Workplace Nutrition and Obesity

Obesity is viewed as an emerging pandemic and accounts for 2-7% of health costs in industrialized countries. According to a 2006 UN study, in the United States, where over two-thirds of the population is overweight, the annual economic cost of obesity for insurance, paid sick leave, and other payments is $12.7 billion. A 2004 CDC report found that obesity attributable medical expenses in the U.S. were $75 billion. So, obesity is not financially benign.

It is insidious—sneaking up on employees over time—and is associated with various co-morbidities like diabetes, heart disease, and sleep apnea. High caloric intake and sedentary lifestyles are big contributors to increasing waistlines and obesity in the U.S.. Good nutrition is based on individual choices based on knowledge and the availability of healthy options. Often the available choices of snacks and meal options at work are not particularly healthy. Foods consumed in the workplace are usually high in sugar, fat, or salt—and often devoid of much nutritional value.

The workplace is a logical place for health intervention as workers spend a third of their lives there and the employer has a vested interest in employee health. Providing healthy food at work is the best way to get people to eat at least one healthy meal a day. Nutrition promotion offers numerous benefits for a company, including decrease in absenteeism, decrease in staff recruitment and training costs through reduced staff turnover, reduction in the number of worker compensation claims and gains in productivity through improved health and morale.

Surveys have shown that over 70% of employees support employer involvement in workplace health promotion programs and 85% believe that workplace programs can increase health and lower health costs. In one survey, a majority of workers said that “difficulty getting them at work” was the main barrier to eating fruits and vegetables.

What does workplace nutrition promotion look like? Programs can range from simple nutritional education via brochures, newsletters, posters, and seminars to healthy vending options, meal vouchers, and healthy options in cafeterias and meetings.

In one 2002 study by the Prevention Institute, Waters Corporation, located in Milford, Massachusetts, is given as one example of a company that has made a commitment to providing healthy food options in its workplace cafeteria. The Waters in-house food service, run by Sodexho Marriott, was asked to begin offering at least one non- or low-fat or no-cholesterol entre at every meal. In response to the request, a “healthy choice bar” was developed that actually increased cafeteria patronage by 5% and sales by 3%. The healthy choice bar was chosen by 5 -10% of employees on an average day.

OK. So, your company does not have an in-house food service. You can still request healthier meals and snacks for catered functions and meetings or ask for vending options, like nuts and fruit juices, that are more nutritious. As part of the corporate culture, sweets and pastries could be discouraged or even banned. Too Draconian? Maybe. But nutrition promotion is important, desired by workers, and beneficial to employees and the company.

Effective measures can be very simple. One employer has reported success in encouraging workers to choose diet sodas over

their caloric cousins by decreasing the price of diet drinks in vending

machines.

You will have to decide what measures will work for your employees and fit into your corporate culture of wellness. Help your employees meet their weight management goals. It is just as important to manage the workplace environment as it is to manage the message. Do not cede the battle to employee willpower alone.

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