title: Lessons learned from a healthful vending pilot program in Delaware state agency buildings, 2011-2012.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Changes in food availability in worksites can result in changes in eating behavior and weight status. Nemours Health and Prevention Services, in conjunction with partners in Delaware, conducted a 6-month pilot program to assess the feasibility and impact of requiring that 75% of the items in vending machines in 3 state agency buildings have healthful items.
  
  
  METHODS
  We collected process evaluation data from October 2011 through April 2012 by taking weekly photographs of all machines to record the number of healthful items available. Outcomes were measured through sales reports designed to enumerate changes in number and type of items sold and overall profit from each building.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found challenges in fully implementing the 75% goal. In one of the 3 buildings, all machines were compliant within 7 weeks; in another, full compliance did not occur until week 19. Despite these challenges, the number of items sold in each machine was comparable to numbers from the previous year. Total profits from each building varied across the 3 sites and during the pilot. One building had a 51% increase in profits in January 2012 compared with profits averaged for January 2011 and January 2010. In contrast, monthly profit at another building fluctuated from an increase of 6% to a loss of 30%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, our results suggest that collaborative efforts can result in a feasible intervention with little negative influence on profits.
authors.affiliation: Arcadia University, Glenside, Pennsylvania, and Nemours Health and Prevention Services, Wilmington, Delaware.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lessard
authors.affiliation: Nemours Health and Prevention Services, PO Box 269, Wilmington, DE 19899. E-mail: mollie.poland@nemours.org.
authors.forename: Mollie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Poland
authors.affiliation: Nemours Health and Prevention Services, Wilmington, Delaware.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trotter
mesh_terms: D003691:Delaware; D005509:Food Dispensers, Automatic / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005518:Food Preferences; D005523:Food Supply / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D009753:Nutritive Value; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011634:Public Health