Exercise programs improve employee health: study

Jul 26, 2009

Workplace exercise programs may reduce employee neck pain and improve cardiovascular health, a new study from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark suggests.

According to a press release from the Elk Grove Village, IL-based American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, researchers split 841 Danish office workers into three separate groups. One group engaged in an hour of supervised cardiovascular exercise, such as aerobics or walking; another group did an hour of supervised strength training exercises focused on the neck and shoulder. The third group did not exercise during the workday.

Results showed that after one year, workers who engaged in either type of exercise reduced shoulder and neck pain by 30 percent and reduced cardiovascular risk factors. On average, the workers' body fat dropped 2.2 percent and blood pressure decreased enough to result in a 25 percent reduced risk of stroke, the release said.

The study was published in the July issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.