My Exercise. A Team-based Workplace Intervention for Increased Exercise

The aim of this research study is to assess the effectiveness of an intervention on exercise and health, and to contribute to the understanding of how team-based worksite health promotion programs should be designed in order to increase and maintain exercise among employees. The study design is a randomized controlled trial. There are a number of different theories on the subject of how to affect motivation for health behavior change. This study is based on the tenets of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) in combination with elements from Motivational Interviewing and in accordance with the Health Promotion Guidelines developed by the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence, NICE. It is assumed that if such a program is designed and offered in a manner that satisfies the participants\' sense of autonomy, competence and relatedness, this will affect the quality of the participants\' self-regulated motivation and perceived competence for exercise and lifestyle changes. As a consequence, a large proportion of the participants will adhere to the program and increase their exercise both in the short (5 months) and long term (8 months). The following research questions will be: 1. Would a team-based health and exercise promotion intervention designed to be needs supportive, relative to a control group: 1. Influence increases in exercise levels, improved aerobic fitness, reduced blood pressure, and decreases in waist circumference, and Body mass index (BMI), in addition to changes in body composition in terms of reduced percentage of fat and increased percentage of muscles? 2. Influence increases in psychological well-being? 3. Influence increases in perceived investment in employees\' health competence, which would positively predict affective organizational commitment and job performance, and negatively predict turnover intentions? 4. Influence decreases in sickness absenteeism? 2. If so, would changes in psychological needs support, autonomous motivation for exercise, perceived competence and self-efficacy in exercise mediate these effects?