Ritter Yvonne, Pfister Diana, Steckhan Greta M, Voelter-Mahlknecht Susanne, Weber Britta, Ellegast Rolf, Koch Christian, Bausch Frank, Gruber Markus, Schwenk Michael
Human Performance Research Centre, Department of Sport Science, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, Constance, 78464, Germany.
Institute of Occupational Medicine, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität Zu Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, Berlin, 13353, Germany.
Eur Rev Aging Phys Act. 2024 Aug 6;21(1):21. doi: 10.1186/s11556-024-00356-5.
Despite the global increase in older employees, workplace physical activity interventions (WPAIs) for this target group have not yet been sufficiently developed. The major drawback of existing WPAIs is low adherence due to lack of time or limited motivation. A novel approach could be to integrate tailored neuromotor and strength exercises into everyday working tasks to prevent the functional decline of older employees at the workplace without needing much additional time for training. This approach was tested in the present study by evaluating the proof-of-concept of a novel WPAI based on the Lifestyle-integrated Functional Exercise (LiFE) program integrated into a working environment (wLiFE55 +).
The proof-of-concept of wLiFE55 + was quantified within a 4-week pre-post exercise intervention study by measuring (1) feasibility including adherence, activity frequency, adverse events and acceptance (integrability of wLiFE55 + activities, perceived improvement and safety, satisfaction, physical demand, personal trainer session, intervention content) and (2) pre-to-post changes in neuromotor function (12-Level Balance Scale, 12-LBS; Community Balance and Mobility Scale, CBM), strength (60sec Chair Stand Test), and PA (1-week activity monitoring). For statistical analysis, the median and interquartile range (IQR) were computed. For pre-to-post changes, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests with effect size (r) were also performed.
Seventeen older employees (mean age 59 years, 8 female) were included of which fifteen completed the study. The intervention adherence was 100%, and the activity adherence was 58% (9 out of 12 maximum possible wLiFE55 + activities implemented). Depending on the specific activity, the frequency of practice ranged between 25-75% of the days of the intervention period, and single wLiFE55 + activities were practiced between one and three times per day. No adverse events occurred, and acceptance was high. Pre-to-post increases with medium effect sizes were found for neuromotor function (CBM, 12-LBS) and specific PA variables (total sedentary time, sedentary bouts > 30 min).
The results of the study highlight the feasibility of wLiFE55 + in a work setting with older employees. The pre-to-post increases observed in neuromotor measures and reductions in sedentary time suggest that wLiFE55 + may counteract the age-related functional decline in older employees and justifies future studies in this field. The next steps are program adjustments to boost exercise frequency and evaluating wLiFE55 + in a randomized controlled trial.
尽管全球老年员工数量有所增加，但针对该目标群体的工作场所身体活动干预措施（WPAIs）尚未得到充分发展。现有WPAIs的主要缺点是由于缺乏时间或动力而导致依从性较低。一种新的方法可能是将量身定制的神经运动和力量训练融入日常工作任务中，以防止老年员工在工作场所出现功能衰退，而无需额外花费太多时间进行训练。本研究通过评估一种基于融入工作环境的生活方式综合功能锻炼（LiFE）计划（wLiFE55 +）的新型WPAI的概念验证，对该方法进行了测试。
在一项为期4周的运动干预前后研究中，通过测量（1）可行性，包括依从性、活动频率、不良事件和接受度（wLiFE55 +活动的可融入性、感知到的改善和安全性、满意度、身体需求、私人教练课程、干预内容），以及（2）神经运动功能（12级平衡量表，12-LBS；社区平衡与运动量表，CBM）、力量（60秒椅子站立测试）和身体活动（1周活动监测）从干预前到干预后的变化，对wLiFE55 +的概念验证进行量化。进行统计分析时，计算中位数和四分位间距（IQR）。对于干预前后的变化，还进行了带有效应量（r）的Wilcoxon符号秩检验。
纳入了17名老年员工（平均年龄59岁，8名女性），其中15名完成了研究。干预依从性为100%，活动依从性为58%（在12项最大可能实施的wLiFE55 +活动中，有9项实施）。根据具体活动的不同，练习频率在干预期天数的25%-75%之间，单个wLiFE55 +活动每天练习1至3次。未发生不良事件，接受度较高。在神经运动功能（CBM，12-LBS）和特定身体活动变量（总久坐时间、久坐时长> 30分钟）方面，观察到干预前后有中等效应量的增加。
该研究结果突出了wLiFE55 +在有老年员工的工作环境中的可行性。在神经运动指标上观察到的干预前后增加以及久坐时间的减少表明，wLiFE55 +可能抵消老年员工与年龄相关的功能衰退，并为该领域未来的研究提供了依据。接下来的步骤是调整计划以提高锻炼频率，并在随机对照试验中评估wLiFE55 +。
