Creating Supportive Healthy Eating Workplace Environments
Quick Facts:
Several of the most prominent chronic diseases in Waterloo Region are related to poor diet quality. The presence of nutrition related chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, creates a burden on workplaces by depleting human resources and increasing financial losses. These losses are due to increased medical expenses, pharmaceutical costs, higher rates of injury, disability and workers compensation, increased absenteeism, decreased productivity, higher insurance costs, higher rates of employee turnover and early retirement.
Many of the environmental factors that influence food choice are outside the control of individual employees.
As an employer you have an important role in creating strategies and policies to help improve employee’s eating habits such as:
- Implementing healthy eating policies for workplace meetings and events
- Serving healthy food in workplace cafeterias
- Creating opportunities for employees to learn about healthy eating and to develop food skills
- Offering workplace gardens and farmers’ markets
- Finding healthy ways to celebrate and reward employees
Resources:
Rethinking Healthy Eating in the Workplace: Parts 1 & 2
A business case and rationale for including environmental supports in your healthy eating initiatives.
EatRight Ontario
EatRight Ontario provides a free service for the residents of Ontario to speak with a Registered Dietitian. The EatRight Ontario website offers nutrition information for a variety of topics.
Dietitians of Canada – Your Health
Dietitians of Canada provides useful tools and science-based nutrition information.
Mark Your Calendars-Upcoming Events:
Project Health Networking session – Region of Waterloo Public Health Networking Session “Making the Shift: comprehensive Strategies to Promote Healthy Eating” Thursday March 1, 2012 from 12:00 noon – 4:00 pm (half day workshop) . Registration will be available on-line by mid-January 2012.
January 2012
Driven To Quit Challenge
All Ontario residents, 19+ who plan to quit tobacco use on or after January 1, 2012, may be eligible to register. Registration opens on January 3, 2012 and will remain open until February 29, 2012. Continue to check the website for updates on registration and clues on this year’s contest prizes.
National Non Smoking Week, January 15-21, 2012. This year’s theme is still to be announced.
Weedless Wednesday, January 18, 2012
February 2012
World Cancer Day February 4, 2012
Heart Health Month
March 2012
National Nutrition Month
Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
References:
Statistics Canada. Canadian community health survey, cycle 4.1 (2007-2008), share file, extracted June 17, 2010.
Health Canada. Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide: A Resource for Educators and Communicators. Ottawa: Health Canada; 2007.
Garriguet D. Diet quality in Canada. Health Rep. 2009;20:41-52.
Schulte PA, Wagner GR, Ostry A, et al. Work, obesity, and occupational safety and health. Am J Public Health. 2007;97:428-436.
Thompson DL. The costs of obesity: What occupational health nurses need to know. AAOHN J. 2007;55:265-270.;
Park J. Obesity on the job. 2009. Statistics Canada - Catalogue No. 75-001-X:14-22.
Cawley J, Rizzo JA, Haas K. Occupation-specific absenteeism costs associated with obesity and grade III obesity. J Occup Environ Med. 2007;49:1317-1324.
Goetzel RZ, Ozminkowski RJ. The health and cost benefits of work site health-promotion programs. Annu Rev Public Health. 2008;29:303-323.
Ostbye T, Dement JM, Krause KM. Obesity and workers' compensation: Results from the Duke Health and Safety Surveillance System. Arch Intern Med. 2007;167:766-773.
Renaud L, Kishchuk N, Juneau M, Nigam A, Tereault K, Leblanc MC. Implementation and outcomes of a comprehensive worksite health promotion program. Can J Public Health. 2008;99:73-77.
Runge CF. Economic consequences of the obese. Diabetes. 2007;56:2668-2672.
Pollack KM, Sorock GS, Slade MD, et al. Association between body mass index and acute traumatic workplace injury in hourly manufacturing employees. Am J Epidemiol. 2007;166:204-211.
Arena VC, Padiyar KR, Burton WN, Schwerha JJ. The impact of body mass index on short-term disability in the workplace. J Occup Environ Med. 2006;48:1118-1124.
Henke RM, Carls GS, Short ME, et al. The relationship between health risks and health and productivity costs among employees at Pepsi Bottling Group. J Occup Environ Med. 2010;52:519-527.
Henke RM, Goetzel RZ, McHugh J, Isaac F. Recent experience in health promotion at Johnson & Johnson: Lower health spending, strong return on investment. Health Aff (Millwood). 2011;30:490-499.
Burton WN, Chen CY, Schultz AB, Edington DW. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in an employed population and the impact on health and productivity. J Occup Environ Med. 2008;50:1139-1148.
Goetzel RZ, Carls GS, Wang S, et al. The relationship between modifiable health risk factors and medical expenditures, absenteeism, short-term disability, and presenteeism among employees at Novartis. J Occup Environ Med. 2009;51:487-499.
Schultz AB, Chen CY, Edington DW. The cost and impact of health conditions on presenteeism to employers: A review of the literature. Pharmacoeconomics. 2009;27:365-378.
Goetzel RZ, Long SR, Ozminkowski RJ, Hawkins K, Wang S, Lynch W. Health, absence, disability, and presenteeism cost estimates of certain physical and mental health conditions affecting U.S. employers. J Occup Environ Med. 2004;46:398-412.
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