IMPACT OF A WORKSITE CANCER PREVENTION PROGRAM ON EATING PATTERNS OF WORKERS

Changes in the consumption of foods targeted by a cancer prevention in tervention based on seven food-focused messages were measured in Treat well, a randomized, controlled worksite nutrition intervention study a imed at reducing dietary fat and increasing dietary fiber. Changes in food intake of employees in five sites fully implementing the interven tion were compared with those in eight control sites in order to asses s the impact of the intervention on eating behavior. Food intake was m easured using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Some messages addressed consumption of one food, and others three or f our foods in a category. Fourteen foods representing the seven message s from the FFQ and summary questions were analyzed. The intervention m essages were delivered to workers through activities such as classes o n nutrition and weight management, taste tests, food demonstrations, a nd point-of-purchase nutrition education programs. A total of 1762 wor kers responded both to the baseline and the follow-up surveys. The rep orted change values represent the average of the mean worksite values, thereby assigning equal weight to each worksite, which served as the unit of analysis. Workers in companies where the full intervention was implemented decreased their use of margarine and butter as spreads (p <0.01) and increased their intake of vegetables (p<0.02) significantly more than did workers in control companies. There also was a suggesti on of trends in the hypothesized direction for consumption of foods ta rgeted by other eating pattern messages in intervention compared with control companies.