TY - JOUR

T1 - Improving the diet of employees at blue-collar worksites

T2 - results from the 'Food at Work' intervention study

AU - Lassen, Anne Dahl

AU - Thorsen, Anne Vibeke

AU - Sommer, Helle Mølgaard

AU - Fagt, Sisse

AU - Trolle, Ellen

AU - Biltoft-Jensen, Anja

AU - Tetens, Inge

PY - 2011

Y1 - 2011

N2 - OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of a 6-month participatory and empowerment-based intervention study on employees' dietary habits and on changes in the canteen nutrition environment.DESIGN: Worksites were stratified by company type and by the presence or absence of an in-house canteen, and randomly allocated to either an intervention group (five worksites) or a minimum intervention control group (three worksites). The study was carried out in partnership with a trade union and guided by an ecological framework targeting both individual and environment levels. Outcome measures included: (i) changes in employees' dietary habits derived from 4 d pre-coded food diaries of a group of employees at the worksites (paired-data structure); and (ii) the canteen nutrition environment as identified by aggregating chemical nutritional analysis of individual canteen lunches (different participants at baseline and at endpoint).SETTING: Eight blue-collar worksites (five of these with canteens).SUBJECTS: Employees.RESULTS: In the intervention group (n 102), several significant positive nutritional effects were observed among employees, including a median daily decrease in intake of fat (-2.2 %E, P = 0.002) and cake and sweets (-18 g/10 MJ, P = 0.002) and a median increase in intake of dietary fibre (3 g/10 MJ, P < 0.001) and fruit (55 g/d, P = 0.007 and 74 g/10 MJ, P = 0.009). With regard to the canteen nutrition environment, a significant reduction in the percentage of energy obtained from fat was found in the intervention group (median difference 11 %E, P < 0.001, n 144).CONCLUSIONS: The present study shows that moderate positive changes in dietary patterns can be achieved among employees in blue-collar worksites.

AB - OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of a 6-month participatory and empowerment-based intervention study on employees' dietary habits and on changes in the canteen nutrition environment.DESIGN: Worksites were stratified by company type and by the presence or absence of an in-house canteen, and randomly allocated to either an intervention group (five worksites) or a minimum intervention control group (three worksites). The study was carried out in partnership with a trade union and guided by an ecological framework targeting both individual and environment levels. Outcome measures included: (i) changes in employees' dietary habits derived from 4 d pre-coded food diaries of a group of employees at the worksites (paired-data structure); and (ii) the canteen nutrition environment as identified by aggregating chemical nutritional analysis of individual canteen lunches (different participants at baseline and at endpoint).SETTING: Eight blue-collar worksites (five of these with canteens).SUBJECTS: Employees.RESULTS: In the intervention group (n 102), several significant positive nutritional effects were observed among employees, including a median daily decrease in intake of fat (-2.2 %E, P = 0.002) and cake and sweets (-18 g/10 MJ, P = 0.002) and a median increase in intake of dietary fibre (3 g/10 MJ, P < 0.001) and fruit (55 g/d, P = 0.007 and 74 g/10 MJ, P = 0.009). With regard to the canteen nutrition environment, a significant reduction in the percentage of energy obtained from fat was found in the intervention group (median difference 11 %E, P < 0.001, n 144).CONCLUSIONS: The present study shows that moderate positive changes in dietary patterns can be achieved among employees in blue-collar worksites.

KW - Adult

KW - Diet Surveys

KW - Dietary Fats

KW - Dietary Fiber

KW - Eating

KW - Energy Intake

KW - Feeding Behavior

KW - Female

KW - Food

KW - Food Services

KW - Health Promotion

KW - Humans

KW - Male

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Occupational Health Services

KW - Program Evaluation

KW - Surveys and Questionnaires

KW - Workplace

KW - Nutrition intervention

KW - Randomized Controlled Trial

KW - Food environment

KW - Canteen

U2 - 10.1017/S1368980010003447

DO - 10.1017/S1368980010003447

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 21208479

VL - 14

SP - 965

EP - 974

JO - Public Health Nutrition

JF - Public Health Nutrition

SN - 1368-9800

IS - 6

ER -