Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Worksite-Weight-Loss Program for Cancer Prevention among School-District Employees with Overweight and Obesity

Lee, Che Young; Robertson, Michael C.; Johnston, Hannah; Le, Thuan; Raber, Margaret; Rechis, Ruth; Oestman, Katherine; Neff, Alise; Macneish, Amber; Basen-Engquist, Karen M.

doi:10.3390/ijerph20010538

Open AccessArticle

Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Worksite-Weight-Loss Program for Cancer Prevention among School-District Employees with Overweight and Obesity

by

Che Young Lee

¹,

Michael C. Robertson

²

,

Hannah Johnston

³,

Thuan Le

¹,

Margaret Raber

⁴,

Ruth Rechis

⁵,

Katherine Oestman

⁵,

Alise Neff

⁶,

Amber Macneish

⁶ and

Karen M. Basen-Engquist

^1,*

¹

Department of Health Disparities Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA

²

Department of Nutrition, Metabolism & Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX 77555, USA

³

Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA

⁴

Department of Pediatrics-Nutrition, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA

⁵

Be Well Comminutes, Cancer Prevention and Control Platform, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA

⁶

Department of Physical Education/Health and Wellness, Pasadena Independent School District, Pasadena, TX 77502, USA

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(1), 538; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010538

Submission received: 10 October 2022 / Revised: 25 December 2022 / Accepted: 26 December 2022 / Published: 29 December 2022

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dissemination and Implementation Science Methods and Measures for Physical Activity Interventions in Community Settings)

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Abstract

The effects of Vibrant Lives, a 6-month worksite-weight-loss program, were examined in a cohort of school-district employees with overweight or obesity. The VL Basic (VLB) participants received materials and tailored text messages, the VL Plus (VLP) participants additionally received WIFI-enabled activity monitors and scales and participated in health challenges throughout the school year, and the VL Plus with Support (VLP + S) participants additionally received coaching support. The levels of program satisfaction and retention and changes in weight, physical activity (PA), and diet were compared across groups using Pearson chi-square tests, repeated-measure mixed models, and logistic regression. After the program, the VLB (n = 131), VLP (n = 87), and VLP + S (n = 88) groups had average weight losses of 2.5, 2.5, and 3.4 kg, respectively, and average increases in weekly PA of 40.4, 35.8, and 65.7 min, respectively. The VLP + S participants were more likely than the other participants to have clinically significant weight loss (≥3%; p = 0.026). Compared with the VLB participants, the VLP participants were less likely to meet the recommendations for consuming fast food (p = 0.022) and sugar-sweetened beverages (p = 0.010). The VLP and VLP + S participants reported higher program satisfaction than the VLB participants. The VL program facilitates weight loss among school-district employees with overweight and obesity by increasing their PA and healthy diet.

Keywords: weight loss; worksite intervention; community intervention; health behaviors; cancer prevention

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MDPI and ACS Style

Lee, C.Y.; Robertson, M.C.; Johnston, H.; Le, T.; Raber, M.; Rechis, R.; Oestman, K.; Neff, A.; Macneish, A.; Basen-Engquist, K.M. Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Worksite-Weight-Loss Program for Cancer Prevention among School-District Employees with Overweight and Obesity. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 538. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010538

AMA Style

Lee CY, Robertson MC, Johnston H, Le T, Raber M, Rechis R, Oestman K, Neff A, Macneish A, Basen-Engquist KM. Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Worksite-Weight-Loss Program for Cancer Prevention among School-District Employees with Overweight and Obesity. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023; 20(1):538. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010538

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lee, Che Young, Michael C. Robertson, Hannah Johnston, Thuan Le, Margaret Raber, Ruth Rechis, Katherine Oestman, Alise Neff, Amber Macneish, and Karen M. Basen-Engquist. 2023. "Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Worksite-Weight-Loss Program for Cancer Prevention among School-District Employees with Overweight and Obesity" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20, no. 1: 538. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010538

APA Style

Lee, C. Y., Robertson, M. C., Johnston, H., Le, T., Raber, M., Rechis, R., Oestman, K., Neff, A., Macneish, A., & Basen-Engquist, K. M. (2023). Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Worksite-Weight-Loss Program for Cancer Prevention among School-District Employees with Overweight and Obesity. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(1), 538. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010538

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