Maritime Health Research and Education-NET/Education 3: The International Maritime Health Journal Club

The SDG-17 promoting International Maritime Health Journal Club
The objective is to strengthen the implementation of the UN-17 Sustainable Development Goals in the maritime area.The Researchers and academic staff in universities are key players in promoting Sustainable Development Goals. The SDGs are based on the presence of serious global problems that need to be addressed and solved through research and innovation. Researchers are in a position to provide genuine solutions and inventions to national and international problems facing the pathway to achieving the SDG 2030 agenda. One way is to establish "Journal Club" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journal_club to support regularly the stakeholders with new scientific knowledge of high validity that they would not else come to know to inspire to implement one or more of the SDG 17 Goals. The reviews need to be short, easy to read and understandable by the stakeholders.

Structure of the "IMH-Journal Club"
The review documents stay in MAHRE-Net pages. mails with the text are distributed to Newsletters within the maritime schools, shipping companies, Maritime Authorities, University Research units who may create a local "journal Club"
 * 1) Define the group of members
 * 2) Schedule monthly Zoom meetings
 * 3) Each member brings 1 or more article to be discussed
 * 4) The proposer writes a structured review of an approved article to be disseminated to the stakeholders for free
 * 5) Stakeholders are inspired to create a local "IMH-Journal Club" to read and discuss the articles, they like

Aims
To study the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact seafarers mental health problems and fatigue.

Methods
622 seafarers from international commercial vessels answered structured questionnaires

Results
Evaluation: the results are trustworthy
 * Length of seafarers’ time on board increased mental health problems and fatigue
 * Onboard peer support and external support reduced mental health problems and fatigue.
 * Fast and reliable Internet access on board indirectly reduced mental health problems and fatigue

What should be done to implement one or more of SDGs by the stakeholders

 * Ship owners
 * Seafarers
 * Maritime Authorities
 * Researchers
 * Others

Reference
Pauksztat, Birgit, Michelle R. Grech, og Momoko Kitada. “The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Seafarers’ Mental Health and Chronic Fatigue: Beneficial Effects of Onboard Peer Support, External Support and Internet Access”. Marine Policy 137 (March 2022): 104942. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104942.

Authors affiliations
Department of Business Studies, Uppsala University, Sweden ,Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Australia c School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Australia d World Maritime University, Sweden