2012 Volume 70 Issue 2 Pages 83-98
Objective: To examine the effect of 6-month worksite nutrition education and environmental interventions based on the transtheoretical model (TTM) on weight control of male workers.
Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted involving obese and pre-obese men recruited from 5 offices in Niigata City, Japan. Sixty-five cases divided into intervention (32; mean age: 45.6) and control (33; 46.0) groups were analyzed. TTM-based intervention approaches, such as nutrition education, nutritionally well-balanced meals during lunch hour, and nutritional information, were administered for 6 months. The primary outcomes included alterations in body weight and body mass index (BMI), whereas secondary outcomes included alterations in nutritional intake and items of the stage of behavioral change, such as weight reduction, eating habits, exercise, and self-monitoring. A questionnaire survey was conducted as an impact assessment to examine eating behaviors, dietary knowledge, attitudes toward weight control, and access to nutritional information at worksite cafeterias.
Results: The body weight and BMI increased more significantly in the control group than in the intervention group. Among food groups, the intake of grains and cereals significantly decreased in the intervention group. The scores for “changing eating habits for health” from the stage of behavioral change and the “access to nutritional information at the worksite cafeteria” from the impact assessment questionnaire increased more significantly in the intervention group than in the control group.
Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that providing TTM-based nutrition education and environmental interventions for 6 months may facilitate weight control in male workers by promoting access to nutritional information at worksite cafeterias and inducing behavioral change, such as “changing eating habits for health.”
