Physical activity and well-being in a group of women employees before and during the pandemic period

Introduction: The adherence to physical activity programs of women in the peak of their active life is very difficult to be obtained and maintained. But it's well known that physical activity plays a critical role in the prevention and treatment of cardiometabolic risk factors, heart disease and stroke, some cancer. We have administered a questionnaire to examine the behavior of a group of workers in relation to perceived well-being in terms of self-mitigation of risk factors by sport practice or weight control and healthy habits. We also assessed how these habits changed during the pandemic period and made some comparisons with national data and other data related to previous period. Material and Method: A survey was submitted by email to employees of CNR Headquarters in Rome and of the Institutes of the CNR Research Area in Bologna. More than 200 women aged 20-65 years completed the questionnaire, over a one month period (April 2021). Data collected from other sources are considered to compare the results of our sample with the aim of better understanding and contextualizing the data collected. Results and Conclusions: From the quite good data of 70% of women that performed physical activity, the pandemic situation has halved the percentage of active women. The study will be used to design and implement appropriate actions and policies applicable in the workplace to encourage regular physical activity in female employees, promote a healthy lifestyle and improve perceived and real well-being.