraphs to the template if you need them.

Introductory paragraph structure

Background

- increasing pace of modern lifestyles

- rising rates of obesity and related health issues

- health is a key factor in ability to work well and productively

Thesis statement

This essay will argue that employers should take some responsibility for the health of their workers.

Route map

It will outline the key causes of an unhealthy lifestyle, and its effects on productivity and the economy at large

Paragraph 1 Topic sentence

Make sure your topic sentence is clear, and introduces the content of the paragraph.

There are five key elements to include in a healthy lifestyle.

Supporting points

Evidence / example/ data

Citation

- The five healthy habits are: not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, undertaking moderate exercise, eating a varied diet high in fruit and vegetables and low in saturated fat and sugar, limiting alcohol intake

Study in US with 123,000 participants over 30 years published in the medical journal Circulation found that people who adopted all five healthy habits were 74% less likely to die during the period of the study than those who adopted none. Women with healthy lifestyle lived 14 years longer, and men lived 12 years longer than those with unhealthy lifestyle habits.

Bullet point the key points you plan to make, and include a reference to support every point. Check all your references are in your list in part 3.

NHS (2018)

Concluding / linking sentence

If individuals follow the points, they will maintain and improve their health and thus lead a happier and longer life.

Paragraph 2 Topic sentence

However, with an estimated 137.3 million working days lost due to sickness in the UK in 2016 (Office for National Statistics, 2017), it seems maintaining a healthy lifestyle is not possible for all.

Support

Evidence / example/ data

Citation

- Environmental factors which affect health and are out of the control of the individual:

- financial limitations / poverty restricts access to sport and also fresh food

Wilkinson & Marmot (2003)

- comparative cost of fruit and veg to processed food - Camb Uni study between 2002 – 2012 showed healthy foods were consistently more expensive than unhealthy food options, and the disparity in price has widened over the 10 year period.

University of Cambridge (2014)

Try to include more than one citation in a paragraph, as this makes it clear that you are synthesising sources, rather than just relying on one source of information.

- family / commitments such as working extra jobs

- lack of security of local area may limit a person’s ability to be outside

- Lack of time leads people to eat fast / convenient food, rather than good from fresh.

Harvard School of Public Health (2017)

- Key factors which affect health as:

- Lack of time to exercise and plan healthy meals, (poor work-life balance) which leads to tiredness / lack of energy

- Stress

- Stress has a significant effect on both mental and physical health. Davidson, Mostofsky & Whang (2010, cited in American Psychological Association) – found a direct link between reduced stress and instance of heart disease.

- Stress may lead to negative habits, such as increased alcohol consumption and smoking, as well as lack of sleep, which causes additional mental and physical problems.

American Psychological Association (2018); OECD (ND)

Concluding / linking sentence

You may not need a linking sentence if the topic sentence of the following paragraph refers back:

Paragraph 3 Topic sentence

If these issues cannot be resolved by the individual, then the question of who should assume responsibility arises. Employers should actively encourage healthy lifestyles among their workforce.

Support

Evidence / example/ data

Citation

- causes of ill-health (stress / lack of time / work-life balance) is often due to work demands

- long working hours have a negative effect on health and stress levels

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (N.D.)

- Worker ill-health leads to reduced work output

- ‘Presenteeism’

- Research conducted in America shows that workplace health programmes reduce ‘presenteeism’, i.e. reduced

productivity when at work

Stevens (2013)

- benefits of a healthy workforce: increased productivity

- ‘healthy people are happier than unhealthy people, and work harder as a consequence’

Stevens (2013)

- success of work-based health initiatives

Centre for Disease Control & Prevention (2013)

- the importance of work-life balance in staff retention

- study demonstrates that work-life conflict is a primary reason for resignation (leading to additional costs of recruitment and training), and the significance of company policies around work-family support in staff retention.

Shockey et al. (2017)

Paragraph 4 Topic sentence

I If companies need further incentive to take responsibility for the health and wellbeing of their staff, the financial case is clear.

Support

Evidence / example/ data

Citation

- Saving on sick days to companies

- Smokers take more sick days than non-smokers

- Obese people take more sick days than non-obese workers

Weng & Leonardi-Bee (2013); Asay et al (2016)

- The yearly cost to the economy; government should support development of universal company policies.

- Estimated £32 billion loss to GDP

Office for National Statistics (2017)

Paragraph 5 Topic sentence

Despite the evidence that work commitments and resulting stress can cause health issues, many companies, and indeed governments, have argued that health is solely the responsibility of the individual.

Support

Evidence / example/ data

Citation

- government / society’s approach of ‘victim blaming’ - making people who are unwell / incapacitated feel guilty / responsible for their condition

- example: negative portrayal of people unable to work in the media as ‘scroungers’ or ‘benefits cheats’

Galvin (2002) (government approaches)

- placing additional pressure on employees to get back to work or not report physical or mental illness is dangerous to the individual.

- during Dec 2011 and Feb 2014, 2,380 people died after government work capability assessment found they were fit for work

Department for Work and Pensions (2015)

Conclusion

- Summarise: key reasons why individual is not able to ensure health alone; key reason for ill-health is work-related; benefits for companies – therefore clear case that employers should take some responsibility to actively encourage and support healthy lifestyles in its work force – should be backed by government policy to ensure all businesses conform.

Marker’s Comments:

Development of an outline: The outline is incredibly detailed and is clear to follow. This is a fully developed essay plan, including clear indication of how the sources will be synthesised and incorporated into the essay. (Distinction)

Use of sources: The outline clearly indicates how sources will be used to support points. The student has included counter-arguments as well as supporting his/her points, taking a reasoned and balanced approach to the essay. All sources cited as support which are included in the reference list. (Distinction)