Workplace Nutrition

RAND Study (cost vs. convenience) in children's consumption of vegetables

2005-10-15T16:17:00.000-07:00

Here is the RAND study that has spawned a great deal of press coverage the past couple of weeks.

We can't generalize its findings to the workplace, however...

...It does prod a question. Has anyone seriously looked at the price elasticity of demand at workplace cafeterias for healthy foods? Anecdotally, we know that many corporate cafeterias do subsidize certain menu items over others (tending towards the healthy choices). But how effective is this? Drop an email if you have citations.

Information and Food

2005-10-14T18:38:00.000-07:00

A recent CNN article suggests that people are paying greater heed to what they are eating and where it came from. In this case Mad Cow Disease was driving folks to scrutinize where their beef came from and prefering in some cases 'natural beef...'

Whether or not you feel that information about food drives you to making different choices in what you eat seems less important than *having* that option. Think about it. Corporations have knowledge management systems and data cubes that slice and dice for viewing and analysis the operations of companies to the margins. Yet in our own 'operations', often we have only the most rudimentary information available to us about the history of a particular food available to us (vendor/brand reputation, ingredients lists...).

I am not suggesting anything dramatic, at least not now. Perhaps a great deal of this information is already out there awaiting compilation and integration and distributed to your desktop via a handy-dandy lunchtime menu chooser with right-mouse-click drill-down option. Imagine that.

Stay tuned.

Healthy Eating: Managing Improvisation?

2005-10-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

Autumn is in the air. Thoughts quicken, and its back to webblogging...

Think for a moment of how food is prepared into dishes. From ingredients dishes are fashioned using recipes that you and your family then eat. Its not a perfect model as many ingredients are eaten directly (whether intended or not) and there is an abundance of ready-made products requiring little assembly.

By and large most families are likely approach the problem of what to stock in the kitchen using simple 'trip-wire' rules based on historically-grounded intuition: "we tend to be able to consume an N ounce jar of X in D days... make sure there is at least 1 jar on hand."

This sort of approach might be augmented with episodes of planning: Wednesday night lets have tuna casserole, Friday is steak night - with mashed potatoes, etc. (So make sure you have the ingredients required for this on hand).

A tight regime of meal planning would help grocery shopping for families, in theory, were it not for the imperfections of life and its logistics:

involves a great deal of work
people vary their consumption
serendipity (hey, let's go grab a bite at the mall...)
etc.

With small groups, individual variations make it hard to plan too closely what to stock and in what quantities, especially when it comes to managing perishables. Using rules such as the one described earlier tends to work well enough for most. When a certain state is noted ("down to last pint of milk") a flag is tripped and an item is added to a list. The limitation is that it does little when you aquire too much of a particular ingredient (and say, its about to go bad).

That is when a process of remedial planning kicks in. So if you just noticed that you are well-stocked in tomatoes and your tomatoes are going soft... Spaghetti Bolognaise tomorrow night, etc.

The difference between corporate kitchens/cafeterias, restaurants and your household is likely the degree to which meals are planned and the sophistication of the applied food purchasing regime. In both places a degree of improvisation is required. The challenge is how to manage that improvisation. Do you look at the 5 ingredients in your refridgerator about to go bad and say "what can i do with this (I have no idea)?" Or do you do something else.

Because our most healthy foods are also are most vulnerable, improvisation in how they are consumed may often be critical for them. If you buy a lot of greens but throw out half of it...

So ask yourself and your workplace cafeteria, how good are you and they at the art of improvisation.

May The Farm Be With You

2005-07-07T17:27:00.000-07:00

Its a bit off-topic, or at least off-tone for this site, but there is a point worth making... The Organic Farm Association has released a Star Wars parody featuring organic vegetables and the mantra "may the farm be with you." This blog does not take an official position on organic foods. However, in and amongst the Princess Lettuce humor there is the (artichoke) heart of a serious and worthy point: as a consumer you should take more interest in the foods you eat - what they are made of, where they come from, and the facts reported about them.

