Workplace wellness and health promotion
The majority of working-aged people spend most of their waking hours at work. IWH research examines the impact of the work environment on worker health and wellbeing, as well as the effectiveness of workplace health and wellness promotion initiatives on workers’ physical activity and other health behaviours.
Featured
At Work article
Neighbourhood infrastructure such as bike paths, bus routes shape workers’ active commuting patterns
The built environments around where we work and live can play an important role in shaping our decision to walk, bike or take public transit to work. That's according to a joint study that examines Canadians' active commuting habits based on the social and built characteristics of their neighbourho
Published: April 29, 2026
IWH Speaker Series
Engaging employees in wellness: Insights from workplace champions
Published: October 21, 2025
Journal article
Journal article
Workers' activity profiles associated with predicted 10-year cardiovascular disease risk
Published: Journal of the American Heart Association, June 2022
Project
Project
Champions as social agents of change: what can we learn from worker well-being initiatives?
This project explores the role of champions in improving worker participation in workplace well-being programs.
Status: Ongoing
IWH in the media
How can workplaces help promote exercise?
To help promote regular exercise among workers, workplaces must recognize that work conditions can sometimes be barriers to working out. IWH Associate Scientist Dr. Aviroop Biswas talks with NEWSTALK1010's Dave Trafford about employers can help workers make fitness part of their work day.
Published: The Weekend Morning Show with Dave Trafford, November 2021
IWH in the media
Workplaces can help promote exercise, but job conditions remain a major hurdle
We know regular exercise is really good for health, but many workers do not exercise as much as they should. Yes, workplaces can help promote fitness. However, workplaces also need to look beyond individual responsibility to get active, and address the job conditions that can get in the way, writes IWH's Dr. Avi Biswas in this op-ed piece.
Published: The Conversation, November 2021
At Work article
Emerging evidence points to negative health effects of physical work demands
Recent studies are suggesting physically demanding work can have negative effects on workers’ cardiovascular health. At a recent IWH Speaker Series presentation, Associate Scientist Dr. Avi Biswas discussed how workplaces and policy-makers can help.
Published: July 2021
Research Highlights
Examining the link between leisure-time exercise and physically demanding work on diabetes risk
Workers in sedentary jobs who meet physical activity guidelines of at least 150 minutes a week have a 37 per cent lower chance of developing diabetes over 15 years, compared to people in the same types of jobs but who do less exercise. Meeting physical activity guidelines is less beneficial for people whose jobs involve movement or high physical demands (such as lifting heavy loads).
Published: April 2021
Journal article
Journal article
Organizational perspectives on how to successfully integrate health promotion activities into occupational health and safety
Published: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, January 2021
Journal article
Journal article
Occupational physical activity as a target for obesity prevention: a lack of effect or a lack of evidence?
Published: Occupational and Environmental Medicine, January 2021
Project
Project
Using decision-tree machine learning to identify worker movement typologies
Can machine learning be used to measure the movement patterns of workers at and outside of work? This IWH study aims to find out.
Status: Completed
Research Highlights
Physical activity levels and work factors over 12 years
Over a 12-year-period, Canadians whose jobs became more physically or mentally demanding became slightly less likely to exercise more. They were also slightly less likely to exercise more when working long hours or working in jobs that offered them little say in how to use their skills.
Published: April 2020