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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2014 May-Jun;28(5):336-9.
doi: 10.4278/ajhp.100127-ARB-29. Epub 2014 Feb 13.

The results of a 2-year randomized trial of a worksite weight management intervention

Randomized Controlled Trial

The results of a 2-year randomized trial of a worksite weight management intervention

Andrew E Williams et al. Am J Health Promot. 2014 May-Jun.

Abstract

Purpose: We assessed the effectiveness of a worksite management intervention (the 3W program) for overweight and obese hotel employees.

Design: The program was tested in a 2-year cluster-randomized trial involving 30 hotels that employed nearly 12,000 individuals.

Setting: All participating hotels were on Oahu, Hawaii. The intervention was implemented within hotel worksites.

Subjects: Participants were included in the analysis if they had an initial body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25, were assessed at least twice, were not missing other data needed for the analysis, and did not switch to employment at a hotel in a different experimental condition. Of the 6519 employees we assessed, data from 1207 individuals (intervention: 598; control: 610) met these criteria and contributed to the analysis.

Intervention: The intervention had two components: (1) group meetings and (2) a workplace environment intervention.

Measures: Weight and waist to height ratio (WHtR) were measured at three annual assessments.

Analysis: The effect of the intervention on change in BMI and WHtR was estimated in hierarchical mixed regression models using full maximum likelihood to estimate model parameters.

Results: The effects on change in BMI and WHtR were in the expected direction but were not statistically significant.

Conclusion: The 3W program was not effective. The low intensity of the intervention may have contributed to its ineffectiveness.

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Figures

Figure
Figure
Distribution of Weight Change From Baseline as a Percentage of Initial Body

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