The Impact of Healthy Choices at Work: Daily Barriers, Facilitators, and Their Effects on Stress and Performance

Abstract Workplace wellness initiatives, such as exercise or healthy eating programs, have often produced mixed levels of success. Previous research has demonstrated that environmental factors can both help (facilitate) and serve as a hindrance (barrier) to making healthy choices at work. In the present study, we predicted exposure to daily barriers and facilitators of exercise and healthy eating would indirectly affect daily stress and job performance through exercise and eating choices. We recruited 228 working adults via snowball sampling to participate in a daily diary study for five consecutive working days. Participants provided information about their daily exposure to barriers and facilitators of exercise, barriers and facilitators of healthy eating, daily exercise and diet choices, daily stress, and daily job performance. The results showed meaningful indirect effects of nutrition barriers and facilitators on stress through healthy eating and exercise facilitators on stress through exercise. We also found significant indirect effects of nutrition barriers and facilitators on performance through healthy eating. We conclude by presenting implications for future research and organizational practices.