Hospital Cafeteria Food Undermines Wellness Movement

A study this month in the journal Academic Pediatrics provides a pithy example of a persistent disconnect for the wellness movement in the healthcare workplace.

The study by researchers at the UCLA School of Medicine and the RAND Corp. examined the menus at 14 children's hospitals in California and found that only 7% of the nearly 400 entrees were considered healthy.

"As health professionals, we understand the connection between healthy eating and good health, and our hospitals should be role models in this regard," Lenard Lesser, MD, the primary investigator on the study, said in a media release.  "Unfortunately, the food in many hospitals is no better—and in some cases worse—than what you would find in a fast food restaurant."

While the study concentrates on children's hospitals in California, it is not unreasonable to suggest that these poor nutritional standards could be found in many other hospitals across the nation. If so, the study illustrates that while many hospitals talk the talk on improving nutrition, staff, patients, and visitors at hospital cafeterias still chew the fat.

Most—if not all—hospitals ban tobacco use, so they probably don't sell cigarettes in the gift shop. Why then should the standards be different for unhealthy food? Health issues related to overweight and obesity are key healthcare cost drivers. We all know that. So why promote it?  

Simply stated, if your workplace wellness initiative features a weight loss program—or especially if you're contemplating heftier health insurance premiums for heftier employees—you shouldn't be selling cheese fries and sugary drinks in the lunchroom. 

Yes, it's a matter of choice and will power. But why, as champions of healthier living, would hospitals provide a temptation to people who are trying to improve their health?  Would you wave a Marlboro in front of an ex-smoker? 

The UCLA/RAND study found that many hospitals provided healthy alternatives such as fruit, but that less than one-third of the hospitals provided point-of-sale signage that offered nutritional information or promoted healthy eating.

Even worse, 81% of the hospitals offered high-sugar items such as cookies and ice cream near the cash register—which any tabloid news junkie or candy bar fiend at your local supermarket will confirm is Ground Zero for impulse buying.

In addition, half of the hospitals in the study did not indicate to consumers that they carried healthy entrees, and 44% did not have low-calorie salad dressings. Cracker Barrel and Shoney's do that!

There is some good news. While the findings were released this month, the study was conducted in July 2010 and the researchers said that since then some hospitals have taken steps to eliminated unhealthy offerings. For example, some have eliminated fried foods, lowered the prices for salads, and hiked prices for sugary drinks, or eliminated them altogether.

Lesser said it best: "If we can't improve the food environment in our hospitals, how do we expect to improve the health of food in our community? By serving as role models for healthy eating, we can make a small step toward helping children prevent the onset of dietary-related chronic diseases."

Amen! And, pass the veggies, please.