Document Type
Thesis
First Faculty Advisor
John Fellingham
Second Faculty Advisor
Ron Deluga
Keywords
exercise; physical activity; productivity; depression; workplace
Publisher
Bryant University
Rights Management
CC-BY-NC-ND; CC-BY; CC-BY-SA; CC-BY-ND; CC-BY-NC-SA; CC-BY-NC
Abstract
The Affordable Care Act of 2010 subsidized the use of Corporate Wellness Programs (CWPs) as a way to combat the growing obesity problem currently plaguing the United States. Despite this subsidization, these CWPs offered by employers are still lacking in both quality of programs and the number of programs that are offered to employees. 52% of all companies in the United States sponsor a CWP, and these numbers decline to approximately 28% of all companies offering a physical activity program for employees. Current literature highlights the benefits of physical activity, but there is lack of research on CWPs and their effects on mental outcomes in employees. The purpose of this research study is to examine the effects of exercise on mental outcomes of productivity, stress, and depression, as well as investigate the effectiveness of CWPs in office workers and students. A survey was conducted assessing the desired outcomes and distributed to Bryant students, faculty & staff, and Bryant alumni.109 responses were collected with 88 being used in the analysis. Once results were collected, regressions were used to interpret the data. The results indicated that lifestyle and age were significant predictors of productivity, having a positive and inverse relationship respectively. There were no significant predictors for stress. Stage of Physical Activity (PA) and Occupation were both significantly related to depression. The effects of CWPs on measured outcomes appeared to be minimal. Further research exploring the key drivers for success in CWPs would be beneficial to the current literature.
Comments
This thesis was made as part of the Bryant University Honors program to engage in comprehensive academic research. The purpose of the research was to gain a better understand of Corporate Wellness Programs and exercises role in the workplace.