Intervention of physical exercise in the workplace on work ability, depression, anxiety and job satisfaction in workers with sedentary tasks.

Background: Sedentary tasks contribute to the deterioration of health and the appearance of chronic diseases. Physical exercise can contribute to the development of health, although the characteristics of the most appropriate program are unknown.

Objectives: This is the second paper of the PRODET® intervention trial evaluating the effect of a supervised group exercise intervention in the worksite based on aerobic capacity and strength lasting 12 weeks.

Methods: The sample was composed of 67 subjects (N = 67, mean age 34.31 years) and the study investigated a 12-week group physical exercise program in the workplace, two days per week with 50-minute sessions, which was supervised and based on aerobic endurance and strength. The 67 subjects were working-age office workers, deemed as sedentary and randomized into an intervention (N = 40) or control (N = 27) group. Outcomes work ability, depression, anxiety and job satisfaction were assessed with questionnaires pre-and post-test in both groups.

Results: The program showed effects on the mental factor of work ability (Z = 2.36, P = 0.019, η2 = 0.09). However, there were no significant differences in the rest of the results.

Conclusions: The intervention had an impact on the mental factor of work ability in the workers whose occupations were based on sedentary tasks, and reinforcing this variable with an exercise program in the workplace could contribute to reducing the mental factor of work ability.