To examine the workplace food and physical activity (PA) environments and wellness culture reported by employed United States adults, overall and by employer size.
Design:
Cross-sectional study using web-based survey on wellness policies and environmental supports for healthy eating and PA.
Setting:
Worksites in the United States.
Participants:
A total of 2101 adults employed outside the home.
Measures:
Survey items were based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Worksite Health ScoreCard and Checklist of Health Promotion Environments and included the availability and promotion of healthy food items, nutrition education, promotion of breast-feeding, availability of PA amenities and programs, facility discounts, time for PA, stairwell signage, health promotion programs, and health risk assessments.
Analysis:
Descriptive statistics were used to examine the prevalence of worksite environmental and facility supports by employer size (<100 or ≥100 employees). Chi-square tests were used to examine the differences by employer size.
Results:
Among employed respondents with workplace food or drink vending machines, approximately 35% indicated the availability of healthy items. Regarding PA, 30.9% of respondents reported that their employer provided opportunities to be physically active and 17.6% reported worksite exercise facilities. Wellness programs were reported by 53.2% working for large employers, compared to 18.1% for smaller employers.
Conclusion:
Employee reports suggested that workplace supports for healthy eating, PA, and wellness were limited and were less common among smaller employers.
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