Effects of a workplace exercise intervention on cardiometabolic health: a randomized controlled trial

TL;DR

A workplace exercise program improved some health markers in employees, even though overall group differences were not significant.

Contribution

This study evaluates the impact of a workplace-based exercise intervention on cardiometabolic health in a high-risk population.

Findings

The intervention group showed significant within-group improvements in fasting glucose, HDL cholesterol, and waist circumference.

Physical activity levels increased significantly after the intervention, particularly in vigorous-intensity activity.

No significant between-group differences were observed for primary outcomes.

Abstract

The United Arab Emirates reports one of the highest mortality rates due to non-communicable diseases, and insufficient physical activity is a major underlying cause. The workplace environment can be an important setting to promote physical activity and overall health.

We conducted a parallel, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial, enrolling adults (aged 18–59 years) from a semi-government telecommunications company with a waist circumference of ≥ 94 cm (≥ 90 cm for South and East Asians) for males and ≥ 80 cm for females. Eligible participants (n = 130) were randomly assigned (1:1) to the intervention group and delayed-intervention group (controls). The intervention group received two hours of weekly supervised exercises during working hours for 12 weeks. At the end of 12 weeks, the delayed-intervention group received two hours of weekly exercise for four weeks. The primary outcome was the change from baseline to week 12 in cardio-metabolic risk factors, including waist circumference, blood pressure, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and fasting glucose. The secondary outcome, assessed for the intervention group only, was the change in objectively measured physical activity from baseline to week 16. We used an intention-to-treat analytical approach.

Mean age of participants at enrolment was 36.9 years, and 25% were female. A total of 105 (81%) completed the 12-week follow-up measurements. We found no statistically significant change between groups from baseline to the end of the 12-week for primary outcome. However, the within-group change in the intervention group at week 12 was statistically significant for fasting plasma glucose [− 3.6 mg/dL (95% CI, − 6.7 to − 0.42)], HDL cholesterol [2.6 mg/dL (1.1 to 4.0)], and waist circumference [− 4.8 cm (− 6.1 to − 3.5)]. For the secondary outcome, overall physical activity levels increased with a significant increase in the estimated weekly average of vigorous-intensity physical activity [12.5 min (4.1 to 21.0)] at four weeks post intervention.

We found no statistically significant difference between groups for primary outcomes. However, allocating time for exercise during working hours resulted in increased levels of physical activity and improved cardio-metabolic risk factors. Our study addresses a critical public health issue related to workers’ health in an office setting, highlighting the potential efficacy of implementing health-promoting strategies within the workplace environment to enhance employees’ health.

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04403789.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-025-24815-5.

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