Health promotion and options for digital health interventions on board merchant vessels

Health promotion measures on board seagoing vessels are subject to special requirements due to limited access to health services on board. This study examines the needs and digital possibilities for modern health promotion and digital intervention on board merchant ships considering the different occupational groups. The data was collected using questionnaires completed by 903 seafarers (participation rate 99.4%) from 23 countries on 68 seagoing vessels belonging to two German shipping companies. A comparison of the responses was conducted to identify significant differences between ratings and officers, because this could be relevant for future specific interventions. Adjustments were made for cultural background and age using odds ratio. Ratings assessed the relevance of topics for well-being higher than officers did, especially regarding healthy food ( p = 0.83), exercise ( p = 0.05), and learning relaxation exercises ( p = 0.04). The study shows that ratings are more than twice willing to do more sports ( p = 0.04), learn relaxation exercises ( p = 0.01), and practice measures against fatigue ( p = 0.05). Health apps and sports competitions were highly valued in the communication of health information. Ratings and officers used smartphones to a high degree (98.3%) and would use a health app (87.5% ratings vs. 83.1% officers; OR 1.62 (1.07–2.43)) and both professional groups would like to participate in a bonus system based on a reward principle. In the multivariate analysis, interest in health promotion measures was essentially independent of age and cultural background. Key aspects for intervention measures on board include sports, learning relaxation techniques, offering healthy food, and raising awareness about exemplary health behavior of superiors. Modern digital intervention measures involving e-learning platforms, applications and wearables are of interest to seafarers and should be considered when planning health promotion measures at sea.