A recent review of studies from the University of Cincinnati, which appeared in the July-August issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion revealed that a little push from the workplace can help workers lose weight.
In the words of Michael Benedict, MD and researcher in the department of internal medicine, “Worksite-based programs do tend to result in weight loss for the people that participate in them”, who co-authored this new study.
The basis of this conclusion is the 11 studies that were published since 1994.
Out of these 11 publications, most of the programs emphasized on educating and counseling on diet as well as physical activity, which lasted anywhere between 2 and 18 months.
The intervention intensity of these studies were classified as low, moderate, and high intensity where about 46 % had low-intensity interventions, about 18 % were moderate intensity and the remaining 36% had high-intensity intervention.
Benedict opines that intervention assumes a fair level of significance as far weight loss is concerned. He further stated that programs that had face-to-face contact with the workers were more effective as compared to other programs that were carried out.
When data was compared, participants involved in higher-intensity programs lost an average of 2.2 pounds to 14 pounds. Participants other than the higher-intensity programs lost about 1.5 pounds to a gain of 1.1 pounds.
It’s interesting to observe what Benedict has to say here: “Most employed adults in the U.S. spend nearly half of their waking hours at their place of employment," and “Worksite based programs have great potential to positively impact our current obesity epidemic.”
Benedicts also cautions saying “Participants in these programs may lose weight, but it is unclear what happens after the fact, as weight maintenance has not been studied.”
Since unavailability of sufficient data on the cost involved in organizing such programs, employers are keen on considering this as an option that can yield huge return on investment.
Finally Benedict concludes, “These programs have the potential to have a tremendous public health impact. However, more high quality research is needed."
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