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The Effects of Diseases and Nutritional Disorders on Occupational Health

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A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Public Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 July 2024) | Viewed by 19838

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Javier Sanz-Valero

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Guest Editor

Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Escuela Nacional de Medicina del Trabajo, Sinesio Delgado Street 10, 28029 Madrid, Spain
Interests: occupational health; nutritional status of workers; public health; communication and scientific documentation related to nutrition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Carmina Wanden Berghe

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Guest Editor

University General Hospital of Alicante - Institute of Biomedical and Healthcare Research of Alicante ISABIAL-FISABIO, Miguel Hernandez University, Alicante, Spain
Interests: nutrition; nutritional support; home enteral nutrition; home parenteral nutrition; malnutrition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Occupational health is crucial for workers’ health and maintaining productivity, as well as impacting output per capita. The work site is a central venue for influencing dietary behavior. There is a clear link between dietary behavior and a range of chronic diseases, such as overweight, obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Meanwhile, job demands may cause employees to have chronic stress; studies show that eating behavior changes during stressful periods. Some people may cope with stress by eating and indulging. Stress can also change preferences for foods. Stress has often been associated with overeating among emotional eaters and with undereating among nonemotional eaters. Additionally, shift working has long been recognized as an occupational health hazard. Cohort studies show that shift working negatively impacts the health status of workforces.

This Special Issue, "The Effects of Diseases and Nutritional Disorders on Occupational Health", aims to maintain and promote the highest degree of the physical, mental, and social health of workers in all occupations by controlling risks, promoting healthy eating, providing humanitarian aid, improving health systems, and preventing departures from health.

We will collect documents that deepen our knowledge of specific and innovative aspects of disease as well as nutrition disorders related to occupational health. Strategies with which to change the incidence and prevalence of nutritional disorders in workers include a focus on changing physical and social environments, over and above individual-level strategies, using a multi-level or systems approach. We hope that the articles in this Special Issue can help inform the decisions of employers, planners, researchers, and other public health decision makers. In the present Special Issue, we welcome original articles as well as systematic reviews.

Dr. Javier Sanz-Valero
Prof. Dr. Carmina Wanden Berghe
Guest Editors

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Keywords

nutritional and metabolic diseases
nutrition disorders
feeding and eating disorders
occupational diseases
occupational health

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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16 pages, 1057 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of 24 h Shift Work on the Nutritional Status of Healthcare Workers: An Observational Follow-Up Study from Türkiye

by Semra Navruz Varlı and Hande Mortaş

Nutrients 2024, 16(13), 2088; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16132088 - 29 Jun 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1369

Abstract

This study aimed to determine changes in energy and nutrient intakes over three consecutive days, including the day of the shift, and the days before and after the shift, in healthcare workers working in a 24 h shift system. This study is an observational follow-up study conducted with a total of 500 volunteer healthcare professionals. Food consumption records were taken over 3 consecutive days: pre-shift (off day), shift day (24 h shift), and post-shift (off day). Mean daily intakes of energy, carbohydrate, protein, fat, saturated fat, caffeine, vitamins B₁, B₂, niacin, B₆, folate, and B₁₂, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc are listed from highest to lowest as shift day > pre-shift > post-shift (p < 0.05 for all pairwise comparisons). While fiber, vitamin C, and calcium intakes were similar on the shift day and pre-shift day, they were significantly lower on the post-shift day (p < 0.05). The lowest dietary reference intake percentages on the post-shift day were calcium, fiber, and folate, respectively. In the present study, significant differences were detected in the energy, micronutrient-intake, and macronutrient-intake levels between the pre-shift day, shift day, and post-shift day of healthcare workers. Awareness should be increased regarding the decreased nutrient intake seen especially on the first day after a 24 h shift, and appropriate precautions should be taken to increase calcium, fiber, and folate intake levels. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Diseases and Nutritional Disorders on Occupational Health)

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17 pages, 1192 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Clustering Study of Dietary Patterns and Physical Activity among Workers of the Uruguayan State Electrical Company

by Maria Mercedes Medina-Vadora, Julio Plaza-Diaz, Francisco Jesús Llorente-Cantarero, Cecilia Severi, Carlos Lecot, María Dolores Ruiz-López and Ángel Gil

Nutrients 2024, 16(2), 304; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16020304 - 19 Jan 2024

