Work-based weight loss programs can work

CINCINNATI, July 2 (UPI) -- Work site-based programs to lose weight do tend to result in weight loss for people who participate in them, U.S. researchers said.

Dr. Michael Benedict and colleagues at the University of Cincinnati analyzed 11 studies published since 1994 and said employer-based programs for weight loss are modestly effective at helping workers take off extra pounds.

Most of the programs involved education and counseling designed to improve diet and increase physical activity, and lasted anywhere from two to 18 months. Forty-six percent of the studies involved low-intensity interventions, 18 percent were moderate intensity and 36 percent were high intensity.

The review, published in the July-August issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion, said programs incorporating face-to-face contact with subjects more than once a month appeared to be more effective than other programs. In comparison, participants in higher intensity programs lost an average of 2.2 pounds to almost 14 pounds, while non-participants ranged from a loss of 1.5 pounds to a gain of 1.1 pounds.

"Most employed adults in the United States spend nearly half of their waking hours at their place of employment," Benedict says in a statement. "Work site-based programs have great potential to positively impact our current obesity epidemic."