many of the chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases , type-2 diabetes , some types of cancer , overweight and/or obesity , depression , etc . , which we are faced with today are caused by an increase in sedentary behaviors and poor nutritional intake .
currently , only about 32% of the population is meeting physical activity recommendations set forth by the american college of sports medicine ( acsm ) and american heart association ( aha ) : moderate - intensity physical activity for 30-minutes per day for at least five days per week or vigorous - intensity physical activity for 20-minutes per day for at least three days per week ( 11 ) . furthermore , an increasing number of employees are not meeting these recommendations due to the nature of their jobs .
a report done in 2006 found that 3.2 million workers were sitting still while 2.6 million workers were standing still for the duration of their work day ( 14 ) . besides an increase in sedentary behaviors , or physical inactivity , poor nutritional intake characterized by high energy intake and over - consumption of saturated fat
, cholesterol , sugar , and salt is a major culprit contributing to the number of individuals being diagnosed with chronic diseases ( 6 ) . aside from these unhealthy behaviors ( physical inactivity and poor nutritional intake ) ,
the majority of individuals in the workforce , more specifically at a university setting , are 25 years or older ( 14 ) .
this sets the stage for sarcopenia , which is defined as the degenerative loss of skeletal muscle mass ( 0.51% loss per year after the age of 25 ) , quality , and strength associated with aging ( 1 ) .
this degenerative loss of muscle mass may negatively affect other health - related variables such as flexibility and balance ( 1 ) . to combat sarcopenia acsm recommendations for strength training include : 810 exercises , 13 sets , 812 repetitions at least twice a week ( 1 ) .
physical inactivity combined with poor nutritional intake over time will lead to the development of overweight and obesity with a subsequent increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases ( 14 ) .
sedentary behaviors are one of the leading preventable causes of death in the united states , with an inverse linear dose - response relationship between volume of physical activity and mortality associated with chronic diseases ( 8) .
regular physical activity participation has been shown to reduce the risk of chronic diseases ( 8) . maintaining a healthy diet , such as low saturated fat intake combined with high fruit and vegetable intake , has been found to be important in the prevention of overweight and obesity , and ultimately the development of chronic diseases ( 15 ) .
maintaining energy balance ( energy intake versus expenditure ) is an increasing problem among workers .
this increase in energy intake and subsequent decrease in expenditure can mostly be attributed to such things as the type of work ( office work ) , inflexible work hours , and easy access to fast food and unhealthy snacks .
once again , these factors workers are faced with can lead to the development of chronic diseases .
furthermore , since most adults spend approximately half of their waking hours at the workplace , the worksite is believed to provide good opportunities for fostering the development of healthy behaviors .
more specifically , worksite health promotion programs can be defined as employer initiatives directed at improving the health and well - being of workers ( 7 ) .
maes and colleagues ( 9 ) incorporated half - hour intervention sessions three times per week for three years . the intervention consisted of physical exercise and health education .
physical exercise sessions were chosen by the participants and consisted of walking , step aerobics , and body weight exercises .
health education sessions focused on nutrition , alcohol and drug consumption , working conditions and stress , smoking behavior , headaches , and back pain .
results from maes and colleagues ( 9 ) demonstrated that an intervention consisting of both physical exercise and health education has the potential to produce extensive and stable effects on health - related variables .
shephard ( 13 ) implemented a similar design with half - hour exercise sessions that met three times per week over the course of a three month period .
results demonstrated small but favorable changes in body mass , skinfolds , aerobic power , muscle strength and flexibility , overall risk - taking behavior , systemic blood pressure , serum cholesterol , and cigarette smoking after implementing a worksite fitness and exercise program ( 13 ) .
carter and colleagues ( 4 ) implemented a stability ball training program that was performed twice per week for 10-weeks .
results demonstrated improvements in muscular strength and endurance , which provided benefits for individuals who spent a considerable amount of time sitting throughout the day ( 4 ) .
eddy and colleagues ( 5 ) found improvements in low - back flexibility , abdominal strength , upper - body strength , weight loss , and diastolic blood pressure after having participants complete a health and fitness program structured primarily around physical activity ( 5 ) . according to proper and colleagues ( 12 ) inconclusive evidence exists for the effect of physical activity programs at worksites on health - related variables .
