Skip to main content

Perceptions of Worksite Support and Employee Obesity, Activity, and Diet

Buy Article:

$39.00 + tax (Refund Policy)

Objectives : To examine the associations of perceptions of organizational commitment to employee health and coworker physical activity and eating behaviors with body mass index (BMI), physical activity, and eating behaviors in hospital employees.

Methods : Baseline data from 899 employees participating in a worksite weight-gain prevention trial were analyzed.

Results : Greater perception of organizational commitment to employee health was associated with lower BMI. Greater perceptions of coworker healthy eating and physical activity behaviors were associated with fruit and vegetable and saturated fat consumption and physical activity, respectively.

Conclusions : Improving organizational commitment and facilitating supportive interpersonal environments could improve obesity control among working populations.

Keywords: body mass index; social environment; workplace

Document Type: Research Article

Affiliations: 1 Assistant Professor, Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA.

Publication date: 01 May 2009

More about this publication?
  • The American Journal of Health Behavior seeks to improve the quality of life through multidisciplinary health efforts in fostering a better understanding of the multidimensional nature of both individuals and social systems as they relate to health behaviors.

    The Journal aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of personal attributes, personality characteristics, behavior patterns, social structure, and processes on health maintenance, health restoration, and health improvement; to disseminate knowledge of holistic, multidisciplinary approaches to designing and implementing effective health programs; and to showcase health behavior analysis skills that have been proven to affect health improvement and recovery.

  • Editorial Board
  • Information for Authors
  • Submit a Paper
  • Subscribe to this Title
  • Review Board
  • Reprints and Permissions
  • Ingenta Connect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites
  • Access Key
  • Free content
  • Partial Free content
  • New content
  • Open access content
  • Partial Open access content
  • Subscribed content
  • Partial Subscribed content
  • Free trial content