title: Interventions to increase physical activity in middle-age women at the workplace: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A four-group randomized controlled trial evaluated the impact of distinct workplace interventions to increase the physical activity (PA) and to reduce anthropometric parameters in middle-age women.
  
  
  METHODS
  One-hundred and ninety-five women age 40-50 yr who were employees from a university hospital and physically inactive at their leisure time were randomly assigned to one of four groups: minimal treatment comparator (MTC; n = 47), pedometer-based individual counseling (PedIC; n = 53), pedometer-based group counseling (PedGC; n = 48), and aerobic training (AT; n = 47). The outcomes were total number of steps (primary outcome), those performed at moderate intensity (≥ 110 steps per minute), and weight and waist circumference (secondary outcomes). Evaluations were performed at baseline, at the end of a 3-month intervention, and 3 months after that. Data were presented as delta [(after 3 months-baseline) or (after 6 months-baseline)] and 95% confidence interval. To detect the differences among the groups, a one-way ANOVA and a Holm-Sidak post hoc test was used (P < 0.05). The Cohen effect size was calculated, and an intention-to-treat approach was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only groups using pedometers (PedIC and PedGC) increased the total number of steps after 3 months (P < 0.05); however, the increase observed in PedGC group (1475 steps per day) was even higher than that in PedIC (512 steps per day, P < 0.05) with larger effect size (1.4). The number of steps performed at moderate intensity also increased only in the PedGC group (845 steps per day, P < 0.05). No PA benefit was observed at 6 months. Women submitted to AT did not modify PA daily life activity but reduced anthropometric parameters after 3 and 6 months (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show that in the workplace setting, pedometer-based PA intervention with counseling is effective increasing daily life number of steps, whereas AT is effective for weight loss.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Physical Therapy, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, BRAZIL; and 2Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, BRAZIL.
authors.forename: Marcos Ausenka
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Milton Arruda
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: Celso R F
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Carvalho
mesh_terms: D056044:Actigraphy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D000328:Adult; D001835:Body Weight; D003376:Counseling; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000628:therapy; D050177:Overweight / Q000628:therapy; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010806:Physical Education and Training / Q000379:methods*; D055105:Waist Circumference; D017132:Workplace