Worksite Weight Loss Programs Do Benefit People Who Follow it

A research study, published in the American Journal of Health Promotion, has found that Worksite Weight Loss Programs do benefits people who follow them, at least partially. The study has found that

indeed Worksite Weight Loss Programs are responsible for people shedding those extra pounds.

Worksite Weight Loss Programs can be defines as those programs that are employer-sponsored and where the contact between nutritionist and doctors occur within the patient workplace.

It seems that these work based weight loss programs have a definite and significant influence on people to lose weight especially if the work-based weight loss program is intense and if there is a face-to-face contact more than once a month.

People who have participated on these Worksite Weight Loss Programs are reporting to losing some pounds. Now, think about this could be a really big thing. Where do you spend most of your waking hours? At work, of course, then if you concentrate your weight loss efforts of your job then there is an enormous potential of being successful in your weight loss goals.

Of course you need to commit to your goals, be persistent, and focus on healthy habits but if you have counselling available on the place where you spend more than half of your waking hours then you are set to win the battle against the bulge.

More specifically, Drs. Benedict and Arterburn performed a systematic review of medical studies published after 1994. Almost half of these studies were of low intensity while 36% where of high intensity (high intensity defined as more than one face-to face contact at work)
The review found that participants of work based weight loss programs were able to lose an average from 2.2 pounds to almost 14 pounds, while non-participants of these studies only lost 1.5 -2.1 pounds.

Unfortunately after these studies concluded there was no follow-up so there are no conclusions about what happens after these work-based weight loss programs ends. The authors believe that there is enormous potential for using the workplace as a tool to have a public health impact. However, there is no data about this at this point, thus more research is needed in this area of health promotion.

Other studies involving smoking cessation and blood pressure reduction have shown, according to the study that employers can benefit financially from these employees change of habits. However, in regard to work site weight loss programs there are no data that back up a positive return on investment in these programs. But intuitively, employees believe that in the long run business will benefit from these weigh loss programs based on the workplace.
Source:
Benedict MA, Arterburn D. Worksite-based weight loss programs; a systematic review of recent literature. American Journal of Health Promotion. Vol. 22(6), 2008.