Employee perceptions of an environmental obesity prevention program

Obesity is a major public health concern and worksites are ideal for reaching large numbers of adults with weight management messages and programs. In 2006, a large chemical company began implementing a combination of individual and environmental interventions to support the prevention and control of overweight and obesity among employees. In 2007, an employee satisfaction survey was administered to a random sample of employees (N = 2,280). The survey was a 12-item instrument intended to assess the exposure and satisfaction of the environmental interventions and contained questions related to the level of program awareness, participation, and helpfulness. Twenty-one percent of surveyed employees participated (N = 481). Employees reported the most participation in health risk assessments (70.0%) and healthy choice food options (56.9%). These two items also received the highest score for program helpfulness on a 5-point likert scale (1 = completely unhelpful to 5 = very helpful) with scores of 4.4 and 4.1, respectively. The most commonly reported reasons for participating in the programs included the desire to make a healthy change (52.4%), the recognition of the need to improve health behaviors (45.1%), and an interest in the intervention topic (35.1%). Barriers to employee participation included individual time commitments (22.9%), already being a healthy weight (14.2%), and the lack of motivation (11.0%). These practical findings can provide employers with a greater understanding of the factors that have both enhanced and hindered employee perception and participation in worksite health promotion interventions.