The Impact of Lifestyle Modification on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Health-Care Employees With Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes imposes a significant economic burden on employers, particularly when including productivity costs. Given the great interest on multicomponent lifestyle interventions in these individuals, we assessed the short-term and long-term efficacy of a structured lifestyle modification program, My Unlimited Potential, among employees with diabetes of Baptist Health South Florida (BHSF), a large non-for profit health-care system.

This is a pre- and post-effectiveness of a workplace health promotion program.

Worksite intervention at BHSF.

The study analyzed the data of 93 employees with diabetes involved in a worksite wellness program after completion of a year long program.

The intervention was an intense lifestyle modification program that was targeted to the individual needs of the participants.

Cardimetabolic risk factors such as body mass index (BMI), weight, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, glycated hemoglobin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, and maximal oxygen consumption.

Paired 2-sample t tests for means and descriptive statistics were used.

A mean decrease of 0.6 percentage points was observed in HbA_1c values from baseline to 12 months. Weight, BMI, blood pressure, and lipid profile improved significantly after 12 months.

This study suggests worksites with existing health promotion programs, and health-care staff can effectively deliver a diabetes prevention program that appears to have a long-term impact on employee health.