What a person eats, how active they are, genetics and the environment in which they live, work and play all have a role in determining whether or not a person is at a healthy body weight. With adults spending a large amount of time at work and consuming at least one meal a day in addition to one or two snacks, workplaces are an ideal venue to promote healthy food choices.
These slides are from an October 13, 2010 webinar held during Canada's Healthy Workplace Month.
Heather Harvey of the Ontario Public Health Association discusses healthy eating in the workplace and how to successfully implement healthy eating programs. She draws on experiences learned through the Eat Smart!® Workplace Program, a healthy eating award program for Ontario workplaces. Even if your workplace is outside of Ontario, you will find value in the lessons learned and strategies discussed for starting and maintaining interest in your own healthy eating program.
To view the free recorded webinar, please visit:
http://www.ccohs.ca/products/webinars/healthy_eating/
Activity 2-unit 2-update 2024. English translation
Implementing Healthy Eating Programs in the Workplace
1. Implementing Healthy Eating
Programs in the Workplace
October 13, 2010
Heather Harvey MHSc, RD
Program Coordinator
Nutrition Resource Centre, OPHA
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
2. Outline
1. Current nutrition issues and their affect on
workplaces
2. Business case supporting health promotion and
healthy eating in the workplace
3. Best practices for promoting healthy eating in the
workplace
4. Case Study: Eat Smart!® Workplace Program
5. Making it happen at your workplace
6. Resources
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
3. • Think about your day so far. How many eating
decisions have you made?
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
4. • We make approximately 227 food related decisions
per day1
– What we eat, how much, when, where, with who
• Our decisions are impacted by:
– Knowledge
– Personal situation
– Social environment
– Physical environment
– How food is presented
Wansink B. (2007) Environment and Behaviour.
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
5. Food and Workplaces
• If people spend 8 hours a day at work or 50% of
their waking hours…
– 113 food decisions are made at work
– One meal
– Two snacks
• Employees can have access to many eating
opportunities at work:
– Cafeteria, café, vending machines
– Treats in the lunch room
– Food at meetings or events
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
6. Chronic Disease
Obesity
• 55% females and 79% of males, 40-59 y/o are either overweight or
obese1
Heart Disease
• 30% of all deaths in Canada are due to heart disease2
High Cholesterol
• 10 million Canadian adults have high cholesterol2
Hypertension
• 18% of 40-59 y/o and 53% of 60-79 y/o have high blood pressure3
Diabetes
• 3 million Canadians have Diabetes4
• 90% are Type 24
1 Health Reports. Fitness of Canadian Adults (2010)
2 Heart and Stroke Foundation
3 Health Reports. Blood Pressure in Canadian Adults (2010)
4 Canadian Diabetes Association
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
7. Cost of Chronic Diseases
• Costs to the Canadian economy:
– Overweight/Obesity 4.3 billion in 2000/20011
– Heart Disease 2.2 billion annually2
– Diabetes by 2020, 6.9 billion a year3
• Cost of employee absenteeism 8.6 billion annually
(2001)4
1 Katzmarzyk et al. (2004) Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology
2 Heart and Stroke Foundation
3 Canadian Diabetes Association
4Canadian Council on Integrated Healthcare- A Discussion Paper on Workplace Health (2002)
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
9. Return on Investment
• Comprehensive Workplace Health Promotion
– 3 review studies:
• $3.14 per $1 invested1
• $4.30 per $1 invested2
• $2.05-$4.64 per $1 invested3
• Obesity Prevention Programs
– Not much literature
– Review of three studies
– $1.44 - $4.16 per pound body weight lost4
1 Goetzel RZ (1999) AWHP’s Worksite Health
2 Aldana SG (2001) American Journal of Health Promotion
3 Chapman LS (2004) The Art of Health Promotion Newsletter
4 Anderson et al. (2009) American Journal of Preventive Medicine
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
11. Canada’s Food Guide
Emphasis on:
– Vegetables and fruit
– Whole grains
– Lean meats
– Low fat milk products
– Healthy fats
– Moderate portion sizes
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
12. Vegetables and Fruit
• Adults should be consuming 7-10 servings
• One serving is ½ cup, one medium sized
fruit/vegetable or 1 cup leafy greens
• Emphasis on dark green and orange, limiting juice
and no added fat, sugar or salt
• 65% of Canadians consume less than 5 servings of
vegetables and fruit a day
Quadir T (2010) Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
14. Grain Products
• Adults should be consuming 6-8 servings
• One serving is ½ cup cooked rice, pasta, grain, 1
slice bread, ½ bagel
• Emphasis on whole grains and grains low in fat,
sugar and salt
• Canadians are consuming much less fibre than is
recommended
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
15. Milk and Alternatives
• Adults should be consuming 2-3 servings
• One serving is 1 cup milk, ¾ cup yogurt, 50 g
cheese
• Emphasis on lower fat milk and milk alternatives
• Canadians consume on average 81 L of milk a
year1
1Canadian Dairy Information Centre
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
16. Meat and Alternatives
• Adults should be consuming 2-3 servings
• One serving is 75 g or ½ cup cooked meat, ¾ cup
legumes, 2 eggs
• Emphasis on meat alternatives, fish and lean meats
prepared with little or no added salt and fat
• Canadians generally consume too much processed
meat and not enough fish
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
17. Canadian Dietary Trends1
• 78% of Canadian adults had sodium intakes in
excess of the upper limit
• 18% of sodium consumed each day is from meals
eaten at food service establishments
• 5 in 10 women and 7 in 10 men have energy
intakes that exceed their energy needs
• 25% of men and 23% of women over 19 y/o, have
fat intakes above the recommended level
1 CCHS data (2004)
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
18. Approaches to Healthy Eating in
the Workplace
• Socio-ecological Model
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
