Table 1 Descriptive characteristics of the included studies
| Author | Year of Publication | Country | Study Design | Study Duration | Study Setting | Study Population | Sample Size | Age | Gender | Study Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Almeida et al | 2015 | USA | cluster RCT | 18 months | Worksites in Virginia | Worksite employees with a BMI > =25 | 1790 | 46.9 (3.2) | Females (73.8%) | Body weight (kg), BMI (kg/m2); measured at 6 months |
| Atlantis et al | 2006 | Australia | RCT | 1 year | Australian Casino | Healthy but sedentary casino subjects | 73 | 32 (8) | Males (48%) | Waist circ (cm); measured at 6 months |
| Barham et al | 2011 | USA | RCT | 19 months | Onondaga county NY | Pre-diabetic or diabetic employees at the county | 45 | 51.2 (8.0) | Males (16%) | Body weight (kg), BMI (kg/m2), waist circ (cm), blood pressure (mm Hg), lipids (mg/dl), glucose (mg/dl); measured at 6 and 12 months |
| Brehm et al | 2009 | US | cluster RCT | – | 8 manufacturing companies | manufacturing company employees | 341 | 43.8 (10.0) | Males (60%) | Body weight (kg), blood pressure (mm Hg), lipids (mg/dl), glucose (mg/dl); measured at 6 and 12 months |
| Chen et al | 2016 | Taiwan | quasi experimental | 24 weeks | 3 worksites in Taiwan | Full time older industrial workers | 108 | 54.5 (3.7), 55.7 (4.0) | Males (39.7, 52%) | Body weight (kg), BMI (kg/m2), waist circ (cm), blood pressure (mm Hg), lipids (mg/dl); measured at 6 months |
| Chockalingam et al | 2008 | Canada | RCT | – | Employees in the Halifax area, Nova Scotia | Employees with at least 2 modifiable coronary risk factors | 397 | 44 (8) | Males (51%) | BMI (kg/m2), lipids (mg/dl), blood pressure (mg/dl); measured at 3 and 6 months |
| Christensen et al | 2012 | Denmark | cluster RCT | 14 months | Danish Municipality in central Jutland | Female overweight health care workers | 98 | – | Females (100%) | Body weight (kg), BMI (kg/m2), waist circ (cm), blood pressure (mm Hg); measured at 12 months |
| Engbers et al | 2007 | Netherlands | controlled trial | 1 year | 2 government companies | overweight office employees with a BMI > =23 | 540 | 45.3 (9.6), 45.5 (8.7) | Females (37.4, 41.7%) | BMI (kg/m2), waist circ (cm), lipids (mg/dl), blood pressure (mm Hg); measured at 12 months |
| Fernandez et al | 2015 | USA | cluster RCT | 5 years | nonunionized manufacturing, R&D company with multiple sites in the northeastern United States | Worksite employees | 3799 | 47.7 (7.4), 47.4(7.8) | Males(68.1, 55.6) | BMI (kg/m2); measured at 36 months |
| French et al | 2010 | Minneapolis | cluster RCT | 2 years | 4 garages; 2 urban, 2 suburban | garage workers | 832 | 49 | Males (79%) | BMI (kg/m2); measured at 18 months |
| Goetzel et al | 2009 | USA | quasi experimental | 1 year | 12 sites of Dow science and technology company | All employees in the manufacturing, r&d and administration departments at all sites | 10,281 | 44.3, 44.1 | Males (26.7, 25%) | Body weight (kg), BMI (kg/m2), blood pressure (mm Hg), lipids (mg/dl), glucose (mg/dl); measured at 12 months |
| Healy et al | 2017 | Australia | Cluster RCT | 4 years | Worksites from a large public service organization | Worksite employees | 231 | 45.6 (9.4) | Males (32%) | Body weight (kg), waist (cm), blood pressure (mm Hg), lipids (mg/dl), glucose (mg/dl); measured at 12 months |
| Jamal et al | 2016 | Malaysia | RCT | 2 years | Melbourne | Overweight/obese employees from a local university | 194 | 40.5 (9.3) | Women (72.7%) | Body weight (kg), BMI (kg/m2), waist circ (cm), blood pressure (mm Hg), lipids (mg/dl), glucose (mg/dl); measured at 6 months |
| Kim et al | 2015 | Korea | RCT | 6 months | 3 Korean worksites | Employees from the Korean gas corporation, district heating corporation and expressway corporation with a BMI > 25 kg/m2 | 196 | 41.02 (6.82), 41.5 (6.98) | Males (100%) | Body weight (kg); measured at 6 months |
| Kramer et al | 2015 | USA | RCT | 18 months | Bayer corporation in Pittsburgh | Pre diabetic employees both professional and technical, salaried and hourly workers with BMI > =24 | 89 | 52.3 (7.2) | Males (45%) | Body weight (kg), BMI (kg/m2), waist circ (cm), blood pressure (mm Hg), lipids (mg/dl), glucose (mg/dl); measured at 6 months |
| Lemon et al | 2010 | USA | cluster RCT | 3 years | 6 hospitals in massachussets | Hospital employees | 806 | – | Males (19%) | BMI (kg/m2); measured at 12 and 24 months |
