Achieving a healthy workforce should therefore not only result in improved health for individuals, but also bring benefits to employers and society. In addition to reducing absenteeism, worksite initiatives to promote health and well-being lead to economic benefits for businesses [6]. Since individuals spend up to 60% of their waking hours in their place of work [3], worksite interventions have significant potential to improve dietary habits and promote weight loss. In addition, effective interventions may lead to secondary improvements in lifestyles of employees and their families outside of the
worksite.
A healthy weight workforce may also help create a positive corporate image. This is particularly relevant to the NHS, where many employees are involved directly in advising the general public about health. The Cabinet Office Strategy Unit estimates that, if representative of the UK working population as a whole, the NHS may have almost one million overweight and obese staff [7]. Research has revealed that overweight people question the validity of advice given by overweight health professionals[8]. Therefore, achieving better health for health professionals may have indirect benefits for patients.
Both diet and physical activity are important in achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight.Improvements to dietary intakes also confer important benefits to health beyond maintenance of a healthy body weight [9,10]. A substantial body of research has been undertaken in relation to promoting weight loss [11,12]and increasing physical activity opportunities [13-15] in the worksite, but much less is known regarding the
effects of such interventions on dietary habits. The aim of this systematic review was therefore to assess the effects of worksite interventions on dietary outcomes.