Table 1 Eligibility criteria for studies: definition of the PICO elements

Population

No gender, age, type of industry, or country restriction was applied. Workers on sick leave or non-working populations were excluded. Only those programs designed for the nonclinical population were accepted. Participants had to work for the company delivering the WPPAs^b program during the time the intervention was delivered and had to participate actively in the intervention

Intervention

Programs had to include any form of PA either at work or in leisure time (e.g., lunch walks, fitness centers, exercise groups). PA^c could be delivered offline, online, or as a combination of both

Comparison

Employees of an organization providing no WPPAs. Other interventions not including PA like ergonomics or health promotion activities

Outcomes

(1) Primary outcome: Productivity and performance (measured through self-reported health-related productivity questionnaires and/or objective measures (e.g., typing speed and accuracy, mouse proficiency) will be considered. Absenteeism (using workers’ sick leave) and presenteeism (quantitative [e.g., number of calls made by an employee] and qualitative [e.g., questionnaires])

(2) Secondary outcome: Health variables (measured as “natural units” (e.g., MET minutes, energy expenditure, time of moderate/vigorous PA, sitting/standing time, body mass index (BMI)/overweight etc.) or as proportions (e.g., number meeting the PA guidelines). Smoking, glucose levels, cholesterol levels, sleep patterns, pain, quality of life, mental health or health risks and diet, self-reported hours sitting per workday, stress, anxiety, and other health outcomes

(3) Tertiary outcome: Economic benefits/impact (when reported) were analyzed (ROI^a, medical claims, cost of absenteeism, cost of presenteeism, staff turnover, etc.)