title: Workplace physical activity interventions and moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity levels among working-age women: a systematic review protocol.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The rapid pace of modern life requires working-age women to juggle occupational, family and social demands. This modern lifestyle has been shown to have a detrimental effect on health, often associated with increased smoking and alcohol consumption, depression and cardiovascular disease risk factors. Despite the proven benefits of regular moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA), few are meeting the current physical activity (PA) recommendations of 150 min of MVPA/week. It is important that appropriate and effective behavioural interventions targeting PA are developed and identified to improve the MVPA levels of working-age women. As these women spend a substantial proportion of their waking hours at work, workplaces may be an opportune, efficient and relatively controlled setting to implement programmes and strategies to target PA in an effort to improve MVPA levels and impact cardiometabolic health. The purposes of this systematic review are to compare the effectiveness of individual-level workplace interventions for increasing MVPA levels in working-age women in high-income/developed countries and examine the effectiveness of these interventions for improving the known beneficial health sequelae of MVPA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eight electronic databases will be searched to identify all prospective cohort and experimental studies that examine the impact of individual-level workplace interventions for increasing MVPA levels among working-age (mean age 18-65 years) women from high-income/developed countries. Grey literature including theses, dissertations and government reports will also be included. Study quality will be assessed using a modified Downs and Black checklist, and risk of bias will be assessed within and across all included studies using the Cochrane's risk of bias tool and Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. Meta-analyses will be conducted where possible among studies with sufficient homogeneity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This review will determine the effectiveness of individual-level workplace interventions for increasing MVPA levels in working-age women in high-income/developed countries, and form a current, rigorous and reliable research base for policy makers and stakeholders to support the development and implementation of effective workplace interventions that increase MVPA levels in this population.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  PROSPERO CRD42014009704.
authors.affiliation: Division of Prevention and Rehabilitation, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, 40 Ruskin Street, Ottawa, ON K1Y 4W7, Canada. jreed@ottawaheart.ca.
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.forename: Stephanie A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Prince
authors.forename: Christie A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Cole
authors.forename: J George
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Fodor
authors.forename: Swapnil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hiremath
authors.forename: Kerri-Anne
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Mullen
authors.forename: Heather E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Tulloch
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Reid
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D000078202:Systematic Reviews as Topic; D014931:Women, Working; D017132:Workplace