Abstract

Background Mexico has an elevated prevalence of obesity. Advisors had proposed nationwide programs to increment physical activity. Exercise in the workplace had a beneficial impact in anthropometric measures and BMI. Zumba® can improve those measurements and benefit workers health. Our main objective is to evaluate the impact of a Zumba® fitness class in the health of workers. Materials and method A 23 months follow-up study was carried out. 50 minutes Zumba® Class was imparted to hospital employees. Follow-up measures were documented in three different moments: (i) At the beginning of the program (M0), (ii) After 12 months (M1), and (iii) After 23 months (M2). We documented: (i) Age (years), (ii) Weight (kilograms), (iii) Height (centimeters), (iv) Waist circumference (centimeters), (v) Body Mass Index (kilograms per square meter) (BMI), (vi) Waist to Height Ratio (WHtR), (vi) Program adherence, and (vii) Presence of injuries. Results 55 subjects finished follow-up. Weight, waist circumference, BMI and WHtR had statistically significant reduction after one year. This reduction was maintained after 23 months. Conclusions This study demonstrates the need to incorporate an effective follow-up nutritional program to physical activity interventions at the workplace. Additional research is needed in order to improve workers health.

Authors and Affiliations