Healthy Workplace, Healthy Employees

Can healthy practices at your workplace help you maintain a healthy weight? The average American works at least forty-seven hours per week. Spending so many of our waking hours at the office makes the workplace a prime location for wellness intervention.

A new study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health studied the impact of workplace environment on the employee’s diet, physical activity level and body mass index (BMI). The researchers collected data on 1,538 people who answered surveys while in middle or high school during 1998 and 1999. Ten years later, the participants were asked to answer another survey. At the second survey, the average age of the participants was twenty-five years old. The surveys assessed each participant's height, weight, typical diet, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and specifics about their workplace food, environment and location.

Results demonstrated that employees who identified three or more healthy factors at work, such as exposure to healthy foods in the break room or ease of being active, were less likely to be obese than those working at jobs with fewer healthy factors. About 17 percent of employees were obese in workplaces that encouraged healthy lifestyle habits, whereas 24 percent of employees were obese in workplaces that did not promote healthy practices. Workplace characteristics independently associated with weight-related outcomes included soda availability, proximity to a fast food outlet, living close to work, and perceived ease of eating a healthy diet or being active at work.

Bottom Line: Heavy workloads and approaching deadlines often cause employees to skip exercise or grab a meal that is convenient, rather than healthy. Employers can create an environment for their employees that promotes healthy lifestyle practices. If you're not sure where to start, a worksite wellness company can design a custom-tailored wellness program specific to the needs of your employee population.

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