Worksite Opportunities for Wellness (WOW): effects on cardiovascular disease risk factors after 1 year.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a worksite health promotion program on improving cardiovascular disease risk factors. METHODS: In St Louis, Missouri from 2005 to 2006, 151 employees (134 F, 17 M, 81% overweight/obese) participated in a cohort-randomized trial comparing assessments + intervention (worksite A) with assessments only (worksite B) for 1 year. All participants received personal health reports containing their assessment results. The intervention was designed to promote physical activity and favorable dietary patterns using pedometers, healthy snack cart, WeightWatchers(R) meetings, group exercise classes, seminars, team competitions, and participation rewards. Outcomes included BMI, body composition, blood pressure, fitness, lipids, and Framingham 10-year coronary heart disease risk. RESULTS: 123 participants, aged 45+/-9 yr, with BMI 32.9+/-8.8 kg/m(2) completed 1 year. Improvements (P< or =0.05) were observed at both worksites for fitness, blood pressure, and total-, HDL-, and LDL-cholesterol. Additional improvements occurred at worksite A in BMI, fat mass, Framingham risk score, and prevalence of the metabolic syndrome; only the changes in BMI and fat mass were different between worksites. CONCLUSION: A multi-faceted worksite intervention promoted favorable changes in cardiovascular disease risk factors, but many of the improvements were achieved with worksite health assessments and personalized health reports in the absence of an intervention.

Physical Activity for Campus Employees: A University Worksite Wellness Program.

BACKGROUND: Workplaces provide ideal environments for wellness programming. The purpose of this study was to explore exercise self-efficacy among university employees and the effects of a worksite wellness program on physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. METHODS: Participants included 121 university employees (85% female). The worksite wellness program included cardiovascular health assessments, personal health reports, 8 weeks of pedometer-based walking and tracking activities, and weekly wellness sessions. Daily step count was assessed at baseline, Week 4, and Week 8. Exercise self-efficacy and CVD risk factors were evaluated at baseline and follow-up. RESULTS: Daily step count increased from 6566 ± 258 (LSM ± SE) at baseline to 8605 ± 356 at Week 4 and 9107 ± 388 at Week 8 (P < .0001). Steps increased among normal weight, overweight, and obese subgroups. Exercise self-efficacy correlated with baseline steps (P < .05). Small improvements were observed in cardiorespiratory fitness, body mass index, blood pressure, blood glucose, total cholesterol, and triglycerides (all P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: A worksite wellness program was effective for improving physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, and CVD risk factors among university employees. Exercise barriers and outcome expectations were identified and have implications for future worksite wellness programming.

Obesity and Aerobic Fitness among Urban Public School Students in Elementary, Middle, and High School.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk among urban public school students through a collaborative school district and university partnership. METHODS: Children and adolescents in grades K-12 from 24 urban public schools participated in measurements of height, weight, and other health metrics during the 2009-2010 school year. Body mass index (BMI) percentiles and z-scores were computed for 4673 students. President's Challenge 1-mile endurance run was completed by 1075 students ages 9-19 years. Maximal oxygen consumption (⩒O2max) was predicted using an age-, sex-, and BMI-specific formula to determine health-related fitness. Resting blood pressure (BP) was assessed in 1467 students. Regression analyses were used to compare BMI z-scores, fitness, and age- and sex-specific BP percentiles across grade levels. Chi-square tests were used to explore the effect of sex and grade-level on health-related outcomes. RESULTS: Based on BMI, 19.8% were categorized as overweight and 24.4% were obese. Included in the obese category were 454 students (9.7% of sample) classified with severe obesity. Using FITNESSGRAM criteria, 50.2% of students did not achieve the Healthy Fitness Zone (HFZ); the proportion of students in the Needs Improvement categories increased from elementary to middle school to high school. Male students demonstrated higher fitness than female students, with 61.4% of boys and only 35.4% of girls meeting HFZ standards. Elevated BP was observed among 24% of 1467 students assessed. Systolic and diastolic BP z-scores revealed low correlation with BMI z-scores. CONCLUSIONS: A community-university collaboration identified obesity, severe obesity, overweight, and low aerobic fitness to be common risk factors among urban public school students.