Healthier snacks and physical activity may soon become part of the typical workday for employees in 12 local companies. This effort is part of a study conducted by Associate Professor of Community Health Kim Gans, who recently received federal funding to research what leads to weight gain in certain work environments.
Gans - who has spent over a decade working on community-based programs that deal with nutrition and weight regulation - said the study complements growing national concern over obesity.
The study began this year and will involve 24 total companies, each with 50 to 75 employees who will volunteer to be weighed regularly and have their progress tracked. The project received $3.2 million in funding from the National Institute of Health last October.
The selected businesses will be split in half - one group will receive a detailed nutritional and activity regimen while the other will act as a control.
As part of the two-year wellness program, participating companies will sponsor walking groups on trails around the workplace. In addition, the program will include newsletters, cooking demonstrations, support groups, exercise sessions and healthier foods for vending machines.
Gans said she expects to find that a poor diet combined with the lack of adequate physical activity increases the possibility of weight gain.
A collection of recent studies by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, The Rand Institute and other organizations show that obesity has increased substantially nationwide, a trend caused by poor diets and little opportunity for physical activity. The studies show that the average American lives in an environment where surrounding factors make him or her susceptible to weight gain.
Researchers like Gans look for models of this type of environment to evaluate what causes weight gain and test ways to reverse it. Gans' study will place special emphasis on removing the causes of weight gain.
"It's not a weight treatment program," Gans said. "It's weight regulation."
The experiment will be "one method in a multi-level problem," Gans said, adding that there is no quick fix to the obesity problem.
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island will act as a partner in this effort, and Gans hopes the project's success will show the insurance company that health programs targeting weight gain reduce the frequency of obesity-related illnesses and, consequently, the number of medical claims for such problems. Ideally, the next step for the insurance company would be to package the intervention program and offer it to businesses nationwide, cutting insurance costs.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that approximately $305 million a year is spent treating medical-related obesity problems in Rhode Island alone.
The list of medical comp-lications stemming from obesity includes heart disease, diabetes and several types of cancer and gallbladder disease.
Gans said she believes individual effort is necessary to reduce obesity nationwide. Still, she believes environmental changes will help workers make healthier choices.
