Short-term economic evaluation of physical activity-based corporate health programs: a systematic review

• Published in: Journal of Occupational Health Vol. 66; no. 1; p. uiae002
• Main Authors: Bonatesta, Lorenzo, Palermi, Stefano, Sirico, Felice, Mancinelli, Mario, Torelli, Pierpaolo, Russo, Ettore, Annarumma, Giada, Vecchiato, Marco, Fernando, Frederik, Gregori, Giampietro, Niebauer, Josef, Biffi, Alessandro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Australia Japan Society for Occupational Health 04-01-2024; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: corporate health program; economic evaluation; employee; physical activity; Review; ROI; corporate health program; economic evaluation; employee; ROI; physical activity
• ISSN: 1341-9145; 1348-9585; 1348-9585
• DOI: 10.1093/joccuh/uiae002

Objectives: Corporate health programs (CHPs) aim to improve employees’ health through health promotion strategies at the workplace. Physical activity (PA) plays a crucial role in primary prevention, leading many companies to implement PA-based CHPs. However, there is limited examination in the scientific literature on whether PA-based CHPs (PA-CHPs) lead to economic benefits. This systematic review aimed to summarize the available literature on the economic aspects of PA-CHPs.Methods: A systematic review was conducted to identify studies focused on PA-CHPs targeting healthy sedentary workers and reporting at least one economic outcome, such as return on investment (ROI), costs, or sick leave.Results: Of 1036 studies identified by our search strategy, 11 studies involving 60 020 participants met the inclusion criteria. The mean (±SD) cost per capita for PA-CHPs was estimated as 359€ (±238€) (95% CI, 357-361€). In 75% of the studies, the net savings generated by PA-CHPs in 12 months were reported, with an average of 1095€ (±865€) (95% CI, 496-1690€). ROI was assessed in 50% of the included studies, with an average of 3.6 (±1.41) (95% CI, 2.19-5.01).Conclusions: In addition to promoting a healthy lifestyle, PA-CHPs have the potential to generate significant economic returns. However, the heterogeneity among the existing studies highlights the need for standardization and accurate reporting of costs in future research.