Trimming the Fat: An Evaluation of a Workplace Initiative to Promote Employee Weight Loss

Obesity has become a public health concern due to its prevalence and costs to individual quality of life and medical care, and may have replaced more traditional public health concerns such as undernutrition and infectious diseases as the most significant cause of poor health. Obesity has also been associated with work limitations in the US workforce. A potential way of addressing this is to develop workplace initiatives that promote health/wellness while increasing employee's physical activity. One such approach is the Richmond Behavioral Health Authority's (RBHA's) Employee Weight Loss Challenge. Implemented by the Wellness Coordinator, this 15-week challenge promoted weight loss by providing monetary incentives, social support, and fitness/nutrition resources to employees of an urban Community Services Board in Central Virginia. An internal evaluation was conducted to assess the effectiveness of this initiative, while identifying factors contributing to improved health/wellness and increased fitness levels among employees. Of the agency's 460+ employees, 196 signed up to participate in the Challenge, and approximately 60% of those completed the Challenge. Results show that individuals who participated in the Challenge lost a combined total of 1122 pounds, while roughly 80% of Challenge completers experienced a significant decrease in their weight. Intrinsic motivators were most significantly associated with weight loss, and employees reported positive changes in job satisfaction, work-related stress and employee cohesion as a result of the Challenge. Outcomes from the evaluation of the RBHA Employee Weight Loss Challenge can inform future workplace approaches to promoting weight loss and overall health/wellness.