A Cafeteria Based Study of Weight Gain Prevention

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)106 enrolled

Overview

The dramatic rise in overweight and obesity during the past several decades can be explained by environmental changes that foster increased energy intake and decreased energy expenditure. There are several reasons to suggest that the most effective approach to weight gain prevention is the incorporate reduced-fat eating into an overall strategy of lowering the energy density of the diet. Our energy density manipulations will be designed to reduce both the fat content and the caloric density of foods served at a cafeteria, which serves as the "food environment" for hospital employees.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

106

Conditions

Obesity Overweight

Interventions

The intervention group received the education in REDE techniques. The intervention in this study comprised four components: * Four group education sessions to introduce the REDE principles of eating; * Approximately 10 new lower energy-dense foods were introduced in the employee cafeteria daily at lunchtime; * Food labels for all foods sold in the employee cafeteria at lunch time, which provided the energy density, calories, and macronutrient content of the prepared cafeteria foods. Prior to the intervention almost no foods had food labels. * Price reductions for lower energy density items. Both groups were exposed to the food labels and the new lower ED foods, but only the intervention group received the education sessions about how to take advantage of the new labels and cafeteria foods and only they were eligible for the price reductions.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 21 YearsMax age: 65 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * works at one of the two hospitals and eats lunch in the cafeteria 2x per week * BMI between 23 and 25 Exclusion Criteria: * current diagnosis of a chronic disease or condition known to affect appetite or body weight * currently taking medication known to affect appetite or body weight * current pregnancy or plans to become pregnant within the next 24 months * current enrollment or plans to enroll within the next 24 months in an organized weight management program * plans to terminate employment at the hospital within the next 12 months

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Weight

Time frame: 36 months

Secondary Outcomes

Caloric and macro-nutrient intake