The Effectiveness of Physical Activity Monitoring and Distance Counseling in an Occupational Health Setting

The Effectiveness of Physical Activity Monitoring and Distance Counselling in an Occupational Health Setting - a Randomised Controlled Trial (CoAct)

The CoAct study is investigating a novel lifestyle intervention, aimed at the working population, with daily activity monitoring and distance counseling via telephone and secure web messages. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of lifestyle counseling on the level of physical activity in an occupational health setting. The purposes include also analyzing the potential effects of changes in physical activity on productivity at work and sickness absence, and health care costs.

CoAct is a randomized controlled trial with two arms: a control group and intervention group with daily activity monitoring and distance counseling. The intervention focuses on lifestyle modification and takes 12 months. The study population consists of those volunteering from 1100 eligible employees from a Finnish insurance company. The primary outcomes are change in physical activity measured in MET hours per week, work productivity and sickness absence, and health care utilization. Secondary outcomes include various physiological measures. Cost-effectiveness analysis will also be performed. The outcomes will be measured by questionnaires at baseline, after 6, 12, and 24 months, and sickness absence will be obtained from the employer's registers.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18 years or older
• Paid employment of at least 8 hours a week
• Not scheduled to retire in the next two years or have applied for disability pension
• Have completed a health risk appraisal and physical testing

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnancy
• Diagnosis or treatment of cancer
• Any disorder that makes physical activity impossible