Comparison of Interventions to Promote Health in Workers

Health Clinical Trial

Official title: Comparison of Interventions to Promote Health in Workers: A Cluster Randomized Controled Trial

Status Completed

Clinical Trial 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.

Clinical Trial 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). ;

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Factorial Assignment, Masking: Double Blind (Subject, Investigator)

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Health

• NCT number: NCT01484834
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Universidade Metodista de Piracicaba
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 0
• Start date: August 2011
• Completion date: November 2011