inconsistent results largely due to variations in definition and assessment of the outcomes or to the compliance with the program led proper and colleagues ( 12 ) to this conclusion .
previous research has demonstrated that both short- and long - term duration worksite fitness programs can have positive effects on a multitude of health - related variables . to the best of our knowledge
there are no studies that have examined the impact of a faculty and staff exercise program that includes a variety of intensity - related ( moderate- to high - intensity ) classes .
therefore , the impact from participation in a variety of intensity - related classes on faculty and staff at a university setting is unknown .
for that reason , it is necessary to examine the potential impact that participation in these classes may have on several health - related variables .
the purpose of this research study was to examine the effectiveness of a 12-week exercise program designed for the faculty and staff at a large , public , american university with specific aims at improving body mass , muscular strength and endurance , flexibility , and balance .
it was hypothesized that after the completion of a 12-week exercise program participants would have improvements in body weight , muscular strength and endurance , flexibility , and balance .
fifty - seven faculty and staff ( n = 51 females , n = 6 males , average age 48  10 years and weight 91.8  24.3 kg , table 1 ) participated in this 12-week exercise program .
participants were excluded if they did not receive clearance from their primary physician beforehand for such issues as orthopedic injuries , cardiovascular disorder , etc .
prior to participation faculty and staff were instructed on the benefits and risks of the exercise program and signed informed consent and medical history forms .
faculty and staff reported to the exercise physiology laboratory on day one and the last day of the exercise program to be assessed in body mass , balance , flexibility , muscular strength and endurance .
faculty and staff were measured for weight by using a balance beam scale ( health o meter , chicago , il ) . during the assessment of balance on the biodex balance system ( biodex medical systems inc . ,
participants were instructed to balance on their dominant leg with shoes on and eyes open for three sets of 20- seconds each .
flexibility was assessed by using the sit - and - reach test ( 2 ) ( figure finder flex - tester , novel products inc . ,
participants were instructed to remove their shoes and assume a sitting position with knees extended and feet and heels flat against the box .
next , participants extended their arms straight forward with hands placed on top of each other and fingers even .
muscular strength and endurance were assessed by utilizing the american college of sports medicine ( acsm ) guidelines ( 2 ) for the push - up and one - minute curl - up tests . for the push - up test ( 2 ) males started in the standard 
down  position ( hands pointing forward and under the shoulders , back straight , head up , using the toes as the pivotal point ) and females started in the modified  knee push - up  position ( legs together , lower legs in contact with the mat with ankles plantar - flexed , back straight , hands shoulder width - apart , head up , using the knees as the pivotal point ) .
participants were instructed to raise their body by straightening the elbows and returning to the  down  position until their chin touched the mat ( their stomach should not touch the mat ) .
the maximal number of push - ups performed consecutively without rest was counted as the score .
the test was terminated when participant s strained forcibly or were unable to maintain correct technique within two repetitions . for the curl - up test ( 2 )
participants were instructed to assume a supine position on a mat with knees at 90 degrees .
arms were to be placed at the side , palms facing down with their middle fingers touching a piece of masking tape on the mat .
a second piece of masking tape was placed 10 cm apart below the first piece of masking tape .
next , participants performed slow , controlled curl - ups while lifting their shoulder blades off the mat ( elevation of the trunk to 30 degrees ) . once their middle fingers touched the second piece of masking tape ( 10 cm apart ) they returned to the starting position for the next repetition .
participants performed as many curl - ups as possible without pausing for one - minute .
once again , the test was terminated for the same reasons as the push - up test .
participants of the 12-week exercise program met three times per week ( monday , wednesday , friday ) , for one - hour exercise sessions ( 6 am group , 12 pm group ) .
the one - hour exercise sessions consisted of a 10-minute warm - up , 45- minute exercise class , and five - minute cool - down .
the exercise program consisted of a variety of cardiovascular and strength training classes targeting all major muscle groups and ranging from moderate- to high - intensity exercise .
