Changing employees' dietary and exercise practices: an experimental study in a small company

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of educational and environmental strategies on the employees' dietary and exercise practices, their satisfaction with their health practices, and their perception of organizational support for good health practices. Employees from the treatment company were randomly assigned to three intervention groups with varying levels of potency. A control company was tested to observe societal changes occurring during the program. All three intervention groups made significant changes in their health status. Except for the need to target employees with high cholesterol readings for individual counseling, the findings suggested that providing employees with feedback about their health status, persuasive information about risk reduction, and a supportive environment can result in significant changes with a minimum of professional involvement.