Checklist for Healthy Eating and Physical Activity in the Workplace (CEPAW)
Checklist for healthy Eating and Physical Activity in the Workplace (CEPAW)
Please contact Dr. Rosanne Freak-Poli <> if you would like to be alerted once this checklist is published.
Over the past two decades there has been an increasing recognition that the workplace can play a part in health promotion.1-6 The workplace environment can refer to a number of facets including structure (e.g. the location of stairs, availability of food outlets) and policy (e.g. access to stairs, cost of food options), both of which can influence social behavioural norms (e.g. peer norms to use the elevator, gender norm related food choices).
The Checklist for healthy Eating and Physical Activity in the Workplace (CEPAW) assesses the infrastructure and policy workplace environment characteristics that may influence employee physical activity and healthy eating behaviours. It was designed for either external assessment or self-assessment by the workplace. Completion of the checklist relies on both reading of the relevant policy documents and a physical walk through of the worksite. When using the tool, the aim should be to effectively communicate the results of the workplace evaluation to the employees and employers.
Scoring:
An overall “total percentage score” can be calculated by summing the answers and dividing by the total possible score of 42 (for worksites with both stairs and on site cafeteria), 40 (no stairs or no onsite cafeteria), or 38 (neither stairs nor on site cafeteria).
Sub-categories existed along two dimensions. The first referred to the type of environment impacted by the characteristic, either infrastructure (‘I’; workplace buildings and neighbourhood; consisting of six items) or policy (‘P’; company policy and initiatives designed to improve health; thirteen to fifteen items). The second dimension assessed the behaviour being addressed, either physical activity (‘PA’; twelve to thirteen items) or healthy eating (‘HE’; twelve to thirteen items). Each item was given a total score, which was then applied to each of the sub-categories.
During scoring, the definitions of the delineating terms are as follows: “Healthy eating” refers to the WHO guidelines of consuming fruit, vegetables, legumes, whole grains and nuts while reducing the intake of fats, sodium, sugar and excess calories.7 “Regularly” refers to the action occurring at least once every three months. “Consistently” refers to the action occurring on a weekly basis. “Systematically” refers to the action being available for all employees, not just a selected group. In regards to bike facilities, “secure” refers to an area which only employees have access to via a lock or pass. In regards to bike facilities, “adequate space” refers to there being room available for bike storage every day, except specific government health promotion days such as ‘ride to work’ day.
Acknowledgements:
This work was partly funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC), the Foundation for Chronic Disease PreventionTM in the Workplace which is associated with the Global Corporate Challenge®, VicHealth, the Australian Government’s Department of Education and the National Health and Medical Research Council. The team working on the project included A/Prof. Anna Peeters, Margaret Brand, Tara Boelsen-Robinson, Prof. Maximilian de Courten and Dr. Rosanne Freak-Poli who are affiliated with the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Monash University, Erasmus Medical Centre and Victoria University.
Suggested citation:
Freak-Poli R, Brand M, Boelsen-Robinson T, de Courten M, Peeters A. Checklist for healthy Eating and Physical Activity in the Workplace (CEPAW). Under peer-review, published ahead of print 11/08/2014 [add weblink].
0 / 1 / 2 / Total / I / P / PA / HE
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
1. Does your organisation have a policy or framework encouraging physical activity for employees during the workday? / no / being developed / yes to 1 / yes to 1, 1a & 1b / 2 / 2 / 2
a) If YES to 1, is there a policy document staff can refer to?
b) If YES to 1, is the policy regularly relayed / updated to staff?
c) If YES to 1b, method of communication? / For qualitative assessment
d) If YES to 1, can external assessor access policy? / For qualitative assessment
2. Does your organisation convey information regarding the benefits of physical activity/active lifestyle? If YES, how regularly? / no / being developed / yes, but not regularly or not systematically / yes / 2 / 2 / 2
a) If YES to 2, how is this conveyed? / For qualitative assessment
3. Is the organisation located in a neighbourhood conducive to safe physical activity (e.g. near parks, walking tracks) / no / yes, partially / yes / 2 / 2 / 2
4. Is there well publicised support for individuals or teams to engage in physical activity in the organisation and/or organisation neighbourhood? If YES, is it regular and systematic? / no / being developed / yes, but not regularly or not systematically / yes / 2 / 2 / 2
5. Does your organisation have a gym / gym classes onsite? / no / yes, but not regularly or not systematically / yes / 2 / 2 / 2
6. Does your organisation subsidise any physical activity programs or an onsite/offsite gym? If YES, to what extent? / no / yes, partially subsidised / yes, fully subsidised / 2 / 2 / 2
a) If YES to 6, which ones? / For qualitative assessment
7. Does your organisation have shower facilities/lockers? If YES, are they freely available to use? / no / yes, user pays / yes, freely available / 2 / 2 / 2
8. Does your organisation evaluate the "success" of any programs initiated? How? / no / yes, cursory (such as participant numbers) / yes, health outcomes / 2 / 2 / 2
9. Does your organisation have facilities to lock up bikes? If YES, is it secure and is there enough space? / no / yes, but not secure or not adequate space / yes, secure and adequate space / 2 / 2 / 2
10. Does your workplace encourage or support active travel alternatives (beyond shower and bike facilities)? If YES, how? / no / yes, but not regularly or not systematically / yes / 2 / 2 / 2
11. Does your organisation have walk and talk meetings? If YES, is it regular? / no / yes, but not regularly or not systematically / yes / 2 / 2 / 2
12. Does your organisation have internal stairs? / If YES, no access or no support / If YES, either 9a or 9b / If YES, both 9a or 9b / 2 / 2 / 2
a) If YES to 12, is use of stairs promoted via motivational posters or other means?
b) If YES to 12, are the stairs well clean, safe and well-lit?
