Abstract
BackgroundIncreased physical activity levels benefit both an individuals' health and productivity at work. The purpose of the current study was to explore the impact and cost-effectiveness of a workplace physical activity intervention designed to increase physical activity levels.MethodsA total of 1260 participants from 44 UK worksites (based within 5 organizations) were recruited to a cluster randomized controlled trial with worksites randomly allocated to an intervention or control condition. Measurement of physical activity and other variables occurred at baseline, and at 0 months, 3 months and 9 months post-intervention. Health outcomes were measured during a 30 minute health check conducted in worksites at baseline and 9 months post intervention. The intervention consisted of a 3 month tool-kit of activities targeting components of the Theory of Planned Behavior, delivered in-house by nominated facilitators. Self-reported physical activity (measured using the IPAQ short-form) and health outcomes were assessed.Results and discussionMultilevel modelling found no significant effect of the intervention on MET minutes of activity (from the IPAQ) at any of the follow-up time points controlling for baseline activity. However, the intervention did significantly reduce systolic blood pressure (B = -1.79 mm/Hg) and resting heart rate (B = -2.08 beats) and significantly increased body mass index (B = .18 units) compared to control. The intervention was found not to be cost-effective, however the substantial variability round this estimate suggested that further research is warranted.ConclusionsThe current study found mixed support for this worksite physical activity intervention. The paper discusses some of the tensions involved in conducting rigorous evaluations of large-scale randomized controlled trials in real-world settings.Trial registrationCurrent controlled trials ISRCTN08807396
Highlights
Increased physical activity levels benefit both an individuals’ health and productivity at work
The current study addresses these limitations by assessing the effects of the theory based AME (Awareness, Motivation, Environment) for ACTIVITY intervention [20] on both self-reported physical activity and objective indicators of health
There were no differences according to sex, age, intervention group or physical activity level at baseline
Summary
Increased physical activity levels benefit both an individuals’ health and productivity at work. The purpose of the current study was to explore the impact and cost-effectiveness of a workplace physical activity intervention designed to increase physical activity levels. There is convincing evidence that people who are physically active live longer and have lower morbidity than those who are inactive [1,2,3]. In North America, less than half the population are meeting the recommended levels of physical activity, and this is lower still in the UK: 28% (women) to 40% (men) [5,6,7]. Current evidence as to the effectiveness of workplace physical activity interventions has been mixed. Very few workplace studies perform an economic analysis to explore the cost-effectiveness of interventions. It is generally recognized that any intervention should be based upon explicit theory [18,19,20]
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