Increasing reports of the relationship between diet and cancer underline the necessity for community-based interventions to promote dietary changes. An ideal setting for such interventions is the worksite, since it provides ready access to large at-risk populations which are often inaccessible through other intervention channels. The objective of the proposed study is to use a randomized trial design to assess the effect of a comprehensive intervention program aimed at changing eating practices related to cancer risk. Sixteen worksites employing between 200 and 1000 persons will be recruited to the study and randomized to intervention and comparison condition. Treated worksites will receive intervention activities for 24 months. In the intervention sites, the intervention will be offered in two phases. In the first phase (12 months), a direct education program will be implemented with input from an employee advisory board. At each intervention worksite, employees will be offered a """"""""core"""""""" package of nutrition education classes. In addition, the employee advisory board will make addition selections from a """"""""menu"""""""" of educational options. This approach will provide a consistent educational message concerning the importance and feasibility of dietary change in the prevention of cancer, while still tailoring the education program to the worksite. Thus, this first phase is a test of a social marketing or community organization approach to direct education. The second phase (12 months) addresses the question: Does the addition of cafeteria-based environmental changes enhance the effectiveness of direct education efforts? In addition to continued direct education, changes in cafeteria and vending machine selections and point-of-choice food labeling will aim to reduce barriers to dietary changes and support maintenance of change. Self-administered surveys of 200 employees per site assessing knowledge, attitudes and behaviors relevant to dietary prevention of cancer will be conducted at baseline in intervention and comparison sites. The surveyed cohorts will be resurveyed at 12 and 24 months after baseline to evaluate the effects of each phase of intervention. Dietary behaviors will be assessed using the semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. This study extends its reach and effectiveness through employee participation and use of available community resources. Thus the model being tested here is a replicable and economical intervention which has the potential to be easily generalizable to a broad spectrum of worksites.
| Hebert, J R; Harris, D R; Sorensen, G et al. (1993) A work-site nutrition intervention: its effects on the consumption of cancer-related nutrients. Am J Public Health 83:391-4 |
| Hebert, J R; Stoddard, A M; Harris, D R et al. (1993) Measuring the effect of a worksite-based nutrition intervention on food consumption. Ann Epidemiol 3:629-35 |
| Sorensen, G; Hsieh, J; Hunt, M K et al. (1992) Employee advisory boards as a vehicle for organizing worksite health promotion programs. Am J Health Promot 6:443-50, 464 |
| Sorensen, G; Morris, D M; Hunt, M K et al. (1992) Work-site nutrition intervention and employees' dietary habits: the Treatwell program. Am J Public Health 82:877-80 |