| Lemon et al | 2014 | USA | cluster RCT | 3 years | 12 central Massachusetts public high schools | School employees | 782 | – | Males (33%) | Body weight (kg), BMI (kg/m2); measured at 12 and 24 months |
| Limaye et al | 2016 | India | RCT | 3 years | two multinational IT industries in Pune | Employees with ≥3 risk factors (family history of CVD, obesity, highblood pressure, impaired glucose, impaired lipids) | 265 | 36.8 (7.2), 35.7 (8.1) | Males (74, 71%) | Body weight (kg), BMI (kg/m2), waist circ (cm), blood pressure (mm Hg), lipids (mg/dl), glucose (mg/dl); measured at 12 months |
| Linde et al | 2012 | USA | cluster RCT | 3 years | Six worksites in the Twin cities area Minnesota | Worksite employees | 1672 | – | Males (39.3%) | BMI (kg/m2); measured at 24 months |
| Milani et al | 2009 | USA | cluster RCT | 1 year | 2 geographically disparate work locations of a single employer | Worksite employees | 339 | 40 (8), 43 (10) | Males (52, 53%) | Body weight (kg), lipids (mg/dl), blood pressure (mm Hg), glucose (mg/dl); measured at 6 months |
| Morgan et al | 2011 | Australia | RCT | 14 weeks | Tomago Aluminium company | Over-weight/obese male shift workers | 110 | 44.4 (8.6) | Males (100%) | Body weight (kg), BMI (kg/m2), waist circ (cm), blood pressure (mm Hg); measured at 14 months |
| Moy et al | 2006 | Malaysia | quasi experimental | 2 years | public health university and teaching hospital in KL | Security guards | 186 | 45.6 (7.2), 48 (4.7) | Males (100%) | BMI (kg/m2), lipids (mg/dl), blood pressure (mm Hg), glucose (mg/dl); measured at 24 months |
| Muto et al | 2001 | Japan | RCT | 18 months | building maintenance company in Japan | Building maintenance company workers with at least one abnormal CVD risk factor | 352 | 42.3 (4.5), 42.7 (2.7) | Males (100%) | Body weight (kg), BMI (kg/m2), lipids (mg/dl), blood pressure (mm Hg), glucose (mg/dl); measured at 18 months |
| Naito et al | 2008 | Japan | controlled trial | 5 years | Factories in Japan | Factory employees | 2929 | 44.2 (8), 39.5 (7.6) | – | HDL (mg/dl); measured at 60 months |
| Nilsson et al | 2001 | Sweden | RCT | 18 months | 4 branches of helsingborg public sector | Nurses, cleaners, gardeners, drivers or transportation workers with a CVD risk score greater than 9 | 89 | 49.7 | BMI (kg/m2), lipids (mg/dl), blood pressure (mm Hg), glucose (mg/dl); measured at 18 months | |
| Prabhakaran et al | 2009 | India | controlled trial | 4 years | Industrial sites in India | industry employees | 6889 | 40.8 (10.8), 38.6 (11.7) | Males (58.7%, 58.1) | Body weight (kg), waist circ (cm), lipids (mg/dl), blood pressure (mm Hg), glucose (mg/dl); measured at 48 months |
| Racette et al | 2009 | USA | cluster RCT | 1 year | Worksites within a large medical center in Missouri | Medical centre employees aged 18 and above | 123 | 45 (9) | Males (11.25) | Body weight (kg), BMI (kg/m2), lipids (mg/dl), blood pressure (mm Hg), glucose (mg/dl); measured at 12 months |
| Siegel et al | 2010 | USA | cluster RCT | 2 years | 16 elementary schools in 2 areas of LA | All school employees | 413 | 40 (0.80) | Males (17%) | BMI (kg/m2); measured at 2 years |
| Shrivastava et al | 2017 | India | cluster RCT | 6 months | 4 worksites from Delhi-NCR | overweight employees | 267 | 35.8 (7.6), 39 (8.7) | Males (87.9%) | Body weight (kg), BMI (kg/m2), waist circ (cm), blood pressure (mm Hg), lipids (mg/dl), glucose (mg/dl); measured at 6 months |
| Viester et al | 2017 | Netherlands | RCT | 12 months | Construction company in Netherlands | Blue collar workers (carpenters, road workers, crane operators,and factory workers.) | 314 | 47 (9.5) | – | Body weight (kg), BMI (kg/m2), waist circ (cm), blood pressure (mm Hg), lipids (mg/dl); measured at 12 months |
| Weinhold et al | 2015 | USA | RCT | 2 years | University in US | Worksite pre-diabetic employees with a BMI more than 25 | 69 | 51.6 (9.5), 51.0 (8.1) | Males (20, 20.6%) | Body weight (kg), BMI (kg/m2), waist circ (cm) blood pressure (mm Hg); measured at 7 months |
| Williams et al | 2014 | USA | cluster RCT | 2 years | 30 Hotels in Hawaii | Hotel employees with a BMI > =25 | 1207 | 46 (9.6), 46.1 (10.2) | Males (49.8, 46.6%) | BMI (kg/m2); measured at 12 and 24 months |
| Wilson et al | 2016 | USA | cluster RCT | 12 months | Railroad maintenance facilities of Union Pacific Railroad | Locomotive maintenance employees at the company | 362 | 47, 44 | Males (93.7, 94.6%) | Body weight (kg), BMI (kg/m2); measured at 12 months |