MOVING - MOtiVation, INtervention and Vascular chanGe

Overview

Background: The impact of demographic changes on workplace has increased the importance of effective occupational preventive health programs. The primary goal of these programs is the improvement of overall health status (and therefore increase productivity and decrease healthcare costs) of the increasingly older workforce through positive lifestyle behavior change. A one- year preventive health behavior-change program for the employees of the company British Petrol (BP) shall be scientifically evaluated. The initial stage of the program consists of a health-behavior seminar and six weeks (twice a week for 90 minutes) of supervised endurance exercise (i.e. jogging, nordic walking, cycling or swimming) in groups. In the second phase of the program, the participants receive a recommendation to continue exercise regularly unsupervised for one year, and receive monthly supervised exercise training sessions. Clinical check-ups are performed at baseline (V1) at three months (V2) and at 12 months (V3).

The study will investigate the effect of one year of participation in a lifestyle- intervention- program on the participants' metabolic risk profile, exercise capacity and vascular health. A primary focus is on the endothelium, because poor endothelial health is a risk factor and prognostic indicator of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events. Hypothesis: One year of participation in endurance exercise (twice a week for 90 minutes) may positively influence endothelial health (RHI) The primary aim: change in endothelial function (reactive hyperemia index (RHI)) after one year. Secondary aims: Changes in other vascular parameters (AI: augmentation index, CAVI: Cardio ankle vascular index, ABI: ankle brachial index ), changes in anthropometric, inflammatory and metabolic parameters, exercise capacity (Watt/kg), physical activity, and health related quality of life (HRQoL).