Long-Term Health Effects of Football and Zumba Among Norwegian Female Hospital Employees: A 4-Year Follow-Up of a...

We evaluated the long-term effects 4 years after a worksite exercise intervention among female hospital employees. In 2011, 107 female hospital employees were randomized into the two exercise groups, football and Zumba, offered 1-2 exercise sessions over 40 weeks, and a control group. Aerobic fitness, body composition, blood cholesterol, self-reported job satisfaction, work-related perceived physical exertion, and stress were measured at baseline, at the end of the intervention (40 weeks), and 4 years later. In this 4-year follow-up study, which consisted of 43 participants divided into a combined intervention group (n = 31) and controls (n = 12), we examined the long-term effects after the intervention without continued support from the workplace or the research team. Compared with the controls, the intervention group had higher relative (p < 0.01) and absolute (p < 0.05) aerobic fitness, as well as higher power output at exhaustion during an incremental cycling test (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the intervention group had a higher job satisfaction (p < 0.05) compared to controls. On the contrary, the intervention group had less favorable results compared to controls related to perceived physical exertion at work (p < 0.05) and self-reported stress (p < 0.05). Our study indicates that a worksite exercise intervention has long-term beneficial effects on aerobic fitness, exercise capacity, and job satisfaction, although it might have side effects of higher work-related physical exhaustion and stress. These findings provide valuable insight into the long-term health effects of a worksite physical exercise intervention under real-world conditions without continued project support.