Which worksite supports for healthy weight do employees use?

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Behavioral Science
• Workplace Wellness

Background:

• Employee health behaviors are crucial for productivity and well-being.
• Workplace interventions aim to improve nutrition and physical activity.
• Understanding factors influencing support utilization is key for effective programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore job-related factors associated with employee use of workplace wellness supports.
• To identify specific programs, facilities, and policies that correlate with job characteristics.
• To inform targeted strategies for enhancing the uptake of workplace health initiatives.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional telephone survey assessing program, facility, and policy support availability and use.
• Logistic regression analysis to examine associations between job characteristics and support utilization.
• Adjustment for demographic factors in the statistical models.

Main Results:

• Most workplace supports were associated with at least one job-related factor.
• Employees supervising others showed higher utilization of fitness services, facilities, and flextime for activity.
• Health fairs and indoor exercise facilities demonstrated the strongest associations with work factors like hours and flexibility.

Conclusions:

• Job characteristics significantly influence employee engagement with workplace wellness supports.
• Supervisory roles and work flexibility are linked to greater use of health and activity resources.
• Employers should consider tailoring wellness support delivery based on specific job-related factors for improved effectiveness.