ArticleBMJ open2018
Cost-effectiveness of a complex workplace dietary intervention: an economic evaluation of the Food Choice at Work study.
Article in BMJ open, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systematic Review of Social Marketing as a Behavior Change Agent in Salt Reduction.Global heart · 2025Pooled it
- Modelling health and economic impact of nutrition interventions: a systematic review.European journal of clinical nutrition · 2023Pooled it
- Healthy Food Service Guidelines for Worksites and Institutions: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- The effect of multimodal nutrition intervention on glucose and lipid parameters of Arfa Iron and Steel Company workers.BMC nutrition · 2025Article
- Reduction of Excessive Dietary Sodium Consumption: Effectiveness of a Prevention Intervention among Health Workers in a Large Italian Hospital.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Incremental Costs and Diners' Satisfaction Associated with Improvement in Nutritional Value of Catering Dishes.Nutrients · 2022Article
- Post-Secondary Food Service Manager Perspectives on Fruit and Vegetable Nudging Strategies: Qualitative Study.Current developments in nutrition · 2021Article
- Cost and consequence analysis of the Healthy Choices at Work programme to prevent non-communicable diseases in a commercial power plant, South Africa.African journal of primary health care & family medicine · 2020Article
- Dietary Patterns Associated to Clinical Aspects in Crohn's Disease Patients.Scientific reports · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo evaluate the costs, benefits and cost-effectiveness of complex workplace dietary interventions, involving nutrition education and system-level dietary modification, from the perspective of healthcare providers and employers.
designSingle-study economic evaluation of a cluster-controlled trial (Food Choice at Work (FCW) study) with 1-year follow-up.
settingFour multinational manufacturing workplaces in Cork, Ireland.
participants517 randomly selected employees (18-65 years) from four workplaces.
interventionsCost data were obtained from the FCW study. Nutrition education included individual nutrition consultations, nutrition information (traffic light menu labelling, posters, leaflets and emails) and presentations. System-level dietary modification included menu modification (restriction of fat, sugar and salt), increase in fibre, fruit discounts, strategic positioning of healthier alternatives and portion size control. The combined intervention included nutrition education and system-level dietary modification. No intervention was implemented in the control. OUTCOMES: The primary outcome was an improvement in health-related quality of life, measured using the EuroQoL 5 Dimensions 5 Levels questionnaire. The secondary outcome measure was reduction in absenteeism, which is measured in monetary amounts. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis (Monte Carlo simulation) assessed parameter uncertainty.
resultsThe system-level intervention dominated the education and combined interventions. When compared with the control, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (€101.37/quality-adjusted life-year) is less than the nationally accepted ceiling ratio, so the system-level intervention can be considered cost-effective. The cost-effectiveness acceptability curve indicates there is some decision uncertainty surrounding this, arising from uncertainty surrounding the differences in effectiveness. These results are reiterated when the secondary outcome measure is considered in a cost-benefit analysis, whereby the system-level intervention yields the highest net benefit (€56.56 per employee).
conclusionsSystem-level dietary modification alone offers the most value per improving employee health-related quality of life and generating net benefit for employers by reducing absenteeism. While system-level dietary modification strategies are potentially sustainable obesity prevention interventions, future research should include long-term outcomes to determine if improvements in outcomes persist. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN35108237; Post-results.
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