Free fruit at work induces lifestyle changes

 
The ‘Fruit at Work’ study in ISAFRUIT was the first study to investigate if the general health and diet among employees can be affected by offering free fruit at work. For 18 weeks, 186 employees in a government office in the UK were offered 2 pieces of fruit per day for free, while a control group of 165 employees from the same workplace did not get free fruit. Measurements of health parameters such as BMI, fat percent and blood pressure were carried out together with dietary assessments to find out if the free fruit made a difference. It turned out that it did. Compared to the control group, employees receiving fruit had made several health and dietary changes, as part of a healthier lifestyle by the end of the study. Thus, simple changes in the work place seem to be a promising way to increase general public health. Employers could also benefit as providing free fruit at work could increase employee satisfaction and potentially reduce the number of sick days. If you are interested in more information, the results from the study are currently in preparation for publication.