The UP150: A Multifactorial Environmental Intervention to Promote Employee Physical and Mental Well-Being.

Pietro Luigi Invernizzi,Giovanni Michielon,Walter Staiano,Stefano Benedini,Raffaele Scurati,Andrea Bosio,Gabriele Signorini

doi:10.3390/ijerph19031175

Abstract

Physical activity (PA) is a major health factor and studies suggest workplaces could promote PA by modifying office design, motivational strategies and technology. The present study aims to evaluate the efficiency of UP150, a multifactorial workplace intervention for the improvement and maintenance of the level of physical fitness (PF) and wellbeing. Forty-five employees were randomly divided into the experimental (EG) and control (CG) groups. The PF was assessed pre-post intervention using the cubo fitness test (CFT), the amount of PA was evaluated using the IPAQ questionnaire and accelerometers while the workload was assessed using the NASA-TLX questionnaire and psycho-physical health by using the SF-12 questionnaire. The EG worked in UP150 offices while the CG worked in their usual offices for 8 weeks. The EG and CG came back 4 weeks after the intervention for CFT retention. The EG improved CFT motor efficiency and the amount of moderate PA, while it reduced mental load. The EG retained reached motor efficiency levels 4 weeks after the intervention. No differences were found in IPAQ. The UP150 demonstrated to be a proactive environment and to be efficient in the promotion of PA, improving PF and mental health while decreasing mental load.

Highlights

The workplace represents one of the main causes of sedentarism and stress, which negatively affect the quality of life [1]
The participants were excluded from the analysis if they did not complete all the expected evaluations or if they reached a percentage of work absenteeism greater than 10%
cubo fitness test (CFT) was found reliable for all its variables, and RPE measured in each test of CFT did not show any significative difference in between and within group analysis (p > 0.05)

Summary

Introduction

The workplace represents one of the main causes of sedentarism and stress, which negatively affect the quality of life [1]. To act on the movement’s education and on employees’ motivation, a methodology is proposed that can determine an easy and non-traumatic transition from the classic workplace concept (based on constriction, stress and health risks due to a sedentary lifestyle) to a new workplace environment and office’s design concept, which consider the well-being and the caring of employees as central elements of companies’ welfare strategies [4] The innovation of this methodology consists of the insertion of systems that can increase the motivation to perform physical activity, through the increase in autonomy, relatedness, and the positive perception of self-motor competence [5].

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion