Corporate health management: evaluation of an educational and environmental intervention to promote a balanced, less salty diet, part 2

Peer-reviewed / Manuscript (original contribution) received: March 25, 2019 / Revision accepted: July 04, 2019

Part 2: coaching of catering teams

Introduction

This article examines the suitability of two intervention programs for corporate health management (CHM) which were implemented in parallel in seven Swiss-German organizations with staff canteens. The combined educational and environmental intervention in the workplace setting was intended to promote a balanced diet with adequate salt content.

Part 1 of the article (⇒ ERNÄHRUNGS UMSCHAU 12/2019) outlined the background and key protocol points of the intervention trial “Gesund & Gut: Na Klar!” (Healthy and Tasty: Sure!) and showed to what extent the education program implemented for employees could increase the participants’ health and food literacy and thus trigger a change in behavior.

Part 2 now examines the question of the extent to which coaching of communal catering (CC) teams with a focus on quality standards was able to trigger action and thus offer potential for a supportive nutritional environment in the staff canteens of the organizations.

Abstract

As part of the Swiss Nutrition and Salt Strategy, a 12-month combined educational and environmental intervention was carried out in 2015–2016 with the aim of promoting a balanced diet with adequate salt content in seven organizations with staff canteens. The programs were evaluated based on survey data with a view to determining their suitability for use in corporate health management. The nutrition education promoted health literacy and food literacy among the employees who participated and it was able to trigger a change in behavior. The coaching of catering teams encouraged the catering staff to reformulate the foods, but for the most part, this change could not be consolidated due to operational barriers. Combined, the two programs offer a solid foundation for longer-term interventions in workplace settings where there is a desire to understand and promote health literacy and hence food literacy as quality features in all areas of a workplace.

Keywords: Corporate health management, educational intervention, environmental intervention, nutrition education, food literacy, coaching of catering teams, communal catering, sodium, salt

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