Long-Term Health Effects of Football and Zumba Among Norwegian Female Hospital Employees: A 4-Year Follow-Up of a Cluster-Randomized Trial

We evaluated the long-term effects 4 years after a worksite exercise intervention among female hospital employees. In 2011, 107 female hospital employees were randomized into the two exercise groups, football and Zumba, offered 1–2 exercise sessions over 40 weeks, and a control group. Aerobic fitness, body composition, blood cholesterol, self-reported job satisfaction, work-related perceived physical exertion, and stress were measured at baseline, at the end of the intervention (40 weeks), and 4 years later. In this 4-year follow-up study, which consisted of 43 participants divided into a combined intervention group (n = 31) and controls (n = 12), we examined the long-term effects after the intervention without continued support from the workplace or the research team. Compared with the controls, the intervention group had higher relative (p < 0.01) and absolute (p < 0.05) aerobic fitness, as well as higher power output at exhaustion during an incremental cycling test (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the intervention group had a higher job satisfaction (p < 0.05) compared to controls. On the contrary, the intervention group had less favorable results compared to controls related to perceived physical exertion at work (p < 0.05) and self-reported stress (p < 0.05). Our study indicates that a worksite exercise intervention has long-term beneficial effects on aerobic fitness, exercise capacity, and job satisfaction, although it might have side effects of higher work-related physical exhaustion and stress. These findings provide valuable insight into the long-term health effects of a worksite physical exercise intervention under real-world conditions without continued project support.