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Worksite health promotion programs with environmental changes: a systematic review.
Luuk H Engbers1, Mireille N M van Poppel, Marijke J M Chin A Paw
1Department of Public and Occupational Health, Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
|June 17, 2005
Summary
Worksite health promotion programs (WHPPs) with environmental modifications show strong evidence for improving dietary intake. More high-quality studies are needed to assess effects on physical activity and health risks in occupational settings.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Behavioral Science
- Public Health Interventions
Background:
- Health promotion strategies increasingly incorporate environmental modifications beyond education for behavior change.
- Worksite health promotion programs (WHPPs) are a key setting for implementing such environmental changes.
- Assessing the effectiveness of WHPPs with environmental modifications on key health outcomes is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the effectiveness of worksite health promotion programs (WHPPs) incorporating environmental modifications.
- To evaluate impacts on physical activity, dietary intake, and health risk indicators.
- To synthesize evidence from controlled trials in healthy working populations.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search up to January 2004 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or controlled trials (CTs).
- Inclusion criteria focused on interventions with environmental modifications targeting physical activity, dietary intake, or health risks in a working population.
- Methodologic quality was assessed, and evidence levels were rated to determine effectiveness.
Main Results:
- Thirteen trials were included, with most focusing on dietary intake and a few on physical activity.
- Methodologic quality of the included trials was generally poor.
- Strong evidence supports the effectiveness of WHPPs with environmental modifications on dietary intake; evidence for physical activity was inconclusive, and no evidence was found for health risk indicators.
Conclusions:
- Worksite health promotion programs (WHPPs) incorporating environmental modifications demonstrate effectiveness in influencing dietary intake.
- The small number of studies and their methodological limitations hinder broad conclusions.
- Further high-quality, controlled studies are recommended to investigate the impact of environmental interventions on dietary intake and physical activity in the workplace.