Kaylie Huang, Class of 2027

The average lifestyle of an inhabitant of a developed city consists of lounging around and consuming unhealthy foods, both of which contribute to the major risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD). To find an effective method of mitigating the number of people affected by CVD, health programs developed by workplaces have sought to encourage healthier lifestyles for their workers, touching on areas such as environmental changes and offering more nutritious cafeteria food. Researchers in Nepal observed the employees at Kathmandu University Hospital to determine the efficacy of these worksite programs, noting the changes in cardiovascular risk factors and dietary consumption of employees at high risk of CVD.

The setting studied, Dhulikhel Hospital, contains four cafeterias, but does not contain any gym or fitness facilities that could promote physical activity. Thus, only the consumption risk factor of CVD was investigated. The participants of the study were adults 18 years of age or older, full-time employees. All participants had untreated pre-diabetes and/or prehypertension or they had diagnosed hypertension. The researchers observed the implementation of improvement interventions, which focused on increasing the availability of organic foods, reducing the sale of processed foods, replacing refined grains with whole grains, and using healthy vegetable oils when cooking.

Over the course of six months, participants were analyzed for their blood pressure after a 5-minute rest period. In addition, body weight, blood concentrations of glycated hemoglobin (which reflects blood glucose levels), fasting glucose (or blood sugar levels after an overnight fast), cholesterol, food consumption, and sociodemographic and lifestyle factors were documented. While there were no significant changes in body weight, total cholesterol, high-density lipoproteins (HDLs), glycated hemoglobin, or BMI, concentrations of low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) decreased significantly, most likely due to the newly incorporated low-fat, plant-based diet. Notably, blood pressure decreased due to the addition of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables into diets and the phasing out of refined grains and sugary foods. Overall, a significant increase in the consumption of healthier food options was observed.

This study highlights the usefulness of health programs enforced by workplaces, since the convenience of workplace cafeteria food often provides the bulk of employees’ diets. The study also served to change the employees’ “environment”, intervening in the food options offered (swapping out processed foods for organic), effectively giving employees the option to opt for the healthy option or the unhealthy. However, the researchers note that offering this option may be less beneficial than changing the entire cafeteria to only offer healthy foods. Conclusively, the places where many spend our 9 to 5 (while mostly sedentary) can play a crucial role in their health, especially in regards to CVD.

Figure 1: An employee eating a salad at her laptop.

Works Cited:

[1] Shrestha A, Tamrakar D, Ghinanju B, Shrestha D, Khadka P, Adhikari B, Shrestha J, Waiwa S, Pyakurel P, Bhandari N, Karmacharya BM, Shrestha A, Shrestha R, Bhatta RD, Malik V, Mattei J, Spiegelman D. Effects of a dietary intervention on cardiometabolic risk and food consumption in a workplace. PLoS One. 2024 Apr 24;19(4):e0301826. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301826. PMID: 38656951; PMCID: PMC11042715.

[2] Image retrieved from: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-shot-of-a-woman-eating-vegetables-8547562/