Worksite Vegan Nutrition Program Is Well-Accepted and Improves Health-Related Quality of Life and Work Productivity

• Published in: Annals of nutrition and metabolism 2010, Vol.56 (4), p.245-252
• Main Authors: Katcher, Heather I, Ferdowsian, Hope R, Hoover, Valerie J, Cohen, Joshua L, Barnard, Neal D
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; adults; Aged; Body Mass Index; consumer acceptance; Costs and Cost Analysis; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - complications; Diet; Diet, Vegetarian - economics; Diet, Vegetarian - psychology; Efficiency; Feeding Behavior; Female; Health; health status; human resources; Humans; Hunger; Male; Middle Aged; Nutrition; nutrition education; nutrition information; Nutrition research; Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Original Paper; Patient Compliance; plant-based foods; Productivity; Quality of Life; Surveys and Questionnaires; Treatment Outcome; vegan diet; Veganism; vegetarian diet; Vegetarianism; working conditions; Workplace; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0250-6807; 1421-9697
• DOI: 10.1159/000288281

Background/Aims: Vegetarian and vegan diets are effective in preventing and treating several chronic diseases. However, their acceptability outside a clinical trial setting has not been extensively studied. The aim of this study was to determine the acceptability of a worksite vegan nutrition program and its effects on health-related quality of life and work productivity. Methods: Employees of a major insurance corporation with a body mass index> or = 25 kg/m2 and/or a previous diagnosis of type 2 diabetes received either weekly group instruction on a low-fat vegan diet (n = 68) or received no diet instruction (n = 45) for 22 weeks. Results: The vegan group reported improvements in general health (p = 0.002), physical functioning (p = 0.001), mental health (p = 0.03), vitality (p = 0.004), and overall diet satisfaction (p < 0.001) compared with the control group. The vegan group also reported a decrease in food costs (p = 0.003), and increased difficulty finding foods when eating out (p = 0.04) compared with the control group. The vegan group reported a 40-46% decrease in health-related productivity impairments at work (p = 0.03) and in regular daily activities (p = 0.004). Conclusions: A worksite vegan nutrition program is well-accepted and can be implemented by employers to improve the health, quality of life, and work productivity of employees.