Abstract
Background
Nutrition interventions are a common component of worksite wellness programs and have
been recognized as an effective strategy to change employee dietary behaviors. However,
little is known about worksite food behaviors or the foods that are obtained at workplaces
at the national level.
Objective
The aims were to examine the frequency of and the amount of money spent obtaining
foods at work among employed US adults, to determine the foods most commonly obtained
at work, and to assess the dietary quality of these foods.
Design
This is a cross-sectional analysis of data from the US Department of Agriculture Food
Acquisition and Purchasing Survey, a nationally representative household survey conducted
from April 2012 through January 2013 on food purchases and acquisitions during a 7-day
study period.
Participants
The study included 5,222 employed adult Americans.
Main outcome measures
The study assessed the prevalence of obtaining any foods at work overall and according
to sociodemographic subgroups, number of acquisitions and calories obtained, most
commonly obtained foods and leading food sources of calories, and 2010 Healthy Eating
Index (HEI) scores that represent dietary quality.
Statistical analyses performed
Prevalence estimates of obtaining ≥1 foods at work were compared according to sociodemographic
characteristic using χ2 tests.
Results
Nearly a quarter (23.4%) of working adults obtained foods at work during the week,
and the foods they obtained averaged 1,292 kcal per person per week. The leading food
types obtained included foods typically high in solid fat, added sugars, or sodium,
such as pizza, regular soft drinks, cookies or brownies, cakes and pies, and candy.
HEI scores suggest that work foods are high in empty calories, sodium, and refined
grains and low in whole grains and fruit.
Conclusions
Working adults commonly obtain foods at work, and the foods they obtain have limited
dietary quality. Future research should examine the role worksites can play to help
ensure access to and promote healthier options.
Keywords
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and DieteticsAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
National Center for Health Statistics. Health, United States, 2017; With Chartbook on Longterm Trends in Health. Hyattsville, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services; 2018.
- Chronic Care: Making the Case for Ongoing Care.Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Princeton, NJ2010
- Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey: Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population by sex, age, and race.(Last modified January 19, 2018. Accessed November 8, 2018)
- Workplace Health Promotion.(Updated June 26, 2018. Accessed June 20, 2018)
- The health and cost benefits of work site health-promotion programs.Annu Rev Public Health. 2008; 29: 303-323
- Relationship between employment characteristics and obesity among employed U.S. adults.Am J Health Promot. 2014; 28: 389-396
- Association between dietary factors and mortality from heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes in the United States.JAMA. 2017; 317: 912-924
US Department of Health and Human Services, US Department of Agriculture. 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 7th Edition. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office; 2010.
- Healthy Food Environments.(Updated April 30, 2018. Accessed November 8, 2018)
- Worksite food and physical activity environments and wellness supports reported by employed adults in the United States, 2013.Am J Health Promot. 2016; 32: 96-105
- Factors influencing lunchtime food choices among working Americans.Health Educ Behav. 2009; 36: 289-301
- The effectiveness of worksite nutrition and physical activity interventions for controlling employee overweight and obesity: a systematic review.Am J Prev Med. 2009; 37: 340-357
- School food and nutrition policy, monitoring and evaluation in the USA.Public Health Nutr. 2013; 16: 982-988
United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service. Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. 7 CFR Parts 210 and 220.
- Worksite environment intervention to prevent obesity among metropolitan transit workers.Prev Med. 2010; 50: 180-185
- Worksite environment physical activity and healthy food choices: measurement of the worksite food and physical activity environment at four metropolitan bus garages.Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2007; 4: 17
- FoodAPS National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey.(Updated October 24, 2018. Accessed November 8, 2018)
- Mathematical Policy Research.https://www.mathematica-mpr.com/Date accessed: June 20, 2018
- US Federal Poverty Guidelines Used to Determine Financial Eligibility for Certain Federal Programs.https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty-guidelinesDate accessed: June 21, 2018
- Overview & Background of The Healthy Eating Index.(Updated August 13, 2018. Accessed September 6, 2017)
Statistical Analysis Software [computer program]. Version 9.4. Cary, NC; 2013.
Lin B-H, Guthrie J. Nutritional Quality of Food Prepared at Home and Away From Home, 1977-2008. Washington, DC: US Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service; 2012.
- The Impact of Food Away from Home on Adult Diet Quality.US Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Washington, DC2010
- Educational attainment for workers 25 years and older by detailed occupation.(Updated October 30, 2018. Accessed September 6, 2017)
- Nutritional quality at eight U.S. fast-food chains: 14-year trends.Am J Prev Med. 2013; 44: 589-594
- Support for food and beverage worksite wellness strategies and sugar-sweetened beverage intake among employed U.S. adults.Am J Health Promot. 2017; 31: 128-135
- Food Service Guidelines for Federal Facilities.US Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC2017
- Healthy Workplace Food & Beverage Toolkit.American Heart Association, Dallas, TX2015
- Moments of truth: nudges at the point of consumption in an office setting.Advances in Consumer Research. 2014; 42: 423-426
- Committee on Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention. Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention: Solving the Weight of the Nation.National Academies Press, Washington, DC2012
Biography
S. J. Onufrak is an epidemiologist, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
Biography
H. Zaganjor is an ORISE Fellow, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
Biography
L. Pan is an epidemiologist, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
Biography
S. H. Lee-Kwan is an epidemiologist, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
Biography
S. Park is team leader, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
Biography
D. M. Harris is senior scientist and team leader, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 22, 2019
Accepted:
November 13,
2018
Received:
March 13,
2018
Footnotes
Supplementary materials: Podcast available at www.jandonline.org/content/podcast
STATEMENT OF POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
FUNDING/SUPPORT Funding is solely from internal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funds.
The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS S. J. Onufrak analyzed the data. S. J. Onufrak and H. Zaganjor wrote the first draft. All authors reviewed and commented on initial tables and subsequent drafts of the manuscript.
Identification
Copyright
Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
