Are school employees healthy role models? Dietary intake results from the ACTION worksite wellness trial

Little is known about the diets of school employees, a key target group for improving school nutrition. Many school employees, particularly teachers, provide nutrition education and act as role models for students. We investigated selected dietary variables and weight status at baseline of ACTION, a school-based worksite wellness intervention trial. Elementary school employees (N=373) were randomly selected from 22 schools in a suburban county of southeastern Louisiana. Dietary information was obtained from two 24-hour recalls administered by registered dietitians on non-consecutive days using the Nutrition Data System for Research. Heights and weights were measured by trained examiners and converted into Body Mass Index (weight/height²). Approximately 31% and 40% of the sample were overweight and obese, respectively, with much higher obesity rates than state and national estimates. Mean daily energy intake among women was 1862 kilocalories (s.d. ±492) and 2668 kilocalories (s.d. ±796) among men. Dietary fat intake was above the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR) for 44% of women and 60% of men. Conversely, 29% of women and 52% of men fell below the carbohydrate AMDR. Only 24% had fiber intakes at or above their Adequate Intake, which may be related to the finding that over 25% of employees did not eat fruit and 58% did not eat dark green vegetables on the interview days. Our results suggest that greater attention be directed to understanding and improving the diets of school employees given their high rates of overweight and obesity and important role in student health.