Viewed by 1946

Abstract

Recent studies have shown that certain nutrients, specific food groups, or general dietary patterns (DPs) can promote health and prevent noncommunicable chronic diseases (NCCDs). Both developed and developing countries experience a high prevalence of NCCDs due to poor lifestyle habits, DPs, and low physical activity levels. This study aims to examine the dietary, physical activity, sociodemographic, and lifestyle patterns of Uruguayan State Electrical Company workers (the IN-UTE study). A total of 2194 workers participated in the study, providing information about their sociodemographics, lifestyles, and dietary habits through different questionnaires. To identify DPs from 16 food groups, principal component analysis (PCA) was performed. A hierarchical cluster algorithm was used to combine food groups and sociodemographic/lifestyle variables. Four DPs were extracted from the data; the first DP was related to the intake of energy-dense foods, the second DP to the characteristics of the job, the third DP to a Mediterranean-style diet, and the fourth DP to age and body mass index. In addition, cluster analysis involving a larger number of lifestyle variables produced similar results to the PCA. Lifestyle and sociodemographic factors, including night work, working outside, and moderate and intense PA, were significantly correlated with the dietary clusters, suggesting that working conditions, socioeconomic status, and PA may play an important role in determining DPs to some extent. Accordingly, these findings should be used to design lifestyle interventions to reverse the appearance of unhealthy DPs in the UTE population. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Diseases and Nutritional Disorders on Occupational Health)

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16 pages, 1143 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Association of Physical Activity Level with Micronutrient and Health Status of Austrian Bank Employees

by Markus Schauer, Mohamad Motevalli, Derrick Tanous, Susanne Mair, Martin Burtscher and Katharina Wirnitzer

Nutrients 2023, 15(23), 4884; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15234884 - 22 Nov 2023

Viewed by 2364

Abstract

Background: Favorable health benefits of an active lifestyle have been clearly documented within the context of occupational health. However, a knowledge gap exists regarding the monitoring and comparison of micronutrient status across varying levels of physical activity (PA). This study aimed to investigate the association of PA level with micronutrient status and the associated health biomarkers among a cohort of Austrian bank employees. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, this study involved the participation of bank employees (n = 123; average age: 43 years; 49% males) from the federal state of Tyrol, located in the western part of Austria. To assess PA levels and sedentary behavior, the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ; developed by the WHO) was administered. Accordingly, participants were categorized into three groups: low PA, moderate PA, and high PA. Participants’ blood samples were obtained to measure blood levels of micronutrients, homocysteine, and CoQ10. The values of vitamins and minerals in whole-blood were compared to sex-specific reference ranges and grouped into three categories: below, within, or exceeding the reference range. Results: The prevalence of a high PA level was 61%, while 18% of participants had a low PA level. Overweight/obesity was significantly less prevalent among participants with high PA levels (22%) compared to those with moderate (50%) and low (50%) PA levels (p = 0.045). No significant differences between PA levels were found for sex, age, diet type, homocysteine, or CoQ10 markers (p > 0.05). There was no significant PA-based difference in blood concentrations of most vitamins and minerals (p > 0.05), except for vitamin D (p = 0.001) among females, as well as selenium (p = 0.040) and vitamin B12 (p = 0.048) among males. Conclusion: The present findings offer initial insights into the link between PA behaviors, micronutrient status, and health, highlighting potential implications in occupational health and lifestyle, specifically in developing tailored approaches based on PA levels. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Diseases and Nutritional Disorders on Occupational Health)

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15 pages, 1122 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Population Interest in Information on Obesity, Nutrition, and Occupational Health and Its Relationship with the Prevalence of Obesity: An Infodemiological Study

by Liliana Melián-Fleitas, Álvaro Franco-Pérez, Javier Sanz-Valero and Carmina Wanden-Berghe

Nutrients 2023, 15(17), 3773; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15173773 - 29 Aug 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1873

