Work-site physical fitness programs. Comparing the impact of different program designs on cardiovascular risks

The relative impact of three different approaches to physical fitness at the work site on cardiovascular risk reduction is examined, based on before/after health screening of employees, and employees' reports of participation in physical exercise activities. The three approaches tested were: 1) a staffed physical fitness facility, 2) one-to-one counseling with at-risk employees, and 3) a combination of one-to-one counseling with employees plus organization of the work site to encourage peer support and mutual exercise activity at work. A fourth site is used as a control site. The program that was centered around a physical fitness facility had little measurable impact on cardiovascular risks, and showed results similar to those at the control site. Both of the other programs were more effective, with the combination of counseling and plant organization providing the best health outcomes in terms of frequency of exercise, adequacy of blood pressure control (among hypertensives), weight loss (among the overweight), and smoking cessation. These results indicate that systematic, ongoing outreach to enlist employees in various types of exercise programs is more effective than the presence of fitness facilities without such outreach. Moreover, significant increases in frequency of exercise can be sustained without a substantial investment in facilities.