Performing group-based physical activity (GBPA) in the workplace. Survey and sociological considerations of the “Happy Bones” Project

The goal of the following work is to identify the effects, positive or negative, of performing group-based physical activity (GBPA) in the workplace. In addition, the scope of the present research is to investigate some social and relational aspects of medical origin associated with the Happy Bones project. The sample consists of 28 women between 47 and 67 years old, employees of the University of Rome “Foro Italico”, in menopause, and inactive. The explorative nature of the investigation and the multidimensional aspect of the variables suggest the adoption of a qualitative method. Even though the survey does not fulfil the minimum standards of repre-sentativeness, interview analysis shows a positive trend in joining physical activity in the workplace, as shown by the good compliance of the participants with the proposed workplace training protocol. The personal motivation linked to the project itself or to the corresponding activity exists albeit to a secondary extent: the unifying element of the group exists regardless of the project and is due to the home institu-tion, hence to the workplace