The Duke Employee Weight Loss Program: Report of a Duke Diet and Fitness Center Pilot Study

Authors

  • Leonor Corsino Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Nutrition, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
  • A. Garrett Hazelton Department of Psychiatric Medicine, Division of Behavioral Medicine Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Grenville, NC
  • Howard Eisenson Duke University Lincoln community Health center
  • Crystal Tyson Duke University
  • Laura P. Svetkey Duke University
  • Ronald Sha Duke University
  • Truls Ostbye Duke University
  • Ruth Q. Wolever Duke university

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3126/ijosh.v4i2.10753

Keywords:

Obesity, worksite, intervention, employee

Abstract

Background: Obesity is increasingly prevalent in the industrialized world. Obese workers have two times the number of workers’ compensation claims as those of non-obese workers. Worksite interventions may be especially effective because employees spend a large part of their day in the work environment, and both employee and employer have incentives to improve the employees’ health.

Objective: To assess the impact of a 4 week employee intervention in participant’s weight, body fat and blood pressure.

Methods: This was a pilot study. We assessed feasibility and impact compared to baseline at 4 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months post-program. The primary outcomes were weight and body mass index. Secondary outcomes included percent body fat and blood pressure.

Results: Forty participants consented to be part of the study. Baseline weight was 97.8 kg [SD ± 17.05]. Twelve months post-intervention weight loss averaged 2.7 kg [SD ± 6.35]. One-way repeated measures ANOVA showed a significant effect of participation on weight, body mass index, and percent body fat.

Conclusion: Significant improvements in the primary outcomes were observed in participants completing our worksite pilot study, indicating that a worksite weight loss intervention is potentially effective.

International Journal of Occupational Safety and Health, Vol 4 No 2 (2014) 44– 50

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Author Biographies

Howard Eisenson, Duke University Lincoln community Health center

Department of Community and Family Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC

Crystal Tyson, Duke University

Sarah W. Stedman Nutrition and Metabolism Center, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC

Duke Hypertension Center, Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC

Laura P. Svetkey, Duke University

Sarah W. Stedman Nutrition and Metabolism Center, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC

Duke Hypertension Center, Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC

Ronald Sha, Duke University

Duke Diet and Fitness Center, Duke University Health System, Durham, NC

Department of Community and Family Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC

Truls Ostbye, Duke University

Department of Community and Family Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC

Ruth Q. Wolever, Duke university

Duke Integrative Medicine, Duke University Health System, Durham, NC

Duke Diet and Fitness Center, Duke University Health System, Durham, NC

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC

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Published

2016-03-17

How to Cite

Corsino, L., Hazelton, A. G., Eisenson, H., Tyson, C., Svetkey, L. P., Sha, R., Ostbye, T., & Wolever, R. Q. (2016). The Duke Employee Weight Loss Program: Report of a Duke Diet and Fitness Center Pilot Study. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Health, 4(2), 44–50. https://doi.org/10.3126/ijosh.v4i2.10753

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