Effects of Organizational Change on Employees' Weight Over Time in Community Colleges

Obesity is a severe public health problem in U.S. and reaching employees at work is an important public health strategy. This study is to assess a minimal-intensity worksite-based environmental change program called the Winner's Circle Dining Program (i.e., “Winner's Circle”) within the context of the WAY to Health research study that tested the effects of different weight loss approaches on employee weight loss. Seventeen community colleges were enrolled in the study and randomly assigned to one of three intervention groups: Environment Only, Web-based Weight Loss Program + Environment, or Web + Cash Incentives+ Environment. A total of 966 full-time employees with BMI ≥25 were enrolled and their weight was assessed at baseline, 3 (retention rate=71%), 6 (retention rate=69%) and 12 months (retention rate=69%). The Winner's Circle was designed to identify and promote healthy food options, to educate consumers about the benefits of choosing healthy foods and to increase access to healthy foods in cafeteria and vending facilities. A 3-hour face-to-face training, two conference calls and one mini-training/booster session about how to adopt and implement the Winner's Circle were provided to all three groups. Over the 12-month period all campuses adopted at least one part of the Winner's Circle. Level of implementation varied greatly amongst the campuses. We used a hierarchical linear model to understand the effects of Winner's Circle on the individual's weight over time, net of the effects of the individual-level interventions (i.e., cash incentives and web-based program). The final results and implications for worksite-based interventions will be discussed.