The relationship between workplace environment and employee health behaviors in a South African workforce
Tracy Kolbe-Alexander1, Michael Greyling, Roseanne da Silva
1From the University of Cape Town (Dr Lambert), South Africa; the Centre for Research in Exercise (Dr Kolbe-Alexander), Physical Activity and Health, School of Human Movement Studies, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; the University of Witwatersrand (Mr Greyling, Ms da Silva, and Dr Milner); Discovery Health (Dr Patel and Ms Wyper), Johannesburg, South Africa; Thomson Reuters (Ms Beckowski and Dr Goetzel), Washington, DC; Rollins School of Public Health (Dr Goetzel), Institute for Health and Productivity Studies, Emory University, Atlanta, Ga; and Truven Health Analytics, Bethesda, Md (Dr Goetzel).
Objective:
To determine the relationship between the availability of wellness facilities at worksites and self-reported employee health behaviors (physical activity [PA] and nutrition [NUT]).
Methods:
Employers (n = 71) and employees (n = 11472) participated in the South African Healthy Company Index survey. The survey included self-reported clinical measures and lifestyle behaviors. A facility score was calculated, ranging from 0 to 100. Hierarchical linear models were used to calculate the relationship between facility scores and whether employees met PA and NUT guidelines.
Results:
The mean total facility score was 58.5 ± 25.5. The number of facilities at each worksite accounted for 5.4% of the variance in PA among employees (r = 0.054; P = 0.036). Higher facility scores were associated with better NUT habits among employees.
Conclusions:
Employers providing wellness facilities are likely to have employees with better PA and NUT habits.
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