The experience of the Profitness project in promoting personalized physical activity among healthcare workers with chronic disease

Background and objective. The importance of physical activity (PA) in promoting health is widely recognized, as it has been shown to improve people’s well-being and health. The Profitness project was created to support the safe and tailored implementation of PA for chronic disease. Methods/intervention. Since 2018, a multidisciplinary team of cardiologists, sports physicians, nurses, physical trainers, and dietitians have been conducting individualized PA programs at the "Experimental Center for Promotion, Prescription and Administration of personalized physical exercise" in Gemona, Italy. Subjects are recruited by general practitioners or occupational health physicians if certain chronic diseases are present. At the beginning of the program, subjects undergo physical testing to assess their functional abilities. An individualized exercise program is then performed both under supervision and at home. During the training, heart rate and subjective exertion perception are monitored. Response to home training and abnormal symptoms are tracked and reported to the team. Results. Twelve healthcare workers (8:M and 4:F, mean age 57±6 years) benefited from the programs. They completed 2 training sessions per week: one at the center and one at home, for a total of 27±17 training weeks, with a participation rate of 76±9% of training sessions. At the end of the program, V′O2 max and FCmax increased, from 2301±627 to 2365±501 ml/min and from 150±14 to 156±12 bpm, respectively; hand strength increased by an average of 5±1 N (p<0.05). Conclusions/lessons learned. These are the first results of an innovative experience with a personalized and supervised training program designed for people who need support in introducing physical activity into their lifestyle. Partnering with the occupational health physicians can help engage healthcare workers in a virtuous cycle aimed at improving their health outcomes.