peeters-changeinwell-2014-.pdf (337.94 kB)
Change in well-being amongst participants in a four-month pedometer-based workplace health program
journal contribution
posted on 2014-01-01, 00:00 authored by R L A Freak-Poli, R Wolfe, Evelyn Wong, Anna PeetersAnna PeetersBACKGROUND: There is increasing uptake of workplace physical activity programs to prevent chronic disease. While they are frequently evaluated for improvement in biomedical risk factors there has been little evaluation of additional benefits for psychosocial health. We aimed to evaluate whether participation in a four-month, team-based, pedometer-based workplace health program known to improve biomedical risk factors is associated with an improvement in well-being, immediately after the program and eight-months after program completion. METHODS: At baseline (2008), 762 adults (aged 40 ± 10 SD years, 42% male) employed in primarily sedentary occupations and voluntarily enrolled in a physical activity program were recruited from ten Australian worksites. Data was collected at baseline, at the completion of the four-month program and eight-months after program completion. The outcome was the WHO-Five Well-being Index (WHO-5), a self-administered five-item scale that can be dichotomised as 'poor' (less than 52%) or 'positive' (more than or equal to 52%) well-being. RESULTS: At baseline, 75% of participants had positive well-being (mean: 60 ± 19 SD WHO-5 units). On average, well-being improved immediately after the health program (+3.5 units, p < 0.001) and was sustained eight-months later (+3.4 units from baseline, p < 0.001). In the 25% with poor well-being at baseline, 49.5% moved into the positive well-being category immediately after program completion, sustained eight-months later (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Clinically relevant immediate and sustained improvements in well-being were observed after participation in the health program. These results suggest that participation in workplace programs, such as the one evaluated here, also has the potential to improve well-being.
History
Journal
BMC public healthVolume
14Article number
953Pagination
1 - 10Publisher
BioMed CentralLocation
London, Eng.Publisher DOI
eISSN
1471-2458Language
engPublication classification
C Journal article; C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2014, The AuthorsUsage metrics
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No categories selectedKeywords
ActigraphyAdultAustraliaChronic DiseaseFemaleHealth PromotionHumansMaleMotor ActivityOccupational Health ServicesQuality of LifeRisk FactorsWorkplaceScience & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicinePublic, Environmental & Occupational HealthWell-beingHappinessInterventionEvaluationPhysical activityPreventionINCREASE PHYSICAL-ACTIVITYCARDIOVASCULAR-DISEASE RISKINTERVENTION-PROGRAMWEIGHT-LOSSWAIST CIRCUMFERENCEWALKING PROGRAMIMPACTPREVALENCEPOPULATIONCOMMUNITY
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