This sort of information doesn't have to be made cutely or with flash... but convenience helps. A workplace that featured tidy nutrition/food news cards on cafeteria tables would be one place to start. Something to glance at during a fast (or not so fast) dash through lunch...

The Workplace Juicer

2005-07-04T15:28:00.000-07:00

Stephanie over on The Daily Vegetable has a provocative post about the value proposition of vegetable juicers. Were such devices available at work, say along the lines of the coffee maker and the microwave, how many employees would use them? Perhaps not many initially. Perhaps I would be wrong. In any case, however, I have a suspicion that they have the potential to replace the water cooler as the organizational lubricant... if only given a chance. Think of it this way: a useful machine for workplace nutrition and organizational bonding. Try it - an inexpensive experiment. Just be sure to insist that users clean up the machine after themselves.

The Military's Weight Issue

2005-07-04T09:04:00.000-07:00

The July 4th Boston Globe reports of a large employer for whom wellness and weight in particular are critical "business" factors - the US Military. There are a couple of noteworthy points here. First, the article cites the breadth of the problem:

Weight issues plague all branches of the military...Thousands of troops are struggling to lose weight, and thousands have been booted out of the service in recent years because they couldn't...One of the biggest worries concerns those not even in uniform yet, however: Nearly 2 out of every 10 men and 4 out of every 10 women of recruiting age weigh too much to be eligible, a record number for that age group...' 'This is quickly becoming a national security issue for us. The pool of recruits is becoming smaller," said Colonel Gaston Bathalon, an Army nutrition specialist.

The article also ID'd an interesting and ironic detail. It pointed out that this is an employer for whom breadth of effort and energy can be marshalled, should it become necessary. The school lunch program was passed, apparently, after WW2 in response to concerns about a under-nourished (and too thin) recruit pool.

It would be interesting to see how this large and "critical-path" employer responds in the years ahead. The Marine Corps solution of recycling its workforce through bootcamp should they check-in at 10% overweight may not generalize to an all-volunteer multi-service force drawn from an increasingly overweight civilian population.

Many times in the past, the US Military has led the way in social change, e.g. racial integration. Perhaps they'll do it again, this time directed towards nutritional awareness and the workplace.

Corporate Synergies

2005-06-05T07:27:00.000-07:00

NewsTarget is reporting that the American Diabetes Association is cozying up too closely with corporate sponsors who at first blush might appear at odds with their message ("American Diabetes Association peddling nutritional nonsense while accepting money from manufacturer of candy and sodas").

I am not taking a position here - I suspect these sorts of relationships and their consequences are far more complicated than simple top-level appearances. However, it does raise an interesting question about the nature of the relationships between corporations and "nutritional/dietary" interests and public health: instead importing "nutritional technology" externally - why not grow it internally? Instead of looking to external organizations to provide PR image of nutritional awareness, why not foster it using internal programs?

Food for thought.

Global Perspective

2005-06-05T07:12:00.000-07:00

The Seattle Times reports of the "worldwide epidemic growth of diabetes." ("The global diabetes threat"). It too reports that the World Health Organization is "undertaking an energetic program to raise public awareness around the globe about the dimensions of this threat..."

This global perspective on poor nutrtional/dietary practices does raise an interesting question on our perspective of nutrition at the workplace in this day and age. If one of the pervasive qualities permeating international economies and culture is market-driven global capitalism, why not too forward looking practices such as workplace nutrition and wellness? After all, one perspective of the global economy is that its a system that has evolved more-or-less adopting "best of breed" systems and practices to further efficiencies and growth. And as an evolving system, there is always, continued room for change, should it be in its interest...

Consider Ecological Approaches

2005-05-11T17:39:00.000-07:00

I recently read an interesting article "The influence of self-efficacy and outcome expectations on the relationship between perceived environment and physical activity in the workplace"(March 2004). It is a scientific article and conclusions and ideas are hedged. However, it does suggest that workplace physical activity interventions based on narrow goal-oriented objectives have only been "modestly successful" in improving workplace activity, and that we ought to consider a broader range of mutually supporting (environmental) factors.

