Impact of the promotion of fruit and vegetables on their consumption in the workplace

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of activities promoting the consumption of fruit and vegetables (FV) in the workplace. METHODS: Intervention study with historical control group conducted in a public company in Rio de Janeiro, Southeastern Brazil, between 2007 and 2009. It consisted of three stages: (a) baseline, which included the characterization of both the company studied and the one responsible for providing meals to the employees, assessment of FV intake by the staff and forming a focus group to identify the determinants of FV consumption and to inform the planning of the intervention; (b) intervention, comprised of an environmental component (company's restaurant) and an educational component (directed at individuals); and (c) post-intervention assessment, which included impressions about changes in the company's restaurant in terms of FV supply, exposure of individuals to the intervention and FV consumption by the employees. The analysis of the association between exposure and outcome indicators was conducted using multiple regression models. RESULTS: On average, the coverage of educational activities and materials was 63.5%. Most employees perceived positive changes in at least one of the five environmental aspects examined. There was an increase (38%) in FV consumption by employees, which corresponds to 0.66 servings in the meal evaluated (lunch). Significant association between indicators of exposure, (both environmental and educational components) and outcome indicators was observed. CONCLUSIONS: FV consumption increased among employees exposed to an intervention focused on the promotion of these foods in the workplace. The multi-component design of the intervention seems to have contributed to these findings.