Effectiveness of Workplace Exercise Interventions on Body Composition: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Abstract

The aim of this review was to analyze the effectiveness of workplace exercise interventions on body composition (BC). Studies published in PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, CINAHL and PsycINFO, from the earliest time point until 8 July 2020. Inclusion criteria were worksite interventions, in adults, Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs), real exercise practice, and measuring BC outcomes. Exclusion criteria were full-text non-available, abstract not in English, and exercise protocol missing. 157 studies were retrieved and assessed for inclusion by 2 independent reviewers, who also used the Cochrane's Collaboration Tool to assess study quality and risk of bias. We performed a meta-analysis to determine the effect size of the interventions on BC outcomes reported in at least 5 studies. Twelve RCTs were included (n = 1270, 66% women), quality of studies being low to high (25% moderate, 67% high). Interventions achieved a statistically significant decrease in waist circumference (SMD = 0.24; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.06 to 0.41; p = 0.008), total mass fat (SMD = 0.21; 95%CI: 0.00 to 0.41; p = 0.047), and body adiposity index (SMD = 0.20; 95%CI: 0.00 to 0.41; p = 0.049). No changes were observed in body weight (SMD = 0.08 95%CI: -0.02 to 0.18; p = 0.128). Additionally, muscle mass increased in interventions that included strength training. There were no adverse events reported. The most effective workplace exercise interventions to improve BC combined supervised, moderate-intensity aerobic and strength training, for at least 4 months.