Effects of a Worksite Health Programme on the Improvement of Physical Health among Overweight and Obese Civil Servants: A Pilot Study.
Year: 2013
Type: article
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Physical inactivity and reduced energy expenditure has led to increased obesity among office workers. This study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of a worksite health programme aimed at improving physical health among obese civil servants. METHODS: A total of 28 employees participated in a six-month-long obesity health programme, which consisted of two weekly unsupervised exercise sessions and monthly dietary/health education sessions. The physical fitness and body fat percentages of participants were assessed at the baseline and after six months, using SPSS version 20.0. RESULTS: The participants were 31.6 years (SD 8.2) of age, and had a BMI of 27.6 kg/m(2) (SD 3.2). The Wilcoxon test showed significant differences in body fat percentage (P = 0.010), gross maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max, P = 0.014), partial curl up repetition (P = 0.001) and sit and reach distance (P = 0.005). However, no significant effects were observed on body mass (P = 0.193), self-perceived level of physical activity (P = 0.145) or behaviour toward exercise (P = 0.393). CONCLUSION: The worksite health programme successfully improved the physical fitness and body fat percentages of subjects, despite not improving the subjects' self-perceptions with regard to physical activity.
Source: Europe PMC (PubMed Central)
Institution: National University of Malaysia
Language: English
Topic: Physical Activity and Health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1727976723