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A new report shows that “workplace wellness programs can be effective in helping people lose weight by providing healthier food choices and increasing opportunities for physical activity, particularly if these efforts are designed with the input and active participation of employees,” the University of Rochester Medical Center reports.

The study was published in the American Journal of Public Health and, according to Healio, shows that “work-based wellness interventions coordinated by employees reduced mean BMI and the percentage of employees with overweight or obesity.” The study is titled “Images of a Healthy Worksite: A Group-Randomized Trial for Worksite Weight Gain Prevention With Employee Participation in Intervention Design”

Specifically, the study concludes: “Our findings support a worksite population strategy that might eventually reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity by minimizing environmental exposures to calorically dense foods and increasing exposures to opportunities for energy expenditure within worksite settings.”

A key component to success: Empowering employees to engage and “help shape” their wellness program. That's according to Diana Fernandez, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., an associate professor in the University of Rochester Department of Public Health Sciences and lead author of the study, who said in a press release. “Worksites are self-contained environments with established communication systems where interventions that modify food options and provide physical activity have the potential to reach large numbers of adults. This study shows in particular that when employees are empowered to help shape wellness programs, these programs appear to result in meaningful improvements in health.”

The researchers gained their data by creating a group-randomized trial with 3799 participants at 10 worksites in the northeastern United States: “Worksites were paired and allocated into intervention and control conditions. Within- and between-groups changes in mean BMIs and in the percentage of overweight or obese employees were examined in a volunteer sample.”

The University of Rochester further describes how researchers combined their focus on “healthy eating and increasing physical activity:

• “Dietitians met with cafeteria managers to help them modify recipes so that the same meals could be prepared with fewer calories or in smaller portions. Employees who made healthy choices at the cafeteria or the vending machine were rewarded with free meals. They also organized workshops that shared healthy recipes for the home, especially before and during the holidays.”
• “Physical activity programs varied depending upon the worksite. Some sites marked out walking routes or organized walking clubs or other outdoor activities, such as Frisbee golf or bocce, during breaks. Locations with gym facilities were upgraded and staff held tours, promotions, and competitions to encourage usage.”

Dr. Fernandez added: “This study suggests that worksite environmental interventions might be promising strategies for weight control at the population level. These observations lend support to the approaches that might eventually reduce the incidence and prevalence of overweight and obesity on a larger scale.”