Employees’ attitudes toward active breaks in a large public healthcare organization in italy: preliminary results from a survey

Purpose: sedentary behavior (sb) and work-related stress remain major occupational health issues in europe. a promising strategy to reduce sb and promote workers’ wellbeing is active breaks (abs), defined as short bouts of light-to-moderate physical activity during working hours. in this context, the present study has the aim to explore the preliminary data from a survey assessing attitudes toward abs within the ‘‘azienda usl della romagna’’ (public healthcare organizations in italy). the results of this survey could help to better understand the most effective strategies for implementing abs in public healthcare workplaces in italy. methods: a cross-sectional observational study was conducted through an ad hoc survey distributed via institutional channels. the questionnaire included sections on socio-demographic and occupational characteristics, awareness and current practices regarding abs, and attitudes toward abs, assessed using likert-scale items. for the analysis of preliminary data, descriptive statistics were performed. results: a total of 1,474 employees participated. the sample consisted of 63% healthcare professionals, 12% technical staff, and 25% administrative workers, with 79% female and 21% male participants aged 22 to 68 years. regarding prior knowledge of abs, 79% had never heard of them, while 21% were familiar. concerning sb, 79% agreed it reduces attention, 73% believed it lowers productivity, and 94% acknowledged associated physical health issues. attitudes toward abs were positive: 86% saw abs as appropriate, 84% did not consider them a waste of time, and 81% felt they would not disturb others. additionally, 83% expected improved attention, 80% increased productivity, and 93% anticipated better physical well-being after abs. socially and organizationally, 81% would join colleagues on abs, 87% believed managers should promote them, and 80% felt encouraged abs would increase their sense of value at work. as these are preliminary results, more structured statistical analyses will be conducted in the future to better understand workers’ attitudes towards abs. conclusions: these early findings suggest a positive attitude toward abs among healthcare workers in an italian large public organization.