Workplace Health Promotion Programs Targeting Smoking, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity in Men: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

• Published in: Health Education & Behavior 2024-02, Vol.51 (1), p.113-127
• Main Authors: Bezzina, Aaron, Clarke, Erin D., Ashton, Lee, Watson, Trent, James, Carole L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alcohol; Body mass index; Body size; Body weight; Chronic Disease; Chronic illnesses; Clinical trials; Efficacy; Exercise; Health behavior; Health Programs; Health promotion; Health Promotion - methods; Health risks; Humans; Male; Men; Meta-analysis; Nutrition; Obesity; Obesity - prevention & control; Occupational health; Overweight; Oxygen consumption; Physical activity; Randomized Controlled Trials; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Reviews; Risk assessment; Risk factors; Smoking; Statistical analysis; Systematic review; Wellness programs; Work site programmes; Workplace; Workplaces
• ISSN: 1090-1981; 1552-6127; 1552-6127
• DOI: 10.1177/10901981231208396

The workplace has been highlighted as a potential setting to deliver health promotion programs to target modifiable health behaviors that contribute to chronic disease. This review evaluated the effectiveness of interventions implemented within the workplace that targeted either smoking, nutrition, alcohol, physical activity, and/or overweight and obesity in men. A review protocol was prospectively registered through PROSPERO (CRD42021293398). Five electronic bibliographic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials conducted in the workplace assessing chronic disease risk factors in men from January 2010 to August 2021. Eleven studies were included, reporting on overweight and obesity n = 8, physical activity n = 7, nutrition n = 4, alcohol n = 3, smoking n = 3, with eight studies assessing multiple outcomes. Results were mixed. Narrative synthesis highlighted studies reporting improvements to snacking frequency, sugar sweetened beverage consumption, and physical activity (METs and Vo2 max). Meta-analysis highlighted pooled mean decrease in body weight of −0.28 kg up to 3 months; −1.38 kg for >3 months, and pooled mean decrease in body mass index 0.06 kg/m2 up to 3 months; −0.27 kg/m2 for >3 months. Despite the encouraging direction of the relationship, results were not statistically significant (p > .05). Findings underscore the potential of workplace health promotion programs targeting certain chronic disease risk factors in men; however, future research should consider long-term study designs to assess the efficacy of workplace health programs as a solution to the growing burden of global disease.