Sponsor
The first author in this paper has been possible, thanks to the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and the Formation of University Teachers (grant number: FPU19/00146). In addition, this research has been developed with the help of the Grant EQC2019-005843-P funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and ERDF “A way of making Europe.”
Published In
Systematic Reviews
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-2023
Subjects
Work-ability, Exercise, Cardiorespiratory, Employee, Company, Occupational health and safety
Abstract
Background
Although the scientific literature has previously described the impact of worksite programs based on physical activity (WPPAs) on employees’ productivity and health in different contexts, the effect of these programs has not been analyzed based on the characteristics or modalities of physical activity (PA) performed (e.g., aerobic exercise, strength training, flexibility). In addition, studies on WPPAs usually report health and productivity outcomes separately, not integrated into a single study. Knowing the health and economic-related impacts of a WPPAs could provide useful information for stakeholders and policy development.
Objective
The purpose of this review was as follows: (1) to analyze the effect of different modalities of WPPAs on employees’ productivity and health and (2) to investigate the economic impact of WPPAs.
Methods
This systematic review is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021230626) and complies with PRISMA guidelines. Only randomized controlled trials from 1997 to March 2021 were included. Two reviewers independently screened abstracts and full texts for study eligibility, extracted the data, and performed a quality assessment using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk-of-Bias Tool for randomized trials. Population, instruments, comparison, and outcome (PICO) elements were used to define eligibility criteria. Eight-hundred sixty relevant studies were found through electronic searches in PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus databases. Once the eligibility criteria were applied, a total of 16 papers were included.
Results
Workability was the productivity variable most positively impacted by WPPAs. Cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength, and musculoskeletal symptoms health variables improved in all the studies included. It was not possible to fully examine the effectiveness of each exercise modality because of the heterogeneity in methodology, duration, and working population. Finally, cost-effectiveness could not be analyzed because this information was not reported in most studies.
Conclusion
All types of WPPAs analyzed improved workers’ productivity and health. However, the heterogeneity of WPPAs does not allow to identify which modality is more effective.
Rights
Copyright (c) 2023 The Authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Locate the Document
DOI
10.1186/s13643-023-02258-6
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/40153
Citation Details
Marin-Farrona, M., Wipfli, B., Thosar, S. S., Colino, E., Garcia-Unanue, J., Gallardo, L., ... & López-Fernández, J. (2023). Effectiveness of worksite wellness programs based on physical activity to improve workers’ health and productivity: a systematic review. Systematic Reviews, 12(1), 1-13.