Abstract

Objective: To identify and analyze population interest in obesity, nutrition, and occupational health and safety and its relationship with the worldwide prevalence of obesity through information search trends. Method: In this ecological study, data were obtained through online access to Google Trends using the topics “obesity”, “nutrition”, and “occupational health and safety”. Obesity data were obtained from the World Health Organization (WHO) website for crude adult prevalence and estimates by region. The variables studied were relative search volume (RSV), temporal evolution, milestone, trend, and seasonality. The temporal evolution of the search trends was examined by regression analysis (R2). To assess the relationship between quantitative variables, the Spearman correlation coefficient (Rho) was used. Seasonality was verified using the augmented Dickey–Fuller (ADF) test. Results: The RSV trends were as follows: obesity (R² = 0.04, p = 0.004); nutrition (R² = 0.42, p < 0.001); and occupational health and safety (R² = 0.45, p < 0.001). The analysis of seasonality showed the absence of a temporal pattern (p < 0.05 for all terms). The associations between world obesity prevalence (WOP) and the different RSVs were as follows: WOP versus RSV obesity, Rho = −0.79, p = 0.003; WOP versus RSV nutrition, Rho = 0.57, p = 0.044; and WOP versus RSV occupational health and safety, Rho = −0.93, p = 0.001. Conclusions: Population interest in obesity continues to be a trend in countries with the highest prevalence, although there are clear signs popularity loss in favor of searches focused on possible solutions and treatments, with a notable increase in searches related to nutrition and diet. Despite the fact that most people spend a large part of their time in the workplace and that interventions including various strategies have been shown to be useful in combating overweight and obesity, there has been a decrease in the population’s interest in information related to obesity in the workplace. This information can be used as a guide for public health approaches to obesity and its relationship to nutrition and a healthy diet, approaches that are of equal utility and applicability in occupational health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Diseases and Nutritional Disorders on Occupational Health)

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14 pages, 1764 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Diets, Lifestyles and Metabolic Risk Factors among Corporate Information Technology (IT) Employees in South India

by Paromita Banerjee, G. Bhanuprakash Reddy, Hrusikesh Panda, Kiran Kumar Angadi, Thirupathi Reddy and SubbaRao M. Gavaravarapu

Nutrients 2023, 15(15), 3404; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15153404 - 31 Jul 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4470

Abstract

(1) Information Technology (IT) Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), the largest employment sector of India, contributes to rapid economic growth. However, the work of IT employees is sedentary, and the food environments of their worksites expose them to an obesogenic environment. This study aimed to assess their metabolic and lifestyle risk factors. (2) Methods: To examine the health and nutrition status of IT employees, anthropometric, biochemical and clinical assessments were conducted among 183 employees from three IT organizations of varied operational sizes. Their health-, diet- and physical activity-related practices were assessed using a questionnaire. The prevalence of MetS was assessed. Selected biomarker levels were assessed and associated with their self-perceived stress levels. (3) Results: The median age of the employees was 30 years (26–35 years). While 44.02% of employees were overweight, 16.85% of employees were obese. About 3.89% of employees were found to be diabetic, and HDL-C levels were lower than recommended in 64.93% of employees. In all, 29.87% of the study population were considered to have metabolic syndrome since they had metabolic risk scores ≥ 3. Those with metabolic syndrome were significantly older (p = 0.000), and levels of MDA (p = 0.003), homocysteine (p = 0.001), IL-6 (p = 0.017) and IL-4 (p = 0.000) were significantly higher among them. Although the prevalence of MetS was significantly lower among those aged >30 years, the lifestyle risk factors were significantly higher among them. (4) Conclusions: The assessed parameters indicate a high risk of developing NCDs among employees in the IT industry in India. This shows the need for the modification of lifestyle and workplace food and physical activity environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Diseases and Nutritional Disorders on Occupational Health)

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11 pages, 312 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Occupational Physical Activity and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study

by Montserrat Gómez-Recasens, Silvana Alfaro-Barrio, Lucia Tarro, Elisabet Llauradó and Rosa Solà

Nutrients 2023, 15(6), 1421; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15061421 - 15 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1995

