The Office Work and Stretch Training (OST) Study: An Individualized and Standardized Approach to Improve the Quality of Life in Office Workers

Fabian Holzgreve, Laura Maltry, Jasmin Hänel, Helmut Schmidt, Andreas Bader, Markus Frei, Natalie Filmann, David Alexander Groneberg, Daniela Ohlendorf and Anke van Mark
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Fabian Holzgreve: Institute for Occupational Medicine, Goethe-University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Laura Maltry: Institute for Occupational Medicine, Goethe-University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Jasmin Hänel: Institute for Occupational Medicine, Goethe-University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Helmut Schmidt: Daimler AG, 70171 Stuttgart, Germany
Andreas Bader: Daimler AG, 70171 Stuttgart, Germany
Markus Frei: Mercedes-Benz AG, 76437 Rastatt, Germany
Natalie Filmann: Institute of Biostatistics and Mathematical Modeling, Goethe-University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
David Alexander Groneberg: Institute for Occupational Medicine, Goethe-University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Daniela Ohlendorf: Institute for Occupational Medicine, Goethe-University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Anke van Mark: Institute for Occupational Medicine, Goethe-University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 12, 1-15

Abstract: In the context of workplace health promotion, physical activity programs have been shown to reduce musculoskeletal diseases and stress, and to improve the quality of life. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of using the “five-Business” stretch training device for office workers on their quality of life. A total of 313 office workers (173m/137f) participated voluntarily in this intervention–control study with an average age of 43.37 ± 11.24 (SD) years, 175.37 ± 9.35 cm in height and 75.76 ± 15.23 kg in weight, with an average BMI of 24.5 ± 3.81 kg/m 2 . The participants completed the stretch training twice a week for approximately 10 min for a duration of 12 weeks. The SF-36 questionnaire was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention at baseline and after 12 weeks. Significantly improved outcomes in mental sum score ( p = 0.008), physical functioning ( p < 0.001), bodily pain ( p = 0.01), vitality ( p = 0.025), role limitations due to physical problems ( p = 0.018) and mental health ( p = 0.012) were shown after the stretching training. The results suggest that a 12-week stretching program for office desk workers is suitable to improve significantly their health-related quality of life.

Keywords: occupational health; workplace health promotion; quality of life; stretching; musculoskeletal disorders; SF-36; Five-Konzept (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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