Dietary and behavior changes following RDN-led corporate wellness counseling: A secondary analysis

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Worksite wellness programs have the ability to activate health promotion and stimulate behavior change. OBJECTIVE: To measure longitudinal associations between visits with a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), as part of worksite wellness programs, on dietary and lifestyle behavior changes. METHODS: The study sample included 1,123 employees with 77 different worksite wellness programs across the United States from March to December 2017. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to evaluate the associations of RDN visits with behavior changes. RESULTS: The mean BMI at baseline was 33.48, indicating over half of all employees are considered obese. Employees who attended more than one visit showed an increase in whole grain consumption and corresponding weight loss (t-ratio = 2.41, p = 0.02). Age played a significant factor in the rise of systolic blood pressure; employees who attended more visits showed an increase in whole grain consumption and corresponding blood pressure (t-ratio = –2.11, p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: RDNs as part of worksite wellness programs, can contribute to improvements in lifestyle behavior changes. These data highlight the need for nutrition intervention at the workplace. Research on nutrition-focused worksite wellness programs is needed to assess the long-term health outcomes related to dietary and lifestyle behavior changes.

Blue Zones-Based Worksite Nutrition Intervention: Positive Impact on Employee Wellbeing

“…With the virtual shifts we are seeing happen in our society, and the detrimental effects of COVID-19 on mental health (7), this study helps to provide the framework for an effective intervention strategy that can be implemented in worksites, and potentially other settings, to help improve diet quality and improve overall mental wellness including depressive symptoms, anxiety, sleep, social relationships, satisfaction with life, and stress. In addition, worksite interventions have been shown to improve employee productivity and improve lifestyle behavior changes (20,21). With the positive results from this intervention, we can infer it would result in productive work even during stressful times such as those experienced during COVID-19.…”

“…For the first and final sessions, Joel Fuhrman, MD, a lifestyle medicine physician and expert on plant-based lifestyles, led question and answer sessions. All sessions were moderated by a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), which has previously positively impacted other worksite wellness programs (20). Six one-page handouts detailing the Blue Zones Principles were provided to the participants via email throughout the study.…”

“…A causal relationship between a plant-based diet and positive mental health outcomes is less established, especially when compared to the extant literature that supports the positive effects of a plant-based intervention on physical health (19). Further research is needed to assess the health outcomes of worksite nutrition interventions (20).…”

“…Using the nine Blue Zones principles as a basis for our pilot study, we examined the relationship between a plant-based diet and mental health and wellbeing, while incorporating the virtual lifestyle program during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The objective was to administer a virtual worksite intervention to support healthy lifestyle behavior changes, including implementing a plant-based diet, as worksite interventions are found to increase work productivity and demonstrate improvements in health behaviors such as increasing physical activity and improveming in diet (20,21). We assessed the following aims: (1) if this online intervention is effective at improving diet and mental wellness (2) if attendance at weekly workshops and small group sessions and Blue Zones Knowledge impacted changes in mental wellness over time, and (3) if the addition of diet quality elicited differences overtime for all mental wellness outcomes.…”

Ambientes de Trabalho Saudáveis - O papel do nutricionista

“…Ao longo da última década, o quadro político e as regras europeias em matéria de segurança e saúde no trabalho contribuíram para melhorar consideravelmente as condições de trabalho (29,30). Enquanto os riscos para a saúde física associados às condições de trabalho se encontram cada vez melhor controlados e geridos, a saúde nutricional, que são a causa e a consequência de efeitos nefastos para a saúde do trabalhador, para o empregador e para as empresas, parecem não estar a ser devidamente abordados (31,32). Desta feita, deve a saúde ocupacional evoluir para um modelo de prática profissional colaborativa que clarifique, valorize e reconheça as competências de outras áreas do saber em matéria de saúde no trabalho (20,33).…”