Table 3.
Effects of programme completion on intake of food groups among employees (n 12 636) who participated in a workplace wellness programme intervention for three consecutive years during years 2004 to 2013, Midwest USA
| Food group | Paired data sample (n) (non-missing paired data) from a total of 12 636 | % of individuals with high intake who stayed the same | % of individuals with low intake who stayed the same | % of individuals with behavioural change from low intake to high intake (healthier†) by end of third year (A) | % of individuals with behavioural change from high intake to low intake (unhealthy) by end of third year (B) | Magnitude of the difference (A – B, %) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Grains | 11 671 | 3·99 | 84·43 | 5·31 | 6·26 | −0·95 | 0·003‡ |
| 2. Vegetables | 8408 | 50·25 | 23·11 | 15·20 | 11·44 | 3·76 | <0·001‡ |
| 3. Fruits | 12 057 | 42·32 | 28·72 | 16·88 | 12·08 | 4·79 | <0·001§ |
| 4. Dairy | 12 122 | 10·11 | 67·00 | 11·13 | 11·76 | −0·64 | 0·14║ |
| 5. Protein | 12 126 | 11·54 | 59·03 | 12·37 | 17·06 | −4·69 | <0·001‡ |
| 6. Whole grains (at least half) | 12 312 | 71·55 | 7·92 | 12·17 | 8·37 | 3·72 | <0·001 |
| 7. Protein (plant v. animal source) | 12 369 | 3·55 | 88·79 | 4·55 | 3·10 | 1·45 | <0·001 |
| 8. Dark green leafy vegetables | 12 343 | 69·28 | 11·42 | 12·03 | 7·27 | 4·67 | <0·001 |
| 9. Fat intake (low fat v. high fat) | 12 423 | 38·82 | 35·67 | 15·46 | 10·05 | 5·47 | <0·001 |
Workplace wellness health risk questionnaires were collected from employees who participated in Nebraska-based workplace wellness programmes across several organizations for three consecutive years during 2004 to 2013. Consumption of food groups was quantified as servings/d in the health risk questionnaires. Differences between participants who changed behaviour from unhealthy to healthy v. participants who changed behaviour from healthy to unhealthy were calculated using McNemar’s test to compute the P values for the paired data. Significance was determined at P<0·05.
The term ‘healthier’ is used to indicate that the dietary intake is following the recommendations of the 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans to increase intakes for fruit, vegetables and whole grains, and limit intakes of added sugar and saturated fat, as part of a healthy eating pattern.
Significance was maintained (P<0·01 to 0·03) for intake of grains, vegetables and protein after adjusting for age, income and education level.
Regarding fruit intake, significance was maintained (P<0·01) for gender and education but was non-significant when adjusted for income (P=0·37).
Intake of dairy remained non-significant after adjusting for gender (P=0·08) but was significant for education level (P<0·01) and income (P=0·01).