Impact of a Workplace Health Promotion Program on Employees' Blood Pressure in a Public University
Introduction Workplace health promotion is important in the prevention of non communicable diseases among employees. Previous workplace health programs have shown benefits such as lowered disease prevalence, reduced medical costs and improved productivity. This study aims to evaluate the impact of a 6 year workplace health promotion program on employees' blood pressure in a public university. Methods In this prospective cohort study, we included 1,365 employees enrolled in the university's workplace health promotion program, a program conducted since 2008 and using data from the 2008 2013 follow up period. Participants were permanent employees aged 35 years and above, with at least one follow up measurements and no change in antihypertensive medication during the study period. Baseline socio demographic information was collected using a questionnaire while anthropometry measurements and resting blood pressure were collected during annual health screening. Changes in blood pressure over time were analyzed using a linear mixed model. Results The systolic blood pressure in the hypertension subgroup decreased 2.36 mmHg per year (p<0.0001) There was also significant improvement in systolic blood pressure among the participants who were at risk of hypertension 0.75 mmHg, p<0.001) The diastolic blood pressure among the hypertensive and at risk subgroups improved 1.76 mmHg/year (p<0.001) and 0.56 mmHg/year (p<0.001) respectively. However, there was no change in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure among participants in the healthy subgroup over the 6 year period. Conclusion This study shows that continuing participation in workplace health promotion program has the potential to improve blood pressure levels among employees.
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