Clinical trial NCT00122928: Comparison of Workplace Obesity Management Programs
Official title: Environmental Approaches for Obesity Management at Dow
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Obesity
Cardiovascular Diseases
Heart Diseases
Keywords: Worksite
Workplace
Return on Investment
Financial Impact
Lead sponsor: Emory University
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
First posted: 2005-07-22
Enrollment: 5124
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 70
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: The purpose of this study is to design and demonstrate the feasibility of implementing moderate and intensive environmental obesity prevention programs at major worksites.

Detailed description: BACKGROUND:

More than half of all Americans are overweight or obese, and the prevalence of these risk factors has increased dramatically in the past decade. Obesity is a risk factor for several chronic illnesses, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The national medical cost that is attributed to obesity is estimated to be between $60 and $93 billion. Business leaders are becoming increasingly aware of the human and economic burden that poor health imposes on their workers. Many employers have invested in health promotion and disease prevention programs aimed at reducing the prevalence of obesity in the workplace through the encouragement of physical activity, maintaining a healthy diet, and improved management of health risk factors. Employers continue to seek innovative and evidence-based programs that can be implemented in the workplace to address a growing public health epidemic that also adversely affects worker productivity.

DESIGN NARRATIVE:

The primary objective of this study will be to evaluate the effect of introducing two levels of environmental programs, in addition to existing individualized programs, at reducing obesity in the workplace. Five outcomes will be evaluated: 1) body mass index and other weight-related biometric measures; 2) behavioral health risk factors; 3) weight-related health conditions; 4) health care utilization and medical expenditures; and 5) employee productivity measured in terms of reduced absenteeism and on-the-job presenteeism. The study will also include an assessment of costs and benefits of the two programs, including the medical, absenteeism, and productivity benefits, and an assessment of the impact of the programs on the worksite climate. Twelve Dow chemical companies will participate in the study. Participants will be randomly assigned to a moderate environmental program, an intensive environmental program, or a control group, which will receive individualized treatment only. The moderate program will include inexpensive environmental changes (e.g., prompts and reminders). In the high intensity program, senior managers will assist in the development of a worksite culture that is broadly supportive of improved weight and health management by employees. Annual health screening and biometrics data along with administrative medical claims, absence records, and productivity survey data will be analyzed to determine program impacts. Non-experimental statistical methods will be used to control the differences that remain across sites after randomization. The study will also produce extensive information about how employers can successfully implement environmental programs to reduce obesity at worksites.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Active employees at any of 12 participating company locations of The Dow Chemical Company
* Participants must be must be between 18 and 70 years old

Exclusion Criteria:

* The Dow Chemical Company employees located at a facility other than one of the 12 study sites

Primary outcomes:
measure: Prevalence of obesity
timeFrame: Measured at baseline and at the end of years 1 and 2
measure: Weight-related risk factors
timeFrame: Measured at baseline and at the end of years 1 and 2
measure: Overall health and well-being
timeFrame: Measured at baseline and at the end of years 1 and 2
measure: Healthcare utilization and expenditures
timeFrame: Measured at baseline and at the end of years 1 and 2
measure: Employee productivity measures (i.e., absenteeism and presenteeism)
timeFrame: Measured at baseline and at the end of years 1 and 2
measure: Return on investment (measured at Year 2)
timeFrame: Measured at baseline and at the end of years 1 and 2
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
Study officials:
affiliation: Emory University
name: Ron Z. Goetzel, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Goetzel RZ, Ozminkowski RJ, Baase CM, Billotti GM. Estimating the return-on-investment from changes in employee health risks on the Dow Chemical Company's health care costs. J Occup Environ Med. 2005 Aug;47(8):759-68. doi: 10.1097/01.jom.0000172868.05935.67.
citation: Pratt CA, Lemon SC, Fernandez ID, Goetzel R, Beresford SA, French SA, Stevens VJ, Vogt TM, Webber LS. Design characteristics of worksite environmental interventions for obesity prevention. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2007 Sep;15(9):2171-80. doi: 10.1038/oby.2007.258.
citation: Wilson MG, Goetzel RZ, Ozminkowski RJ, DeJoy DM, Della L, Roemer EC, Schneider J, Tully KJ, White JM, Baase CM. Using formative research to develop environmental and ecological interventions to address overweight and obesity. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2007 Nov;15 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):37S-47S. doi: 10.1038/oby.2007.386.
citation: Della LJ, DeJoy DM, Goetzel RZ, Ozminkowski RJ, Wilson MG. Assessing management support for worksite health promotion: psychometric analysis of the leading by example (LBE) instrument. Am J Health Promot. 2008 May-Jun;22(5):359-67. doi: 10.4278/ajhp.22.5.359.
citation: Dejoy DM, Wilson MG, Goetzel RZ, Ozminkowski RJ, Wang S, Baker KM, Bowen HM, Tully KJ. Development of the Environmental Assessment Tool (EAT) to measure organizational physical and social support for worksite obesity prevention programs. J Occup Environ Med. 2008 Feb;50(2):126-37. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0b013e318161b42a.
citation: Goetzel RZ, Bowen J, Ozminkowski RJ, Kassed, C, Roemer, EC, Tabrizi MJ, Short M, Wang S, Pei X, Bowen H, DeJoy DM, Wilson MG, Baker K, Tully K, White JM, Billotti GM, Baase CM (In press). Case Study: Introducing Environmental Interventions at The Dow Chemical Company Aimed at Reducing Overweight and Obesity among Workers. Book chapter in American College of Sports Medicine Worksite Health Handbook. Second Edition: Healthy Worker, Healthy Company, Pronk N (ed.) Human Kinetics.
citation: Goetzel RZ, Baker KM, Short ME, Pei X, Ozminkowski RJ, Wang S, Bowen JD, Roemer EC, Craun BA, Tully KJ, Baase CM, DeJoy DM, Wilson MG. First-year results of an obesity prevention program at The Dow Chemical Company. J Occup Environ Med. 2009 Feb;51(2):125-38. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0b013e3181954b03.