Workplace Health Promotion Interventions and Employee Health Outcomes in Telecommunications Companies in South West Nigeria: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Workplace health promotion (WHP) programs in the telecommunications sector represent an underexplored domain in Nigerian occupational health research, despite this sector's significant and predominantly sedentary workforce. This quasi-experimental study evaluated the effectiveness of a structured WHP intervention on employee health outcomes in telecommunications companies in Oyo and Lagos States, South West Nigeria. Three hundred and twenty employees in two companies were allocated to intervention (n=160) and control (n=160) groups based on company assignment. The six-month intervention comprised physical activity challenges, nutrition workshops, hypertension and diabetes screening, and a mental health awareness campaign. Outcomes measured at baseline and six months included blood pressure, BMI, fasting blood glucose, and psychological wellbeing scores using the Warwick-Edinburgh scale. At six months, the intervention group demonstrated significant improvements in blood pressure control (38.8% versus 22.5%), BMI reduction (mean change: 1.4 kg/m squared), and psychological wellbeing scores (mean improvement: 6.3 points) relative to controls. Participation rates were higher for mental health (78.1%) and screening components (82.5%) than for physical activity programs (61.3%). Managerial encouragement and peer buddy systems were identified as significant participation enablers. The study recommends the adoption of multi-component WHP programs in Nigerian telecommunications companies, with management engagement strategies and flexible scheduling to maximize participation. Keywords: workplace health promotion, intervention effectiveness, telecommunications, employee health, South West Nigeria.