title: The effectiveness of physical activity counseling in a work-site setting. A randomized, controlled trial.
abstract: Voluntary employees (N = 155) from nine different companies were screened by questionnaire for the study. They were randomized into three study groups: counseling (n = 52), counseling + fitness testing (n = 51) and control group (n = 52). The counseling was based on a goal-oriented conversation session for each participant and three follow-up appointments with an occupational nurse over a period of 1 year. The fitness tests were adapted from the UKK Health-related Fitness Test Battery. The outcome measures were the changes in the amount of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) assessed by diary, pedometer and questionnaire at baseline and at 6 and 12 month follow-up visits. As a result, no statistically significant differences were detected between the three groups at either of the follow-up visits. It seemed, thus, that the two PA counseling methods implemented had no direct mid- or long-term effects on the LTPA of voluntary employees with no specific disease-related indication to increase LTPA.
authors.affiliation: The UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research, Kaupinpuistonkatu 1 FIN-33500, Tampere, Finland. minna.aittasalo@jyu.fi
authors.forename: Minna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aittasalo
authors.forename: Seppo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miilunpalo
authors.forename: Jaana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Suni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003376:Counseling / Q000458:organization & administration*; D015444:Exercise; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017145:Models, Educational; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009785:Occupational Health Nursing / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010809:Physical Fitness; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace