Workplace Fitness Programs: Promoting Nonsedentary Lifestyles in the Workplac

There has been a fitness center at this Veterans Affairs Hospital (VAH) for five years, along with the incorporation of several facets of fitness promotion within the faculty. The basis for addressing this project was there were no correlations to determine whether a positive health impact is an outcome in the employee population who have been utilizing the fitness center. The positive health impacts were ascertained by comparing results to a control group for Body Mass Index (BMI), the amount of days called in sick at work in various time frames, work satisfaction, height, weight, and gender of the participants. Information was collected using a combination quantitative and qualitative survey. The on-campus Employee Health Department provides an accessible scale, which measures BMI. The scale can be used by anyone in the facility during business hours. The Delphi Method for qualitative participatory action research was used in correlation with current literature to demonstrate the effectiveness of participating with at work fitness programs. This workplace fitness study was designed to determine if there was a relationship between workplace satisfaction and engaging in a physically active life style. Data collected within the Employee Fitness Center by Satisfaction Surveys designed by the primary investigator were analyzed and compared to a control group. The results of the study indicated no-direct relationship between the satisfaction levels at the VA with the use of the Employee Fitness Center. There were correlations seen between the perceived feeling of employer driven health and wellness (96.4%), and the need by many participants for an Employee Fitness Center to maintain health and wellness goals.