Abstract

Contradictory data exist on the impact of occupational physical activity (OPA) on cardiovascular health. We aimed to evaluate the association between OPA and cardiometabolic risk factors. A cross-sectional study was performed in an environmental services company in 2017 (Spain). OPA was classified by work categories as being low (≤3 METs) or moderate−high (>3 METs). Multiple linear and logistic binary regression models were used to assess the associations between OPA and cardiometabolic risk factors related to obesity, blood pressure, blood lipids, and associated medical conditions, adjusted by age, sex, alcohol consumption, and global physical activity. In total, 751 employees were included (547 males and 204 females), and 55.5% (n = 417) had moderate−high OPA. Significant inverse associations were observed between OPA and weight, body mass index, waist circumference, waist−hip ratio, and total cholesterol both overall and in males. OPA was significantly inversely related to dyslipidemia overall and in both sexes, while the overweight plus obesity rate was inversely related only in the total and male populations. OPA was associated with a better cardiometabolic risk factor profile, particularly in males. The fact that our models were also adjusted by global physical activity highlights the associations obtained as being independent of leisure time physical activity effects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Diseases and Nutritional Disorders on Occupational Health)

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20 pages, 2721 KiB

Open AccessReview

Occupational Health Applied Infodemiological Studies of Nutritional Diseases and Disorders: Scoping Review with Meta-Analysis

by Ruben Palomo-Llinares, Julia Sánchez-Tormo, Carmina Wanden-Berghe and Javier Sanz-Valero

Nutrients 2023, 15(16), 3575; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15163575 - 14 Aug 2023

Viewed by 1539

Abstract

(1) Objective: to identify and review existing infodemiological studies on nutritional disorders applied to occupational health and to analyse the effect of the intervention on body mass index (BMI) or alternatively body weight (BW); (2) Methods: This study involved a critical analysis of articles retrieved from MEDLINE (via PubMed), Embase, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, Latin American, and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS) and Medicina en Español (MEDES) using the descriptors “Nutrition Disorders, “Occupational Health” and “Infodemiology”, applying the filters “Humans” and “Adult: 19+ years”. The search was conducted on 29 May 2021; (3) Results: a total of 357 references were identified from the bibliographic database searches; after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 11 valid studies were obtained for the review. Interventions could be categorised into (1) interventions related to lifestyle, physical activity, and dietary changes through education programmes, (2) interventions associated with lifestyle, physical activity, and dietary changes through the use of telemonitoring systems or self-help applications, (3) interventions tied to lifestyle, physical activity, and dietary changes through control and/or social network support groups, and (4) interventions linked to changes in the work environment, including behavioural change training and work environment training tasks. The meta-analysis demonstrated that the heterogeneity present when analysing the results for BMI was 72% (p < 0.01), which decreased to 0% (p = 0.57) when analysing the outcomes for weight, in which case the null hypothesis of homogeneity could be accepted. In all instances, the final summary of the effect was on the decreasing side for both BMI and BW; (4) Conclusions: Despite the high heterogeneity of the results reported, the trend shown in all cases indicates that the intervention methodologies implemented by empowering individuals through Web 2.0 technologies are positive in terms of the problem of overweight. Further implementation of novel strategies to support individuals is needed to overcome obesity, and, at least in the early studies, these strategies seem to be making the necessary change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Diseases and Nutritional Disorders on Occupational Health)

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18 pages, 686 KiB

Open AccessReview

Influence and Selection of Probiotics on Depressive Disorders in Occupational Health: Scoping Review

by José Antonio Picó-Monllor, Elena Sala-Segura, Romina Alin Tobares, Avelina Moreno-Ochando, Adrián Hernández-Teruel and Vicente Navarro-Lopez

Nutrients 2023, 15(16), 3551; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15163551 - 11 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3259

Abstract

Depressive disorders have a major impact on occupational health and are costly to the economy and the healthcare system. Probiotics are live, non-pathogenic micro-organisms that, when ingested in adequate amounts, can colonize the intestinal tract and confer health benefits on the patient. In recent years, numerous studies have described the potential usefulness of certain probiotic strains in the treatment and prevention of depressive disorders, with differing results. In order to evaluate the possible efficacy and safety of these microorganisms in preventing or ameliorating these disorders, we systematically searched the bibliographic databases MEDLINE (via Pubmed), EMBASE, the Cochrane library, Scopus and Web of science, using the descriptors “Occupational health”, “Probiotics”, “Depressive Disorder” and “Depression” and filters “Humans” and “Clinical Trials”. After applying our inclusion and exclusion criteria, 18 studies were accepted for review and critical analysis. Our analysis suggests that a combination of different probiotic strains, most of them from the genus Bifidobacterium sp. and Lactobacillus sp., could be a good mixture as an adjuvant in the treatment of depressive disorders for the working population. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Diseases and Nutritional Disorders on Occupational Health)

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