Estrategias, beneficios y limitaciones de la promoción de estilos de vida saludable en el lugar de trabajo: revisión de alcance

Abstract

The promotion of healthy lifestyles in the workplace represents a priority strategy for workers' well-being and organizational sustainability. This study aimed to analyze the strategies, benefits, and limitations of this promotion based on the scientific evidence available between 2020 and 2025, through a scoping review that followed the methodological framework proposed by Arksey and O'Malley (2005), updated by the Joanna Briggs Institute (Peters et al., 2020). The search was conducted in five databases: Scopus, PubMed, SciELO, Redalyc, and Google Scholar, using search equations built under the PCC methodology in both Spanish and English. Out of a total of 6,700 identified records, 40 studies that met the established eligibility criteria were selected. The findings showed that multicomponent interventions, combining educational, environmental transformation, and organizational approaches, are the most effective in promoting sustained changes in workers' habits. Documented benefits included improvements in physical and mental health indicators, reductions in absenteeism of up to 28%, and returns on investment exceeding 2.7 dollars for every dollar invested. The main limitations identified were low sustained participation among workers, lack of managerial support, insufficient resources in small and medium-sized enterprises, and labor informality, which in Colombia reaches 57.2% of the employed population. It is concluded that, while the evidence supports the effectiveness of these programs, their implementation in contexts of high informality such as Colombia requires adapted strategies and organizational policies that integrate well-being as a genuine institutional priority.