Abstract

Purpose: Historically, the term corporate fitness has characterized health and fitness programming in the workplace, with 70% of medium to large corporations providing such programs. More recently, the types of workplaces providing health and fitness programs have expanded and now include hospitals university settings. The purpose of this study is to examine the health outcomes of a new workplace wellness program at a regional hospital (Be Fit) and the participation outcomes of a new university-based wellness program (SHU Fit) within the context of shared program characteristics-newly offered outside of a corporate setting. Participation changes before and after the enforcement of COVID-19 restrictions were also observed. Methods: Changes in BMI, mass, body fat percentage, fasting blood glucose, and Hba1c were assessed via inferential statistical assessment among 46 Be Fit participants post-participation for 19 months (between 2018 and 2019) of biweekly supervised exercise training and promotion of the Modern Mediterranean Diet. For SHU fit, participation and utilization outcomes were assessed via descriptive statistical assessment for 31 months between January 2018 and December 2020. Results: Participation in Be Fit was associated with a reduction (percentage change) in average BMI (6.25 %, p=.001), mass (6.25%, p=.00001), total cholesterol (7.76%, p=0.025), fasting blood sugar (5.5%, p=.0081), and Hba1c (4.8%, p=.0082). An absolute reduction of 4.95% was also observed for body fat percentage. SHU Fit visits increased 57% between opening day and month 12, with three years of consistent growth (249 average new visits per year). COVID-19 restrictions (transition from in-person to online training) reduced participation by 60%. Relatively relaxed COVID-19 restrictions were associated with a 28% increase in participation. Conclusion: A simultaneous examination of participation in and health outcomes for two new workplace wellness programs demonstrates the potential for interventions to succeed in terms of growth in participation, as well as to produce positive health outcomes, associated with reduced chronic disease risk. An additional opportunity-to examine participation under COVID-19 restrictions-shows a significant impact in participation among employees when access to the program facility was limited, but also the potential for recovery amid remaining restrictions.

Keywords: Workplace health and fitness programs