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Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health reports that: “Worksite wellness programs that address food and fitness can help employees lose weight. Comprehensive and structured programs seem to have a bigger impact on weight than narrow or unstructured programs. Worksite wellness programs should take a total view of worker health, coordinating health promotion efforts with occupational health.”

The post offers an extremely useful “summary of obesity prevention recommendations for worksite wellness programs, based on a review of expert guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, the Wellness Council of America, and others.”

Tips include:

“Incorporate nutrition/healthy eating and physical activity into worksite wellness and health promotion programs.”

• “Focus on nutrition behaviors, physical activity behaviors, or both”
• “Use educational, behavioral counseling, or environmental change strategies, or a combination of the three”
• “Use multicomponent, more intensive, or more structured programs for greater impact”

“Offer weight management programs or incorporate weight management into worksite wellness and health promotion programs.”

“Design effective worksite wellness programs by:”

• “Taking an integrated approach to worker health that addresses occupational health and safety as well as health promotion”
• “Obtaining senior management support”
• “Obtaining support from middle managers and supervisors”
• “Tailoring programs based on employees needs and preferences”
• “Monitoring and evaluating programs success”
• “Addressing needs of all employees, regardless of gender, age, culture, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, job type, or physical or intellectual capacity”