Multidisciplinary health program effect among sedentary small business leaders. a pilot study

Business leaders, particularly those in small businesses, face a high risk of burnout and health problems. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a program combining physical activity and health education on sleep, physical capacity and mental health of managers of very small, small and medium enterprises. Thirteen managers (45.2 ± 9 years old) were divided into a Physical Activity (PA) and a Control group (C). The PA group followed a 12week program comprising of 3 weekly physical activity sessions (225 min/week) and 4 health education sessions. Measurements of body composition, cardiorespiratory capacity, sleep, physical activity, stress and anxiety were made before (T0) and after (T1) the intervention. Results showed that, following the intervention, the PA group significantly improved their PSQI (sleep), GAD7 (anxiety) and MET (physical activity quantity) scores, and reduced their percentage of body fat. They also showed better stress and anxiety scores than C. However, no significant differences were observed in objective measurements of sleep and physical activity. Although the program appears to have a positive impact on executives' perception of sleep, stress, anxiety and physical activity, larger-scale studies over a longer period are needed to confirm these results and observe objective changes.