Evaluation of Booster Breaks in the Workplace

Abstract

As decision makers plan and implement health-promoting work breaks such as Booster Breaks, these findings indicate the benefits to emphasize and the barriers to counteract. Management support to sustain engagement is a priority.

Impact of Booster Breaks and Computer Prompts on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Among Desk-Based Workers: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial

“…A thorough review of the literature on short bouts of physical activity integrated into organizational routines yielded limited results; there is an absence of worksite studies related to physical activity that incorporate a comprehensive set of variables such as self-report and objective measures of physical activity, physiologic indices, sedentary behavior, and psychosocial and organizational factors (2). Because of these limitations, the Booster Break program was proposed, developed, and implemented to test the effects of a comprehensive worksite physical activity intervention (4–8). Booster Breaks are “organized, routine work breaks intended to improve physical and psychological health, enhance job satisfaction, and sustain or increase work productivity” (4).…”

“…Booster Breaks are “organized, routine work breaks intended to improve physical and psychological health, enhance job satisfaction, and sustain or increase work productivity” (4). The Booster Break program uses discretionary paid time during the workday to make changes at the individual, environmental, and organizational levels (4–8). …”

Behavioral Economic Approaches to Increase Workplace Physical Activity from Research to Reality

“…To illustrate the impact of the Booster Break program, a Booster Break participant have dropped 70 pounds and feel as though I am becoming a new person with a new viewpoint. I say without hesitation that as the pounds have dropped, my energy has increased and I credit the Booster Break with igniting a fire in me [7].As with any workplace health promotion program or innovation, the challenge is the progression from efficacy to effectiveness. While the Booster Break program has demonstrated successful health improvements among those who attend regularly, as with many voluntary, workplace health promotion programs, maintaining high attendance levels is a challenge.…”

“…To illustrate the impact of the Booster Break program, a Booster Break participant have dropped 70 pounds and feel as though I am becoming a new person with a new viewpoint. I say without hesitation that as the pounds have dropped, my energy has increased and I credit the Booster Break with igniting a fire in me [7].…”

“…Because of these barriers, the workplace has been identified as an optimal setting in which to increase physical activity. An innovative workplace intervention, the Booster Break program, is a group-based physical activity session designed for the 15-min work break led by a trained co-worker [5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. The theoretical foundations of the Booster Break program are Social Cognitive Theory, social support, intrinsic motivation, and selfrewards.…”