Association of a Workplace Sales Ban on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages With Employee Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Health.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Randomized controlled trial nested within an uncontrolled before-after study
PubMed 31657840 · doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.4434
What was done
A before-after study with an embedded randomized trial evaluated the impact of an institutional sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) sales ban across a Northern California university and hospital between July 2015 and October 2016. The cohort included 214 full-time English-speaking employees who consumed at least 360 mL/day of SSBs at baseline. The employer removed all SSBs from workplace venues. Participants were randomized 1:1 to either receive a brief motivational intervention (knowledge and goal setting modeled on workplace alcohol interventions) or no additional intervention (control). Outcomes evaluated at baseline and 10 months included self-reported SSB intake, waist circumference, and Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR).
What was found
Across all 214 participants (mean age 41.2 years, 57.9% women, mean baseline BMI 29.4), daily SSB intake decreased from a mean of 1050 mL at baseline to 540 mL at 10 months, representing a 510-mL (48.6%) decrease (P < .001). Participants receiving the motivational intervention reduced SSB intake by a mean (SD) of 762.0 (84.0) mL, compared to 246.0 (84.0) mL in the control group. Decreases in SSB intake were correlated with improvements in HOMA-IR (r = 0.16; P = .03). Mean (SE) waist circumference decreased across the cohort by 2.1 (2.8) cm (P < .001).
Why it matters
Workplace environmental modifications like sales bans, especially when paired with brief individual counseling, can significantly lower sugary beverage intake and improve cardiometabolic health markers among employees.
Limits
The sales ban component lacked an external control site, confounding results with potential secular trends. SSB consumption was self-reported, creating vulnerability to recall and social desirability biases. The sample was limited to English-speaking heavy SSB consumers at a single academic hospital center.
Cited by
- supports Banning the sale of sugar-sweetened beverages across a workplace campus combined with a brief motivational intervention led to reduced soda consumption over time.