It cites Plotnikoff et al's (ref article) ecological workplace physical activity model and the 6 non-exclusive categories it names:

Individual (e.g. age, gender, etc.)
Social (e.g. workplace cultural, and relationships, etc.)
Organizational (e.g. infrastructure, corporate leadership, etc.)
Community (e.g. supporting programs outside the workplace, etc.);
Policy (e.g. corporate policy, etc.)
Physical Environment (e.g. facilities, etc).

I won't extrapolate too heartily the conclusions (I'm not sure, as the authors would seem to agree, that such would be productive). However, I do feel it is fair to say that there is potentially a complex set of relationships between a number of factors that can help improve workplace nutrition programs. In the end I think it speaks towards a holistic approach that is more than just rewards and metrics, but also is also nuturing and supporting and senstive of the overall environment.

The Tofu Effect

2005-05-04T12:07:00.000-07:00

I eat a fair amount of tofu. More now than I used to. Tofu seems to be one of those litmus foods often associated with the fringes - not associated with mainstream corporate/public policy nutrition discussions (fyi - $250m/sales -2002). However, my recent experiences with it may suggest an interesting idea for all of us here.

I found that the oriental food store near my house was reselling tofu inexpensively from a local manufacturer. I buy it there in a plastic container with 6 blocks of tofu for a shave less than $3.00. That compares well against individually wrapped blocks in the local supermarket (ranging from $1.30 - $2.30 per block).

I'm hardly a tofu fanatic. I've forgotten about it for months on end before. The important point is that now, when I think of it, I easily drop by this store on a weekend and pick up a container. Then it sits in the back of my refrigerator and I use it as it occurs to me over the next week.

Because it is so available and inexpensive, I don't think twice about it, I don't feel compelled to have to purchase it with a specific plan for its use. Its easy to just do it.

The problem with the supermarket aquisition model - in the old days for me - was not really about the $. It was just if the price was above a certain threshold, I was reluctant to purchase perishable food on "speculation," so to speak. Whereas now, guilt is gone, to my amazement, I find dishes to cook, to use it up, so easy.

The lesson from a corporate health perspective may be a simple one. Perhaps one strategy that is all carrot and inexpensive is to promote or even distribute purchases healthy items in bulk on premises (or nearby). This could be outsourced or handed-off to a third-party. This could encourage employees to alter consumption patterns and eating habits, for the better, off site. At the very least it will raise awareness.

Bulk purchases represent a commitment on the part of employee to *try* to work those food items into their diet. Inexpensive bulk items may encourage employees to take the first step.

Four Traits, 3%

2005-05-01T05:19:00.000-07:00

Stephanie over on The Daily Vegetable cites a Michigan Study:

...four lifestyle traits necessary for good health. Only 3% of the
population exhibits all four traits: non-smoking, at a healthy weight, getting
regular exercise, and consuming five or more servings of vegetables every day.
Only 23% of us eat that many vegetables.

It is worth a thought about how in the US at least, corporate workplace and society at large have made great strides in encouraging non-smoker safe environments. Now, it would seem, that some of that same energy should be directed towards encouraging the other three lifestyle traits. 3% is far fewer than we, at the workplace, should settle for.

Workplace Health Promotion: 16:1 ROI

2005-04-18T10:39:00.000-07:00

Medical News Today reports on a BYU study that "Workplace Health Promotion Programs Show 16:1 Return on Investment." Interestingly, the advantages acrued to the employer in this study are directed from a reduction absenteeism, specifically:

The study examined the health claims costs and absenteeism of 6,246 employees and retirees from the Washoe County School District in Reno over 6 years. Employees' participation in the school district's wellness program was associated with an estimated savings of more than $3 million in absenteeism costs when compared with nonparticipants.

