An occupation based physical activity intervention program: improving fitness and decreasing obesity.

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to determine the effectiveness of an occupation based health and fitness program. Subjects were 1,504 police trainees (85% male, 15% female) with an ethnic distribution of 82% white, 16% African American, and 2% other. Data were collected at 25 sites across the state of North Carolina. The sites were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (implemented the intervention) or the control group (continued usual training). As compared with controls, subjects at the experimental sites improved significantly in cardiovascular fitness (aerobic power), general muscular strength (number of sit ups per minute), and flexibility, and lowered their body fat. The intervention required minimal equipment and was taught primarily by peers who received a 1 week training program. This occupational approach to improving health could be particularly useful in occupations with many workers who seldom engage in leisure time physical activity.