Associations Between Workplace Exercise Interventions and Job Stress Reduction: A Systematic Review

This issue of Workplace Health & Safety contains a Continuing Nursing Education Module for 1.0 contact hour of continuing nursing education credit will be awarded by AAOHN upon successful completion of the posttest and evaluation.

A certificate will be awarded when the following requirements are met by the participant: (1) Participant logs on to the AAOHN LMS website at www.aaohn.org/education/online-learning-center and enrolls in the course ($10 members; $15 non-members); (2) The completed posttest and course evaluation are entered online at http://www.aaohn.org by December 2021; (3) A score of 75% (6 correct answers) is achieved by the participant.

Upon completion of this lesson, the occupational health nurse will be able to:

• Explain the need for more research on the relationship between workplace exercise interventions and job stress reduction.

• List which workplace exercise interventions are the most effective in reducing employee job stress.

The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. is an Approved Provider of continuing nursing education by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc., an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. is additionally approved as a CNE provider by the California Board of Registered Nursing (#CEP9283).

Contact hours received for successful completion of the posttest and evaluation may be used for relicensure, certification, and re-certification.

1. Job stress is common and a growing workplace issue. According to the American Psychological Association, in America, ___ % of American adults reported that work stress contributed to their stress levels.

2. 61%

3. 47%

4. 51%

According to the research presented in this article, high job stress is associated with:

Detrimental health effects

Fewer hours of sleep

Diminished functional abilities

Poor self-reported health

In this study, one of the challenges encountered when comparing the eight eligible research studies was:

Varying worker productivity

Different countries

Different workplace settings

Gender ratio differences

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines include all but the following:

Eligibility

Measurement

Identification

Screening

The literature review presented in this study indicated that:

Workplace exercise interventions reduced job stress

Exercise is a proven approach for coping with psychological stress in the workplace

Few studies have reported statistically significant associations between exercise and general stress reduction.

No statistically significant association was found between the interventions and job stress reduction.

Of the eight studies reviewed, none used a longitudinal approach. According to the authors, this was problematic in this study because:

Valid types of workplace exercise intervention could not be identified

The outcome significance could not be calculated

The sustainability of the effectiveness of the workplace exercise intervention on job stress levels could not be determined

It was difficult to quantify the value of exercise on stress levels

According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, to obtain the best results, workplace exercise intervention should encompass:

75-150 minutes of yoga per week

150-300 minutes of moderate intensity per week

120 minutes of vigorous activity per week

100-200 minutes of moderate intensity per week

To reduce job stress, Occupational Health Nurses should promote workplace exercise interventions that are:

Multidisciplinary strategies

Multidimensional strategies

Workplace oriented

A mix of aerobic and anaerobic exercises