Obesity Costs California 21.7 Billion

2005-04-07T07:24:00.000-07:00

While it seems there is a constant drumbeat of stories like this one from CNN out there, somehow the juxtaposition of California and its 21.7 billion problem seems to strike the right balance (not too large to be too abstract, not too small or localized to be hard to generalize) in communicating the point made by Kim Belshe (Gov. Schwarzenegger's Secretary for Health):

"The obesity epidemic is more than public health crisis; it is an economic crisis..."

The other factoid from this report is that "Nearly 53 percent of Californians over 25 are overweight, and more than 17 percent are obese, or extremely overweight..."

Nutrition Australia

2005-03-27T05:15:00.000-08:00

Nutrition Australia is highlighting this month "Workplace Programs" -

Workplace programs educate and encourage staff members to improve their health, which can increase productivity, concentration and energy levels as well as improving staff morale and general well being.

Health promotion in the work place therefore has a cost saving outcome.

The Farmers Diner

2005-03-26T08:13:00.000-08:00

Its a shade off-topic. However, both the purpose and the apparent business model behind The Farmers Diner I find fascinating. How does one go about constructing a methodology and business system around a franchise of diners using mostly locally grown/produced foods? Beyond an intellectual interest - were it to work I can't help but think it would provide another dimension to improving awareness of issues related to public nutrition.

Here is the wbur.org discussion.

[Ed/ A peeve, but what happened to the apostrophe in "Farmers" :)]

Workplace Health (Hamilton Manufacturers)

2005-03-22T17:46:00.000-08:00

An excellent study presented at Human Resources Conference for Hamilton's Manufacturing Cluster (Canada) last Sept 2004 details the spectrum of costs and benefits related to workplace health. One pair of numbers that stuck with me:

Toronto Life found that employee turnover decreased for those in the company
fitness program-- 1.5% versus 15% for non-participants

Employees in a work-sponsored fitness program at BC Hydro had a turnover rate
of 3.5% compared to the company average of 10.3%10

...Often the indirect costs and benefits are either not quantified or expressed often enough.

What Are You Feeding Your Employees?

2005-03-21T17:26:00.000-08:00

The Camino Medical Group (Palo Alto Medical Clinic) recently offered advice on how to Offer Healthier Food Options in the Workplace ("What Are You Feeding Your Employees"). The suggestions fall into three categories:

What You Can Do
Gain Support, Create Buy-in
Keep Up the Good Work

Two particular ideas I like because they are simple but can be effective:

Highlight healthier restaurant options in the employee newsletter

Include links to these restaurants on your intranet site

...And why not for example, offer gift certificates to healthier options instead of other generic office gifts? Take a look!

Better off if work is near a park?

2005-03-18T10:44:00.000-08:00

A recent study suggested that proximity to urban green spaces and walkways is linked to walking and cycling (and improved health). So does this mean that those who are work at locations in areas with plenty of parks and green spaces are more likely to be healthier?

Of Food and Pets

2005-03-16T10:25:00.000-08:00

There is an interesting article on NaturalHealthNews.info ("Feeding everyday groceries to pets is animal cruelty"), which implies that pet food is healthier for pets than the food we eat. For example, to quote:

In other words, if you start feeding your dog foods and food ingredients that promote disease and cause nutritional deficiencies (i.e. most human food), your dog will start to show symptoms of those deficiencies seven times more quickly than a human being would.

I would like to see more of the science behind this article. Nonetheless, at a certain level, it makes sense: much of the product investment in (human) food products is aimed towards differentiating and capturing consumer categories by taste and not nutrition. That this might negatively impact the nutritional value of that product seems plausible.

The underlying assumption here (perhaps open to disupute) is that investing to improve taste in a consumer food product is uncorrelated with its nutrition. Otherwise, if it were correlated, then any investment in the taste-side of the ledger would on average improve its nutrition by at least some fraction.

That pet food manufacturers are likely more cost constrained is probably true. There is only so much additional "value-added" cost they can pass on to pet owners. Thus to the extent they invest resources in improving the taste of their product line they likely do so lightly.

Fascinating stuff. If anyone has further thoughts or information here, please send to the contact on the sidebar.

