Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity: Worksite Initiatives

Listed below are information and references to address physical activity and nutrition in the worksite setting.

See what's in the Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity State Plan for Worksites.

Resources

The Worksite Wellness Resource Kit (revised March 2018) - A tool to assist work sites with implementing strategies that have been proven effective.

The kit walks you through the process of developing a worksite wellness program.

What Works in Worksites, P-40133 (PDF) - A two-page summary of evidence-based and promising strategies that focus on helping people eat healthier and be more active in the workplace.

Small Business Worksite Wellness Strategies, P-00639 (PDF) - This six-page document summarizes strategies in the work site kit for low-resource, low-cost options that might best suit smaller businesses.

Workplace Wellness Program Grant - historical information

Note: grant program funds are no longer available.

Legislation was enacted in March 2014 to provide grants to small businesses that create workplace wellness programs. The grant program ran from 2014 through 2018, but is no longer funded.

WELCOA (Wellness Council of America) - Look to the WELCOA website for free resources and other helpful information. Visit the Wisconsin WELCOA site for its annual conference, other training opportunities and membership information.

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Workplace Health Promotion - The CDC website offers a variety of resources to employers including:

• An obesity cost-calculator where employers can input employee demographic data to estimate the total costs associated with obesity and determine annual obesity-related medical costs for their companies.
• Information and resources to help employers plan, build, promote, and assess interventions to combat obesity.
• Information on how employers can estimate return on investment, a measure of the cost of an intervention compared to the expected financial return of the intervention.

Worksite breastfeeding resources and requirements

USDA and WIC have compiled a list of resources to support nursing mothers in the workplace. This site contains information on the federal 'Break Time for Nursing Mothers' provision, resources for both employers and employees, and suggestions for how to develop workplace lactation support programs.

The United States Breastfeeding Committee has created an online guide: What You Need to Know About the 'Break Time for Nursing Mothers' Law. The guide compiles resources in an easy-to-understand format to ensure mothers and employers have the information they need to make working and breastfeeding a success.