Hotel workers to join
weight-loss experiment

Kaiser Permanente Hawaii's Center for Health Research has received a $5.6 million federal grant for a study promoting weight management and wellness among 6,000 to 8,000 Waikiki hotel workers.

The three-year "Weight, Wellness and Work" project funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute will look at issues associated with long-term weight loss, physical activity, a low-fat diet, group approaches, social support, long-term contacts and maintenance and strategies to prevent relapse.

Kaiser Permanente researchers will conduct the 3W program with the University of Hawaii and employers of 29 Waikiki hotels. Employee assessments, consultations, weight-management programs and environmental changes will be included with the aim of reducing body-mass index, increasing physical activity, improving diet, reducing absenteeism and workers' compensation claims, and reducing use of health care.

"The 3W program is a partnership among researchers, employers and the health care system with the collaborative goal of better health, higher worker satisfaction and higher productivity," said Dr. Thomas Vogt, Center for Health Research director and principal investigator.