Sayrelyn's Culinary Classics

2005-03-15T14:34:00.000-08:00

Sayrelyn was started in 2003 by Sharon Simpson and Harold Hess; its whose purpose is to:

...(eliminate) the work and stress of meal planning, preparation, cooking and clean-up. Dinner can once again become a welcome break in a hectic life - a treasured time to relax and enjoy great food with your loved ones.

They seem to aim to try to make dinner (preparation) fun again. They do this by allowing you to schedule sessions at a "spotless, convenient location and prepare your entrées in a lively 90-120 minute session under the guidance of our friendly chef and staff. Then take them home and store them in your freezer."

Thereupon you can "(p)lace your entrées in the refrigerator the day before for quick and easy cooking the following night. Add our chef's serving suggestions as desired to turn your entrées into delicious, wholesome dinners. "

Eat Breakfast Before Work!

2005-02-22T18:54:00.000-08:00

Skipping breakfast before work is not a good idea - as it is often seen as a tool for curbing weight gain, as reported here and here. According to a recent study, skipping breakfast among healthy folk can lead to insulin insensitivity as well as leads them to consume even more calories during the day. Basically, skipping breakfast sounds like a poor strategy to manage weight gain.

Realize Inc.

2005-02-20T08:13:00.000-08:00

Realize Inc. seems to offer a unique approach. They claim to provide the "(t)he first corporate weight loss & management solution that lowers obesity-related costs for employers by providing cache incentives to employees for achieving & maintaining better health."

I was wondering about their "how it works" diagram: is reporting on the honor system or is there external verification?

Independent of what they are doing, can a pure honor system work?

Guidelines To Help Companies

2005-02-18T04:51:00.000-08:00

An August 2004 Houston Business Journal article cited results from survey conducted by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Inc. (AAOHN) ("Help employees take weight off through programs in workplace"). Overall seems to suggest succcess of workplace management programs.

AAOHN cites Built-in support groups, Trained professional guidance, Convenience, Encouragement as important determinants of ultimate weight-loss success.

AAOHN offers the following guidelines to help companies develop and implement workplace weight-management programs.

Management involvement is a must. Management support contributes to the success of the program. Management should promote the program at meetings and take an interest in success and outcomes. This will indicate that management is directly interested in employee health.

Recruit employees. Getting employees involved at the very beginning is crucial to making the program successful. Setting up a committee and having representation from a diverse group of individuals is key (diverse: fit employees, overweight employees and obese employees).

Promote often. Promote the programs as often as possible. Visibility and repeated communications help ensure consistent participation.

Enlist trained professionals. Enlist a trained health and wellness professional, like an occupational and environmental health nurse or health consultant, to help implement and lead the program. This brings credibility to the program and helps to ensure that all employees are participating in a healthy manner.

Encourage a team atmosphere. Encourage employees to participate in the programs together and to check in on each other's progress to help with overall encouragement and support.

Share successes. Nothing motivates employees like seeing results. Proving the program works keeps employees and management excited and participation levels high.

10 Practical Tips

2005-02-17T04:33:00.000-08:00

You spend a big chunk of your waking hours at work, 10 practical tips from Dayle Hayes on how to plan for a better workplace eating environment. E.g.

Pack food and beverages for the week ahead.
Stock up on nutrition.
Pack lunch while you cook dinner.
Take advantage of convenience.
Add nutrition to your commute.
Pump up with protein power.
Switch to a fruit dish.
Drink to your health.
Treat yourself well.
Use the K.I.S.S. principle for candy.

Workplace stress: eat a well-balanced diet

2005-02-16T04:32:00.000-08:00

Irish Health, 2000 post:

Workplace stress 'a major source of illness'

----Recommendations include:

Diet: Eat a well-balanced diet. Exercise: Take a reasonable amount of exercise each week.

Healthy Measures

2005-02-15T04:31:00.000-08:00

An innovative Canadian program.

See Healthy Measures; and from here:

Since employees spend a large portion of their day at the workplace, employers can play a key role is in promoting healthy eating. In addition, workplace programs are an excellent way of reaching large numbers of adults.

