Activate Your Health: impact of a real-life programme promoting healthy lifestyle habits in Canadian workers

Abstract

Summary The workplace has been suggested as a good setting for the promotion of healthy lifestyles. This article examines the impact of Activate Your Health programme, provided over an average of 1.35 years, on employee health and lifestyle habits (actual and intention to improve). Companies selected one of the programme’s four options (number of interventions in parentheses): Control (2), Light (8), Moderate (13) and High (14). Employees (n = 524) completed an online questionnaire at baseline and post-intervention. Mixed-effect models and generalized estimating equations models were used, where appropriate. There was an interaction effect of time by option for the number of employees intending to improve sleep habits (p = 0.030): +11.0% in Light (p = 0.013). No significant interaction effect of time by option was observed for body weight, body mass index, number of health problems or lifestyle habits (actual and intention to improve). When stratified by sex, there was an interaction effect of time by option for the number of women intending to improve sleep habits (p = 0.023): −26.1% in Moderate (p = 0.014). There was an interaction effect of time by option for body weight in men (p = 0.001): −0.58 kg in High (p = 0.031) and +2.58 kg in Control (p = 0.005). Other outcomes of interest were stable or improved post-intervention, regardless of option. The Activate Your Health programme allowed employees to maintain or improve outcomes related to health and lifestyle habits. A package like High may be beneficial for body weight regulation in men.

Preventive measures and concern for SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with lifestyle changes in the Peruvian population

“…Similar results were found in a study of pregnant and puerperal women in Peruvian communities with complete secondary education, who considered the use of rubber gloves as an excellent preventive measure, while they considered the use of homemade masks as an incorrect preventive measure; these results were positive thanks to the correct information provided by the health establishment in their community [ 20 ]. Likewise, Kugathasan et al showed that Canadian workers had a good knowledge of preventive measures against COVID-19; these results were thanks to the health information given by television programs, radio, press, and social networks [ 3 ]. On the other hand, in the Colombian population, it was shown that the female population had better preventive practices against SARS-CoV-2 infection [ 31 ].…”

“…However, an extended range of behaviors influences human health, such as smoking, alcoholism, and drug use [ 2 ]. Lifestyles are vital in reducing all-cause mortality, maintaining health and well-being, and have also been shown to affect the prevention of various diseases positively [ 3 ]. On the other hand, certain lifestyle behaviors have been shown to predict the presence of depression and anxiety, psychiatric symptoms whose prevalence has increased during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic [ 4 ].…”