Improving Physical Fitness and Health of Office Workers in Iran

Abstract

This paper reports on a study on improving the health and fitness of office workers in Iran using a comprehensive model. The research design was a randomized controlled trial involving 294 employees. The intervention was a 6-month program to promote physical activity. The primary outcome measure was their scores on the physical activity (PA) index recorded at 3 and 6 months. A statistically significantly increase in PA was found in the intervention group over the control group. In addition, the mean values of related health and physiological indices of the intervention group demonstrated a statistically significant increase compared to the control group. The conclusions of this study support research findings in multiple countries, that the physical activity and health of office workers can be improved in a short period.