Nutrition Services offers Healthy Measures, a unique program that promotes new ways to "measure" health and encourages employees to focus on healthy eating, being active and building a positive self esteem. This program offers a wide range of educational and skill-building activities, such as health-fair displays and workshops. The program also provides strategies to improve the "nutrition environment" of the workplace; for example the food choices made available to employees in their cafeteria, vending machines and business functions. The food available at the workplace is an important contributor to an employee's overall eating habits.

American State Bank receives Silver Well Workplace Award

2005-02-14T03:50:00.000-08:00

From here.

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center President Dr. M. Roy Wilson presented the Silver Well Workplace Award to American State Bank employees participating in the Prevention WORKS employee wellness program Monday...

initiative's purpose is to raise the awareness of different health issues including diet and exercise. The main focus in on obesity because the condition leads to many health problems.

Wilson said American State Bank was given the award because they incorporated programs in the workplace to help employees lose weight and exercise.

Hungry Red Planet

2005-02-13T09:27:00.000-08:00

Hungry Red Planet is a computer simulation ("game") that:

teaches nutrition skills and healthy eating habits to children. Health educators and software game professionals created Hungry Red Planet in cooperation with the National Institutes of Health.

Reminiscent of the older, more "serious" Maxis Simulation games. While its intended audience is children 9 -15, it invites thoughts about how such an approach might be extended to a workplace system.

Guide to Nutrition in the Workplace

2005-02-13T06:29:00.000-08:00

Discovered the June 2002, "Guide to Nutrition in the Workplace" from

Nutrition Resource Centre
c/o Ontario Public Health Association

~120 pages. Currently reading... more to come.

WP Article (Oct 2004): Obesity and Care Costs

2005-02-12T18:57:00.000-08:00

Here is the citation to the Washington Post article from last October regarding an Emory University study on costs of obesity. The lead-in:

More than a quarter of the phenomenal growth in health care spending over the past 15 years is attributable to obesity, Emory University researchers reported yesterday.

workplace-nutrition vs. workplacenutrition

2005-02-12T18:48:00.000-08:00

Turns out there is a workplacenutrion.com website. This site's name is hyphenated. Unrelated.

The workplacenutrition.com site isn't clear about they are doing - at least from the bits visible without registering (on principle I don't like registering just to find out). The paragraph below from the introduction, leads me to believe, however, they might be about folks developing community support groups, in a grass-roots sort of way in the workplace. I don't really know.

Sign up now for this fun, informational and free program. It's full of suggested activities, nutrition and fitness tips, recipes, and valuable information to help you and your co-workers improve your health through better nutrition and fitness. Explore the materials we've pulled together for you to use in creating your own version of Healthy Workplace Week.

NewsTarget.com claims they are a food-beverage supported website:

How bizarre can it get? The very association that claims to be working on preventing diabetes in the workplace is actually sponsored by Ensure, a product whose three main ingredients are water, sugar and corn syrup.

Facts of the Problem

2005-02-12T13:02:00.000-08:00

From Horizon BCBSNJ comes this presentation of the facts:

Obesity is a greater trigger for health problems and increased health spending than smoking or drinking. Obese individuals have 30% to 50% more chronic medical problems than those who smoke or drink heavily. And, the effects of obesity are similar to 20 years of aging. (The National Business Group on Health, Institute on the Costs and Health Effects of Obesity, January 2004.)
An estimated 130 million Americans, or 64%, are overweight or obese.
(Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, March 11, 2004.)
A recent study estimated annual medical spending due to being overweight or obese to be as much as $92.6 billion in 2002. (www.healthaffairs.org)
The total cost of obesity to U.S. companies is estimated at $13 billion per year. Health insurance costs related to obesity are $8 billion; paid sick leave is $2.4 billion; life insurance is $1.8 billion; and disability insurance is $1 billion.
("Prevention Makes Common Cents: Estimated Economic Costs of Obesity to U.S. Business," U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2003.)