Health Care Habits, Job-Related Stress and Job Performance of Librarians in Akwa Ibom State University Library, Ikot Akpaden, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria: A Conceptual Review

Abstract

This paper presents a conceptual review of the interrelationship among health care habits, job-related stress and job performance among librarians in Akwa Ibom State University Library, Akpaden, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Librarianship within contemporary academic settings has become increasingly demanding, characterised by prolonged sedentary engagement, continuous exposure to information and communication technologies, interpersonal pressures from library users, and administrative responsibilities, all of which predispose librarians to physical and psychological strain. Drawing on the Transactional Model of Stress and the Job Demands-Resources theory, the paper argues that the health care habits which librarians adopt or neglect, including physical activity, dietary practice, sleep hygiene, routine medical check-ups and stress-coping behaviour, shape the extent to which occupational stressors translate into diminished job performance. The paper synthesises existing theoretical and empirical literature on occupational stress among librarians in Nigerian and international university libraries, situates the discussion within the operational context of the Akwa Ibom State University Library system, and proposes a conceptual model linking the three constructs. It concludes that deliberate attention to librarians’ health care habits constitutes a practical and relatively low-cost intervention point through which university library management can buffer the adverse performance effects of job-related stress. Recommendations for library administrators, university management, librarians themselves, and future empirical researchers are offered.