Abstract
Workplace Health Promotion (WHP) may improve health, productivity and safety and reduce absenteeism. However, although desirable, it is difficult to design tailored (and thus effective) WHP programs, particularly in small–medium companies, which rarely have access to sufficient economic and organizational resources. In this study, 1305 employees filled out an online anonymous lifestyle questionnaire hosted on the website of a non-profit organization, which aims to promote a healthy lifestyle among workers. The data show gender differences regarding stress perception and, in the working population meeting current physical activity recommendations (threshold = 600 MET·min/week), they point out the evidence of a better psychological and nutrition profile, a perception of better job performance, and improved sleep and health quality. Moreover, a unitary index (ranging from 0–100 (with higher scores being healthier)), combining self-reported metrics for diet, exercise and stress, was significantly higher in active employees (67.51 ± 12.46 vs. 39.84 ± 18.34, p < 0.001). The possibility of assessing individual lifestyle in an easy, timely and cost-effective manner, offers the opportunity to collect grouped data useful to drive tailored WHP policies and to have metric to quantify results of interventions. This potentiality may help in creating effective programs and in improving employees’ and companies’ motivation and attitude towards a feasible WHP.
Highlights
Lifestyle Managing Programs may be considered a sustainable tool at individual and global levels [1]
In a previous paper [25], we showed that a unitary index, combining self-reported metrics for diet, exercise and stress, was significantly associated with clinical and lab results and anthropometric data, predicting levels of cardiometabolic risk, and representing a potentially useful, low-cost, tool that could be employed in the working population
Workers who reported suffering from chronic disease had a greater Body Mass Index (BMI), waist circumference and reported a lesser volume of vigorous physical activity
Summary
Lifestyle Managing Programs may be considered a sustainable tool at individual and global levels [1]. They recommend that action be taken in the present (to foster a healthy lifestyle) may preserve a greater good (Health) which, otherwise, might disappear in future. The prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases (thanks to healthy nutrition, physical exercise, good sleep quality, quitting smoking and stress management) represents an important tool to grant benefits at the global level, saving the economic resources that might be necessary to manage those chronic diseases. Lifestyle Managing Programs may provide a sustainable tool for companies: by improving health, they may improve productivity and safety and reduce absenteeism [3–6]. The European Union defined policy direction [13] to stimulate Workplace
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
