Ferrari Corporate Wellness Program: Results of a Pilot Analysis and the “Drag” Impact in the Workplace

INTRODUCTION: Preventive strategies based on advice and interventions on lifestyle habits represent the most powerful resource available to reduce the burden of cardiovascular (CV) diseases. Workplace represents an unmissable context for lifestyle changes at population level. AIM: To evaluate the mid-term efficacy of a corporate wellness program in a cohort of healthy and physically active employees of the Ferrari car manufacturer. METHODS: A corporate wellness program, named "Ferrari Formula Benessere", was proposed to adult individuals working in a Ferrari car company at Maranello, Modena (Italy). Employees who voluntarily agreed to the program received healthy nutritional advice and were trained three times a week (60 min per session), and periodically re-evaluated during a 4-year follow-up period. RESULTS: Among the 719 Ferrari employees that joined the program, 168 (23%) subjects (88.5% males, age 30.8 ± 5.9 years) were considered the most active participants, based on a self-administered standardized questionnaire, and included in the study. A relevant improvement of several CV risk factors (body mass index, total and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure) and cardio-respiratory fitness parameters (estimated VO2max, Wattpeak, METs) was observed compared to baseline values. Furthermore, it was recorded a clear "drag effect" towards non-participating and sedentary peers, resulting in a 90% adherence increase over the years. CONCLUSIONS: The "Ferrari Formula Benessere" corporate wellness project proved to be effective in improving CV risk profile and cardio-respiratory fitness in a population of already physically active employees.