Table 1 Descriptive characteristics of the included studies

Almeida et al

USA

cluster RCT

18 months

Worksites in Virginia

Worksite employees with a BMI > =25

46.9 (3.2)

Females (73.8%)

Body weight (kg), BMI (kg/m²); measured at 6 months

Atlantis et al

Australia

RCT

1 year

Australian Casino

Healthy but sedentary casino subjects

32 (8)

Males (48%)

Waist circ (cm); measured at 6 months

Barham et al

USA

RCT

19 months

Onondaga county NY

Pre-diabetic or diabetic employees at the county

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

US

cluster RCT

–

8 manufacturing companies

manufacturing company employees

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

Taiwan

quasi experimental

24 weeks

3 worksites in Taiwan

Full time older industrial workers

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

Canada

RCT

–

Employees in the Halifax area, Nova Scotia

Employees with at least 2 modifiable coronary risk factors

44 (8)

Males (51%)

BMI (kg/m²), lipids (mg/dl), blood pressure (mg/dl); measured at 3 and 6 months

Christensen et al

Denmark

cluster RCT

14 months

Danish Municipality in central Jutland

Female overweight health care workers

–

Females (100%)

Body weight (kg), BMI (kg/m²), waist circ (cm), blood pressure (mm Hg); measured at 12 months

Engbers et al

Netherlands

controlled trial

1 year

2 government companies

overweight office employees with a BMI > =23

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

USA

cluster RCT

5 years

nonunionized manufacturing, R&D company with multiple sites in the northeastern United States

Worksite employees

47.7 (7.4), 47.4(7.8)

Males(68.1, 55.6)

BMI (kg/m²); measured at 36 months

French et al

Minneapolis

cluster RCT

2 years

4 garages; 2 urban, 2 suburban

garage workers

49

Males (79%)

BMI (kg/m²); measured at 18 months

Goetzel et al

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

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

Australia

Cluster RCT

4 years

Worksites from a large public service organization

Worksite employees

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

Malaysia

RCT

2 years

Melbourne

Overweight/obese employees from a local university

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

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

41.02 (6.82), 41.5 (6.98)

Males (100%)

Body weight (kg); measured at 6 months

Kramer et al

USA

RCT

18 months

Bayer corporation in Pittsburgh

Pre diabetic employees both professional and technical, salaried and hourly workers with BMI > =24

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

USA

cluster RCT

3 years

6 hospitals in massachussets

Hospital employees

–

Males (19%)

BMI (kg/m²); measured at 12 and 24 months

Lemon et al

USA

cluster RCT

3 years

12 central Massachusetts public high schools

School employees

–

Males (33%)

Body weight (kg), BMI (kg/m²); measured at 12 and 24 months

Limaye et al

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)

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

USA

cluster RCT

3 years

Six worksites in the Twin cities area Minnesota

Worksite employees

–

Males (39.3%)

BMI (kg/m²); measured at 24 months

Milani et al

USA

cluster RCT

1 year

2 geographically disparate work locations of a single employer

Worksite employees

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

Australia

RCT

14 weeks

Tomago Aluminium company

Over-weight/obese male shift workers

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

Malaysia

quasi experimental

2 years

public health university and teaching hospital in KL

Security guards

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

Japan

RCT

18 months

building maintenance company in Japan

Building maintenance company workers with at least one abnormal CVD risk factor

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

Japan

controlled trial

5 years

Factories in Japan

Factory employees

44.2 (8), 39.5 (7.6)

–

HDL (mg/dl); measured at 60 months

Nilsson et al

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

49.7

BMI (kg/m²), lipids (mg/dl), blood pressure (mm Hg), glucose (mg/dl); measured at 18 months

Prabhakaran et al

India

controlled trial

4 years

Industrial sites in India

industry employees

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

USA

cluster RCT

1 year

Worksites within a large medical center in Missouri

Medical centre employees aged 18 and above

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

USA

cluster RCT

2 years

16 elementary schools in 2 areas of LA

All school employees

40 (0.80)

Males (17%)

BMI (kg/m2); measured at 2 years

Shrivastava et al

India

cluster RCT

6 months

4 worksites from Delhi-NCR

overweight employees

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

Netherlands

RCT

12 months

Construction company in Netherlands

Blue collar workers (carpenters, road workers, crane operators,and factory workers.)

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

USA

RCT

2 years

University in US

Worksite pre-diabetic employees with a BMI more than 25

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

USA

cluster RCT

2 years

30 Hotels in Hawaii

Hotel employees with a BMI > =25

46 (9.6), 46.1 (10.2)

Males (49.8, 46.6%)

BMI (kg/m²); measured at 12 and 24 months

Wilson et al

USA

cluster RCT

12 months

Railroad maintenance facilities of Union Pacific Railroad

Locomotive maintenance employees at the company

47, 44

Males (93.7, 94.6%)

Body weight (kg), BMI (kg/m²); measured at 12 months