Comparison of Interventions to Promote Health in Workers
Condition: Health Behavior
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The goal of this research was to investigate different intervention strategies in the
      workplace and their impact on quality of life of workers from companies in the city of
      Londrina, Parana, Brazil.

      The interventions were composed by exercise in the workplace and educational interventions.
    

Detailed description: 
      The workplace has special features about human behaviors. Studies (Shepard 1996, Pratt 2008)
      has shown that workers participate of this kind of health promotion programs for various
      reasons: One reason is the convenience of doing something without having to look for it;
      another reason is group support, many workers who share difficulties due to their working
      demands can find support in each other, so that they could change health behavior.
      Furthermore there are patterns of formal and informal communication that can contribute to
      help more people to become healthier making their environment better. Finally, the norms of a
      corporate behavior can unite the group of workers seeking same objectives.

      Additionally the literature has shown that adults increased workload, job insecurity and
      pressure to perform tasks (Sparks 1997). These facts has been shown that workplace is
      different from community based interventions and leisure interventions.

      The outcomes proposed to study are different from other studies since the interventions focus
      changes in behaviors. Sedentary behavior has shown to have 23% of deaths from major chronic
      disease (WHO 2002).

      As the populations rises around the world and with the prolonged life expectancies, the
      number of people with chronic diseases will raise (WHO 2006). By having positive changes in
      health behavior the costs of public health can be reduced. Studying different types of
      interventions and testing its efficacy in different places can help the policy makers to
      create healthier environments.

      There are strategies being developed in the workplace, but its efficacy is being challenged.
      There are some researches that show no evidence to prove the continuity of these
      interventions and there are evidences proving the opposite, positive changes in clinical
      outcomes as diabetes, blood pressure and elevated blood cholesterol. In addition some
      measures as BMI, anthropometric, fitness level have shown good association as prediction of
      development of chronic disease with low cost (Dishman 2004).
    

Intervention name(s): Exercise and Education; Exercise; Educational Intervention; Control Company
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral; Behavioral; Other
Intervention description(s): Exercise were prescribed three times a week with duration of fifteen minutes for three months.
Educational Intervention were composed by a quality of life computer software and poster with tips on health behaviors; Exercise were prescribed three times a week with duration of fifteen minutes for three months.; This company received a quality of life software and poster intervention with tips on health lifestyle. The posters were printed in A3 paper and eight of them were put up per month in different parts of the companies (near water fountains, rest places, cafeterias, near the restrooms and change rooms). The used messages, both by the posters and the software were basedon scientific evidence related to quality of life and health; No intervention was applied for the participants of this group
Other intervention name(s): Worksite interventions; Physical activity at the workplace; Worksite interventions; Physical activity at the workplace; Worksite interventions; Physical activity at the workplace
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double (Participant, Investigator)
Primary purpose: Other
Keywords: Physical Activity; Occupational Health; Quality of Life; Health Promotion