more specifically , exercise classes included boot camp , whole - body weight training , dance fitness , and walking and/or running .
for example majority of the participants participated in boot camp on monday , running on wednesday , and whole - body weight training on friday .
all classes were supervised by exercise physiology students that were certified trainers and certified in cpr / first aid .
all classes followed a periodized / overload training format in which classes started at a lower - intensity and progressively increased to a higher - intensity .
exercise variables that were altered to elicit a new training stimulus and to avoid an overtraining effect included : exercises , sets , repetitions , rest intervals , and intensity . resting blood pressure ,
body mass , resting heart rate , post - exercise heart rate , recovery heart rate ( after a five - minute cool - down ) , and ratings of perceived exertion ( rpe ) were assessed on a weekly - basis for all participants .
these measurements were assessed so that each participant s progress and exercise intensity could be monitored .
all participants were taught how to take their own heart rate at the radial site ( 2 ) .
heart rate was used to assess each participant s target heart rate and was explained to all participant s that health - benefits were more likely to occur if they consistently exercised within this range ( 1 ) .
target heart rate was calculated using the following formula : 220  age = max heart rate ; max heart rate 
resting heart rate  .60.85 ( target heart rate intensity range ) + resting heart rate ( 1 ) .
finally , rpe was assessed with the borg scale of six ( no exertion at all ) to 20 ( maximal exertion ) ( 3 ) . all data were analyzed with spss version 17.0 ( spss incorporated , chicago , il ) with an a - priori  level of  0.05 .
males and females physical characteristics ( age , weight ) were compared using independent samples t - tests .
body mass , curl - ups , push - ups , sit - and - reach , and balance results were assessed prior to ( pre ) and after ( post ) the 12-week exercise program using paired samples t - tests .
note : gender differences were analyzed and females were significantly different than males in all health - related variables . due to the low sample size , males were left out of the final paired samples t - tests analysis so it could be observed how females improved from pre- to post - testing .
fifty - seven faculty and staff ( n = 51 females , n = 6 males , average age 48  10 years and weight 91.8  24.3 kg , table 1 ) participated in this 12-week exercise program .
participants were excluded if they did not receive clearance from their primary physician beforehand for such issues as orthopedic injuries , cardiovascular disorder , etc .
prior to participation faculty and staff were instructed on the benefits and risks of the exercise program and signed informed consent and medical history forms .
faculty and staff reported to the exercise physiology laboratory on day one and the last day of the exercise program to be assessed in body mass , balance , flexibility , muscular strength and endurance .
faculty and staff were measured for weight by using a balance beam scale ( health o meter , chicago , il ) . during the assessment of balance on the biodex balance system ( biodex medical systems inc .
, shirley , ny ) , each participant completed a single - leg balance test .
participants were instructed to balance on their dominant leg with shoes on and eyes open for three sets of 20- seconds each .
flexibility was assessed by using the sit - and - reach test ( 2 ) ( figure finder flex - tester , novel products inc . ,
participants were instructed to remove their shoes and assume a sitting position with knees extended and feet and heels flat against the box .
next , participants extended their arms straight forward with hands placed on top of each other and fingers even .
muscular strength and endurance were assessed by utilizing the american college of sports medicine ( acsm ) guidelines ( 2 ) for the push - up and one - minute curl - up tests . for the push - up test ( 2 ) males started in the standard  down  position ( hands pointing forward and under the shoulders , back straight , head up , using the toes as the pivotal point ) and females started in the modified  knee push - up  position ( legs together , lower legs in contact with the mat with ankles
plantar - flexed , back straight , hands shoulder width - apart , head up , using the knees as the pivotal point ) .
participants were instructed to raise their body by straightening the elbows and returning to the  down  position until their chin touched the mat ( their stomach should not touch the mat ) .
the maximal number of push - ups performed consecutively without rest was counted as the score .
the test was terminated when participant s strained forcibly or were unable to maintain correct technique within two repetitions . for the curl - up test ( 2 )
participants were instructed to assume a supine position on a mat with knees at 90 degrees .
arms were to be placed at the side , palms facing down with their middle fingers touching a piece of masking tape on the mat .
