Osteoporosis prevention in the workplace: The "happy Bones" protocol

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is a growing disease that mainly affects postmenopausal women and represents an increasing human, social and economic burden. Physical Activity (PA) is a key factor to counteract osteoporosis, but most of the women do not reach the minimum amount of PA recommended. Being able to develop PA protocols in the workplace can be a focal point in the prevention and treatment of this disease and benefit the general health of workers. METHODS: The primary aim was to evaluate the compliance and dropout of postmenopausal women enrolled in a well-structured protocol for osteoporosis prevention in the workplace: "The Happy Bones" protocol. Secondarily, the effects of the protocol on functional parameters were evaluated to understand how it affected general health. 30 postmenopausal women employed at the "Foro Italico" University of Rome were recruited: IG (N.=15) performed the Happy Bones protocol for 24 weeks; and CG (N.=15) continued the daily routine. Before and after 6 months, participants underwent MOC, functional assessments (i.e. 6MWT, Handgrip, Balance tests) and body composition analysis. RESULTS: Compliance was higher compared to similar studies. Bone health parameters showed no significant results in both groups, but still showed a positive trend in IG. Functional capacity (6MWT P=0.007), balance (P0.05), 1 RM strength test (P0.05) and body composition (P0.05) in the IG showed statistically significant improvements. CONCLUSIONS: The Happy Bones protocol was able to generate a good compliance, marking a positive trend in the bone health of postmenopausal women and improving functional capacity and general health of the participants.