(The FASEB Journal. 2008;22:lb731)
© 2008 FASEB
Body Mass Index is Inversely Associated with Fruit Intake and Fruit Juice Availability in the Hotel Environment
Caryn Oshiro1,
Rachel Novotny1,
Andrew Williams1,
Aleli Vinoya1,
Cheryl Albright2,
Claudio Nigg2 and
Tom Vogt1
1 Center for Health Research Hawaii, Kaiser Permanente, Honolulu, HI,
2 Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
ABSTRACT
The Work, Weight, and Wellness program investigates the effect of a 2-year environmental intervention on body mass index (BMI) in 33 hotels and their employees (n=4535; 40% of workforce; mean age=44.4±11.3y; BMI=26.5±5.0 kg/m2). Fruit and vegetable intake (measured by single food items) and availability (assessed with a modified Checklist of Health promotion Environments at Worksites tool) were related to BMI at baseline. Fruit, fruit juices, and vegetables were available in employee cafeterias and vending machines. Regression showed that 14% of BMI variance was explained by fruit and vegetable intake, gender, age, ethnicity, and education. Fruit intake was inversely associated with BMI (p<0.05). Adding the availability of fruit in the environment to the model, fruit juice provided in the employee cafeterias (p<0.06) and vending machines (p<0.03) were also inversely associated with BMI. There was no association with BMI of employees’ vegetable intake, or the availability of fruit or green salad in the cafeteria. Though modest, a difference of 0.3 kg/m2 of BMI with fruit intake and/or availability in the hotel environment could make an important public health impact on obesity. Funding: 5 R01 HL79505 NHLBI/NIH.
