Survey examines American workers' eating habits - Brief Article

AORN Journal, Nov, 2003

A national survey of American workers' eating habits during the work day revealed that nearly one-third of workers skip breakfast, lunch, or both nearly every weekday, according to an Aug 26, 2003, news release from the American Association of Working People and the Institute for Health and Productivity Management. In addition 89% of those surveyed said they snack during the work day, and more than half of those consume less than healthy fare, such as potato chips, candy, or doughnuts. Participants cited hunger (61%), the need for energy (50%), and stress (23%) as main motivators for snacking. Workers between the ages of 18 and 24 were twice as likely to say they are out of boredom than were participants from other age groups.

Other survey findings include that

* workers in the Midwest (44%) and Southern (44%) regions of the country were more likely to snack that those in the Northeast (29%) and

* men were more likely than women to snack in the morning (25% versus 18%), whereas women were more likely than men to snack in the afternoon (59% versus 45%).

When asked to characterize their snacking habits, 36% of respondents characterized themselves as "squirrels"--people who stash away enough food for themselves to make it through the work day. Twenty-five percent characterized themselves as "gophers"--people who went out to gather snacks for themselves and their coworkers. Eleven percent admitted to being "vultures"--people who feed themselves from food left around the office or who circle the kitchen and eating areas looking for leftovers.

Workday Takes a Bite Out of Meals: New Survey Finds 32 Percent of US Workforce Skips Breakfast or Lunch Nearly Every Day (news release, Richmond, Va: American Association for Working People, Institute for Health and Productivity Management, Aug 26, 2003) http://www.pr newswire.com (accessed 27 Aug 2003).