Abstract
BackgroundWhile benefits of workplace physical exercise on physical health is well known, little is known about the psychosocial effects of such initiatives. This study evaluates the effect of workplace versus home-based physical exercise on psychosocial factors among healthcare workers.MethodsA total of 200 female healthcare workers (Age: 42.0, BMI: 24.1) from 18 departments at three hospitals were cluster-randomized to 10 weeks of: 1) home-based physical exercise (HOME) performed alone during leisure time for 10 min 5 days per week or 2) workplace physical exercise (WORK) performed in groups during working hours for 10 min 5 days per week and up to 5 group-based coaching sessions on motivation for regular physical exercise. Vitality and mental health (SF-36, scale 0–100), psychosocial work environment (COPSOQ, scale 0–100), work- and leisure disability (DASH, 0–100), control- (Bournemouth, scale 0–10) and concern about pain (Pain Catastrophizing Scale, scale 0–10) were assessed at baseline and at 10-week follow-up.ResultsVitality as well as control and concern about pain improved more following WORK than HOME (all p < 0.05) in spite of increased work pace (p < 0.05). Work- and leisure disability, emotional demands, influence at work, sense of community, social support and mental health remained unchanged. Between-group differences at follow-up (WORK vs. HOME) were 7 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 3 to 10] for vitality, −0.8 [95% CI -1.3 to −0.3] for control of pain and −0.9 [95% CI -1.4 to −0.5] for concern about pain, respectively.ConclusionsPerforming physical exercise together with colleagues during working hours was more effective than home-based exercise in improving vitality and concern and control of pain among healthcare workers. These benefits occurred in spite of increased work pace.Trial registrationNCT01921764 at ClinicalTrials.gov. Registered 10 August 2013.
Highlights
While benefits of workplace physical exercise on physical health is well known, little is known about the psychosocial effects of such initiatives
Participants randomized to HOME were older than WORK (p < 0.05)
The present study demonstrates that workplace-based physical exercise is more effective than home-based exercise in improving vitality and concern and control of pain among healthcare workers
Summary
While benefits of workplace physical exercise on physical health is well known, little is known about the psychosocial effects of such initiatives. This study evaluates the effect of workplace versus home-based physical exercise on psychosocial factors among healthcare workers. The biopsychosocial model of pain suggests that pain perception is a product of a multifactorial interaction between biological, psychological and social factors [10]. Optimal strategies for prevention and rehabilitation of pain should focus on the physiological factors, e.g. reducing workload or performing physical exercise as a single element, but rather aim at incorporating all three elements, physiological, psychological and social, in a multidisciplinary intervention. In view of the biopsychosocial model of pain, the workplace, represents an important and optimal setting for relieving pain and promoting overall employee health. Systematic reviews have shown that workplace based physical exercise, especially strength training, performed
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