a second piece of masking tape was placed 10 cm apart below the first piece of masking tape .
next , participants performed slow , controlled curl - ups while lifting their shoulder blades off the mat ( elevation of the trunk to 30 degrees ) . once their middle fingers touched the second piece of masking tape ( 10 cm apart ) they returned to the starting position for the next repetition .
participants performed as many curl - ups as possible without pausing for one - minute .
once again , the test was terminated for the same reasons as the push - up test .
participants of the 12-week exercise program met three times per week ( monday , wednesday , friday ) , for one - hour exercise sessions ( 6 am group , 12 pm group ) .
the one - hour exercise sessions consisted of a 10-minute warm - up , 45- minute exercise class , and five - minute cool - down .
the exercise program consisted of a variety of cardiovascular and strength training classes targeting all major muscle groups and ranging from moderate- to high - intensity exercise .
more specifically , exercise classes included boot camp , whole - body weight training , dance fitness , and walking and/or running .
for example majority of the participants participated in boot camp on monday , running on wednesday , and whole - body weight training on friday .
all classes were supervised by exercise physiology students that were certified trainers and certified in cpr / first aid .
all classes followed a periodized / overload training format in which classes started at a lower - intensity and progressively increased to a higher - intensity .
exercise variables that were altered to elicit a new training stimulus and to avoid an overtraining effect included : exercises , sets , repetitions , rest intervals , and intensity . resting blood pressure ,
body mass , resting heart rate , post - exercise heart rate , recovery heart rate ( after a five - minute cool - down ) , and ratings of perceived exertion ( rpe ) were assessed on a weekly - basis for all participants .
these measurements were assessed so that each participant s progress and exercise intensity could be monitored .
all participants were taught how to take their own heart rate at the radial site ( 2 ) .
heart rate was used to assess each participant s target heart rate and was explained to all participant s that health - benefits were more likely to occur if they consistently exercised within this range ( 1 ) .
target heart rate was calculated using the following formula : 220  age = max heart rate ; max heart rate 
resting heart rate  .60.85 ( target heart rate intensity range ) + resting heart rate ( 1 ) .
finally , rpe was assessed with the borg scale of six ( no exertion at all ) to 20 ( maximal exertion ) ( 3 ) .
all data were analyzed with spss version 17.0 ( spss incorporated , chicago , il ) with an a - priori  level of  0.05 .
males and females physical characteristics ( age , weight ) were compared using independent samples t - tests .
body mass , curl - ups , push - ups , sit - and - reach , and balance results were assessed prior to ( pre ) and after ( post ) the 12-week exercise program using paired samples t - tests . note : gender differences were analyzed and females were significantly different than males in all health - related variables . due to the low sample size , males were left out of the final paired samples t - tests analysis so it could be observed how females improved from pre- to post - testing .
independent samples t - tests revealed no significant differences in males and females physical characteristics for age and weight ( table 1 ) . paired samples
t - tests illustrated a significant ( p < 0.001 ) decrease in body mass ( 91.88  24.14 kg pre ; 90.45  23.06 kg post ) ( figure 1 ) and significant ( p  0.001 ) improvements in curl - ups ( 32.8  11.4 pre ; 45.7  13.7 post ) , push - ups ( 16.3  11.6 pre ; 27.0  11.5 post ) ( figure 2 ) , sit - and - reach ( 23.7  10.8 cm pre ; 27.5  11.6 cm post ) ( figure 3 ) , and balance ( 2.2  0.7 pre ; 1.7  0.5 post ) ( figure 4 ) .
this study examined the effectiveness of a 12-week exercise program designed for the faculty and staff at a large , public , american university with specific aims at improving body mass , muscular strength and endurance , flexibility , and balance . today
s workers are faced with increased opportunities for sedentary behaviors , physical inactivity , and poor nutritional intake due to the type of work ( office work ) , inflexible work hours , and easy access to fast food and unhealthy snacks .
however , it is possible to develop healthy behaviors and ultimately improve the health and well - being of workers if proper worksite health promotion programs are implemented .