20. Approaches to Healthy Eating in
the Workplace
• Comprehensive Workplace Health
– Awareness raising/education
– Skill building
– Supportive Environment
– Policy Development
• Goes beyond looking at just the individual
– Changes to organizational culture and social norms
• Long-term commitment
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
21. Healthy Eating at Work –
What Works…
• Not much data in this area
• Evaluation of programs is moderate at best
• Most studies focus on education and behavioural strategies,
not the environment
• Comprehensive approach generally yields better results
• Informational and educational approaches alone were less
effective
• Many programs are multifaceted and hard to determine
which components yield the best results
* Taken from:
Ni Mhurchu C (2010) BMC Public Health
Anderson LM et al. (2009) American Journal of Preventive Medicine
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
22. Supportive Environment –
Food Choices
• Changing foods offered in cafeteria, cafés, vending
can be effective in improving employee eating
habits
• Keys:
– Involve employees in determining food choices
• Polls
• Taste tests
– Promote and label healthier options
– More healthy options offered = employees will
choose them more often
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
23. Supportive Environment -
Pricing
• Vending study1
– Reductions of 10%, 25% and 50% on low-fat snacks
– Increased purchases by 9%, 39% and 93%
• Cafeteria study2
– Increased cost of regular soft drinks by 35%
– Purchases decreased by 26% and 36% when
accompanied by educational campaign
1 French SA (2001) American Journal of Public Health
2 Block JP (2010) American Journal of Public Health
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
24. Supportive Environment-
Placement
• Few studies have looked at placement of healthier
items specifically
• Marketing principals are “make the item you want to
sell the easiest one to access”
– Eye level
– Not behind signage
– On the door of a cooler/fridge
WIN
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
25. Point of Purchase Programs
• A few studies have focused exclusively on POP
programs
– Most show small effects on purchases of healthier foods
• POP work well with other supportive environment
initiatives
• Focus on convenience, taste/sensory, energizing
nature of healthier options
• Keep messages short and simple
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
26. Supportive Environment –
More Ideas
• Serving healthier options at meetings and company
sponsored events
• Limiting or removing treats from common areas
– Ask people to keep these in their office
– Encourage people to bring in healthier or fewer treats
• Find other ways to raise funds other than food
• Include access to registered dietitians as part of
your health benefits
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
27. Eat Smart!® Workplace Program
• Eat Smart!® is an Award of Excellence program that
recognizes and promotes Ontario food premises
that meet standards of excellence in
– nutrition
– food safety
– smoke-free environment
• Goals
– Reduce the incidence of chronic diseases
and food-borne illness in Ontario
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
28. Eat Smart!® Workplace Program
• Background
– In Ontario since 2001
– Coordinated by the Nutrition Resource Centre
– Implemented by individual health units to help meet the
Ontario Public Health Standards
– Program Partners:
– Supported by the Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport
– Approximately 150 workplaces participate in 17
different health units across Ontario
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
29. Eat Smart!® Workplace Program
• In order to achieve Eat Smart!® status, workplaces
must meet consistent standards in
• Nutrition
• Food Safety
• Smoke Free Environment
• You can view the standards online at
www.EatSmartOntario.ca
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
30. Door Decal
found on the door to an workplace
with an Award of Excellence Award of Excellence
found within the workplace
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
31. Eat Smart!® Workplace Program
• Creates supportive environments by increasing
access to healthier foods in cafeterias
– Café and vending component being pilot tested
• Raises awareness and educates employees
through posters, table tents and POP messaging
– Individual health units often do further
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
33. Eat Smart!® Workplace Program
• In the process of pilot-testing additional
standards to strengthen the program
– Action Committee involving employees, food
service, public health, management
– Standards for the pricing, placement and
promotion of healthier options in cafeterias and
vending
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
34. What We’ve Learned…
1. It’s not easy to change people’s
food choices
2. Programs that are comprehensive
and ongoing yield better results
3. Involvement from employees is
crucial
4. Management support is critical
5. Making healthy eating part of the
company culture (i.e. status quo) is
helpful
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
35. How to Move Forward
1. Pull together key players, put forward business
case and get by-in
2. Assessment
3. Form committee
4. Make a plan
5. Consult with experts, review literature,
hire consultants
6. Put plan into action
7. Evaluate your efforts
8. Along the way – INVOLVE EMPLOYEES
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
36. Maintaining Interest
• Focus on what employees are interested in
• Solicit employee feedback frequently
– Polls
– Taste tests
– Focus Groups
• Ongoing, multifaceted initiatives
• Change the organizational culture
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
37. Healthy Eating Resources
• Canada’s Food Guide
www.healthcanada.gc.ca/foodguide
• EatRight Ontario
www.eatrightontario.ca
• HealthLink BC Dietitians
http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/dietitian/
• Dietitians of Canada
www.dietitians.ca
• Eat Well and Be Active Toolkit (Health Canada)
www.health.gc.ca/eatwell-beactive
• Local Public Health Unit
CCOHS – October 13, 2010
38. Contact Information
• Eat Smart!® Program
www.eatsmartontario.ca
• Heather Harvey, MHSc RD
Program Coordinator
Nutrition Resource Centre
416-367-3313 x227
hharvey@opha.on.ca
CCOHS – October 13, 2010