13. Does your organisation have standing desks? If YES, are they available for all employees? / no / yes, but not systematically / yes / 2 / 2 / 2
HEALTHY FOOD CHOICES
14. Does your organisation have a policy or framework encouraging healthy food choices for employees during the workday? / no / yes to either 13a or 13b / yes to both 13a or 13b / 2 / 2 / 2
a) If YES to 14, is there a policy document staff can refer to?
b) If YES to 14, is the policy regularly relayed / updated to staff?
c) If YES to 14b, method of communication? / For qualitative assessment
c) If YES to 14, can external assessors access the policy? / For qualitative assessment
15. Does your organisation have a formal policy or cultural social norm that: / no to all 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d / yes to at least one 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d / yes to at least two 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d / 2 / 2 / 2
a)promotes healthy food choices in organisation meetings (e.g. fruit, low fat choices)
b)DOES NOT support having chocolates for fund raising or for sale at tea stations or reception
c)supports providing fruit / healthy food choices located near coffee/tea facilities
d) results in sweet biscuits NOT being provided in staff amenity areas
16. Does your organisation convey information regarding the benefits of healthy food choices? If YES, how regularly? / no / yes, but not regularly or not systematically / yes / 2 / 2 / 2
b ) If YES to 16, how is this conveyed? / For qualitative assessment
17. Does your organisation buy or subsidise fruit or other healthy food choices for employees? If YES, is it consistently available and to what extent? / no / yes, partially subsidised or not consistently / yes, fully subsidised and consistently available / 2 / 2 / 2
18. Does your organisation provide any programs on healthy food choices? If YES, is it consistently available? / no / yes, not regularly / yes, regularly / 2 / 2 / 2
a) If YES to 18, outline programs / For qualitative assessment
19. Does your organisation have the following facilities: / no / yes, at least one of 18a, 18b, 18c, 18d / yes, all of 18a, 18b, 18c, 18d / 2 / 2 / 2
a) refrigerator
b) microwave
c) tables & chairs to sit at located away from working desks/stations?
d) Is water easily accessible on the same floor and within 100 meters from workstations?
20. Are there food or beverage vending machines within the organisation? If YES, does your organisation influence vending machines content to include healthy choices? If YES, is it regular and systematic? / no / not regularly or not systematically / yes / 2 / 2 / 2
a)If YES to 20, do they contain healthier food choices (e.g. nuts / fruit / rice crackers / water)? / For qualitative assessment
21. Does your organisation have a cafeteria on site? / If YES, neither 20a or 20b / If YES, either 20a or 20b / If YES, both 20a and 20b / 2 / 2 / 2
a) If YES to 21, are healthy food choices actively encouraged via motivational signs or advertising that makes them stand out?
b) If YES to 21, are healthy foods in the cafe subsidised by the organisation?
c) If YES to 21, is food intake tracked and information distributed to staff? / For qualitative assessment
Total points with stairs and cafeteria / 42 / 12 / 30 / 26 / 16
Total points without stairs / 40 / 12 / 28 / 24 / 16
Total points without cafeteria / 40 / 12 / 28 / 26 / 14
Total points without stairs or cafeteria / 38 / 12 / 26 / 24 / 14
*I: Infrastructure; P: Policy; PA: Physical Activity; HE: Healthy Eating
References
1. World Health Organization (WHO). The workplace as a setting for interventions to improve diet and promote physical activity. http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/Quintiliani-workplace-as-setting.pdf Accessed 30/05/2014. Geneva: WHO; 2008.
2. Oldenburg B, Sallis JF, Harris D, Owen N. Checklist of Health Promotion Environments at Worksites (CHEW): development and measurement characteristics. Am J Health Promot 2002;16:288-99.
3. Freak-Poli R, Peeters A. The contribution of workplace characteristics to the risk of type 2 diabetes. Current Medical Literature – Diabetes 2012;29:65-76; http://www.remedicajournals.com/CML-Diabetes/BrowseIssues/Volume-29-Issue-3/Article-The-Contribution-of-WC-to-the-Risk-of-T2D.
4. PricewaterhouseCooper in consultation with Medibank Health Solutions and Fitness2live. Workplace wellness in Australia. Aligning action with aims: Optimising the benefits of workplace wellness; 2010.
5. De Courten M. Healthy Workplace Check (HWC) V3.2. Monash University; 2014.
6. World Health Organization (WHO). Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. Geneva: WHO; 1986.
7. World Health Organization (WHO). Global strategy on diet, physical activity and health. Geneva: WHO; 2004.
CEPAW under peer-review 11th August 2014. Page 2