results from this study demonstrated that after a 12-week faculty and staff exercise program body mass , muscular strength and endurance , flexibility , and balance significantly improved from pre- to post - testing for females .
males did see improvements from pre- to post - testing but these improvements were not significant .
these outcomes were expected as previous research has indicated that worksite health promotion programs have the ability to improve health - related variables ( 4 , 5 , 9 , 13 ) .
however , limited evidence exists for the effect of physical activity programs incorporating a variety of intensity - related classes at large , public , american universities on health - related variables .
this current study provides evidence that a well - designed 12-week exercise program can improve health - related variables for faculty and staff in a university setting .
more importantly , the casual impact of a 12-week exercise program and its influence on faculty and staff is now known .
caloric expenditure is one of the many reasons why individuals participate in physical activity ( 10 ) . since majority of workers either sit or stand still for a large portion of the working day they are not achieving a sufficient caloric expenditure ( 14 ) . with this being known
, workers are possibly more at risk for being overweight and/or obese and therefore increasing their risk for developing chronic diseases ( 14 ) .
results from this study demonstrated that after a 12-week exercise program participant s had a significant decrease in body weight ( 91.88  24.14 kg pre ; 90.45  23.06 kg post ) .
when relating this 12-week exercise program to a chronic time frame such as 30-minutes of exercise three times per week for one year one would expect greater weight loss
. limitations of the current study included exercise equipment , majority of the participants being female , and no control group . due to the number of participants (
n = 57 ) there was a limited number of exercise equipment in terms of resistance bands , medicine balls , dumbbells , etc . also , since majority of the participants were female ( n = 51 ) our findings can not be generalized towards males with no causal impact being known .
participants did have the opportunity to attend health and nutritional seminars , however attendance was not recorded .
future research should include a sufficient amount of exercise equipment for all participants , a greater number of male participants ( larger sample size ) so findings can be inferred to them , controlling for diet or at least providing nutritional information , and a control group in order to know if the improvements in this study were due to the 12-week exercise program or some other external factor(s ) .
note : compliance was assessed with the current study ; however , it was not included in the data analysis .
future research should also focus on monitoring compliance as this is an important factor involved in changing one s health behaviors ( 1 , 11 ) .
a 12-week exercise program for faculty and staff at a large , public , american university is capable of promoting healthy behaviors due to increased opportunities for participation in physical activities .
more specifically , improvements were seen in body mass , muscular strength and endurance , flexibility , and balance which all have important implications in the efforts to combat the development of overweight and obesity , sarcopenia , and ultimately debilitating chronic diseases .
while further research is needed , the ability of this program to improve health - related variables in faculty and staff at a university setting is encouraging .
findings from the current study demonstrate that a 12-week exercise program for faculty and staff at a university setting is encouraging at improving several health - related variables , more so for females than males .
careful attention must be directed towards the development of appropriate exercise classes and programs , follow proper progression guidelines , and provide modifications for all exercises as this will possibly increase the adherence and participation within exercise programs at the worksite ( 1 , 6 ) .
 the obesity epidemic has grown in the past decade due to physical inactivity ( i.e. , having a sedentary job ) and an increase in caloric intake . this problem combined with the reluctance of many faculty and staff members exercising in the same environment as student s presents a unique challenge in an academic setting . 
 the purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a 12-week exercise program focused toward the faculty and staff in improving several health - related variables such as curl - ups , push - ups , sit - and - reach , and balance . 
 fifty - seven faculty and staff participated in the current study . 
 participants engaged in a variety of exercise classes taught by certified instructors three days a week for 12-weeks . paired samples t - tests illustrated a significant ( p < 0.001 ) decrease in body mass and significant ( p  0.001 ) improvements in curl - ups , push - ups , sit - and - reach , and balance . 
 this data demonstrates that a 12-week faculty and staff exercise program has the potential to improve performance in several health - related variables such as curl - ups , push - ups , sit - and - reach , and balance . the ability of this program to improve health - related variables and possibly delay or prevent the development of overweight and/or obesity , sarcopenia , and other chronic diseases is encouraging . 
INTRODUCTION
METHODS
Participants
Protocol
Statistical Analysis
RESULTS
DISCUSSION