Workplace Health Promotion: A Review of Effective Interventions
Workplaces play a crucial role in promoting employee health and well-being through various interventions focused on dietary habits, physical activity, stress management, mindfulness, and environmental modifications to encourage movement. A recent review published in The Lancet Public Health highlights the effectiveness of workplace health promotion strategies, with a particular emphasis on mental health and stress management interventions.
According to the review, interventions targeting mental health and stress management, such as group-based mindfulness training, have consistently shown positive impacts on employee well-being. E-health interventions delivered via the internet or mobile phone have also been effective in reducing mental health symptoms and stress. Multicomponent interventions, particularly those addressing weight management, have yielded positive outcomes as well.
However, the review points out that while movement-promoting modifications in the work environment have been somewhat effective in reducing sedentary behavior, the overall effects of workplace health interventions have been relatively minor. Professor Marianna Virtanen of the University of Eastern Finland emphasizes the need for longer follow-up times to assess the long-term impact of these interventions on participants’ daily lives.
The review examined a total of 339 interventions reported in 88 meta-analyses published between 2011 and 2024. While 36% of the interventions focused on mental health promotion and stress reduction, 25% addressed weight management or cardiovascular health, 22% targeted health-related behaviors, and 17% addressed musculoskeletal disorders. Only 21% of the intervention studies were considered to be of moderate quality, highlighting the need for improved research designs and longer follow-up periods.
Workplaces are considered key settings for health promotion among the working-age population, with intervention studies providing valuable evidence of effectiveness. Meta-analyses, which consolidate existing intervention research, offer stronger and more reliable evidence. However, the lack of high-quality studies, long-term follow-up, and fragmented evidence currently limit the ability to draw conclusive findings about the overall effectiveness of workplace health interventions.
In conclusion, workplace health promotion initiatives hold promise for improving employee well-being, but further research is needed to enhance the quality of intervention studies and assess long-term outcomes. By investing in evidence-based strategies and extending follow-up periods, workplaces can play a more significant role in promoting a healthy and productive workforce.
For more information, you can refer to the study conducted by Marianna Virtanen et al. in The Lancet Public Health (DOI: 10.1016/S2468-2667(25)00095-7). This document is subject to copyright and should not be reproduced without written permission for information purposes only.
