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Diet, Food and Nutrition and Occupational Health

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 September 2021) | Viewed by 31567

Special Issue Editors

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
Public Health Area, University of Alicante, Carretera San Vicente del Raspeig s/n 03690, Alicante, Spain
Interests: occupational health; health promotion; inequalities in health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nutrition and occupational health is the maintenance and promotion of the highest degree of physical, mental, and social health of workers in all occupations by controlling risks, promoting healthy eating, providing humanitarian aid, improving health systems, and preventing the departures from health. Occupational health is the advancement and upkeep of the most astounding level of physical, mental, and social health of specialists in all occupations by preventing departures from wellbeing, controlling dangers, and the adjustment of work to individuals, and individuals to their jobs.

This Special Issue will publish selected documents that deepen our knowledge of specific and innovative aspects of diet, food, and nutrition related to occupational health. Strategies 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 multilevel or systems approach. We hope the articles in this Special Issue can help inform the decisions of employers, planners, researchers, and other public health decision-makers.

Prof. Dr. Javier Sanz-Valero
Prof. Elena Ronda
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Diet, food, and nutrition
  • Occupational health
  • Occupational diseases
  • Nutrition disorders

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2226 KiB  
Article
Trends and Seasonality of Information Searches Carried Out through Google on Nutrition and Healthy Diet in Relation to Occupational Health: Infodemiological Study
by Ruben Palomo-Llinares, Julia Sánchez-Tormo, Carmina Wanden-Berghe and Javier Sanz-Valero
Nutrients 2021, 13(12), 4300; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13124300 - 28 Nov 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2293
Abstract
This study aimed to analyze and relate the population interest through information search trends on Nutrition and Healthy Diet (HD) with the Occupational Health (OH). Ecological and correlational study of the Relative Search Volume (RSV) obtained from Google Trends query, segmented in two [...] Read more.
This study aimed to analyze and relate the population interest through information search trends on Nutrition and Healthy Diet (HD) with the Occupational Health (OH). Ecological and correlational study of the Relative Search Volume (RSV) obtained from Google Trends query, segmented in two searched periods concerning antiquity; date of query: 20 April 2021. The RSV trends for the analyzed three Topics were: Nutrition (R2 = 0.02), HD (R2 = 0.07) and OH (R2 = −0.72). There was a good positive correlation between Nutrition and OH (R = 0.56, p < 0.001) and a moderate one between HD and OH (R = 0.32, p < 0.001). According to seasons, differences were verified between RSV means in the Topics HD (p < 0.01) and OH (p < 0.001). Temporal dependence was demonstrated on Nutrition searches (Augmented Dickey–Fuller = −2.35, p > 0.05). There was only a significant relationship between the RSV Topic HD (p < 0.05) for the Developing and Least Developed countries. The data on the analyzed RSV demonstrated diminishing interest in the search information on HD and OH as well as a clearly positive trend change in recent years for Nutrition. A good positive correlation was observed between the RSV of nutrition and OH whereas the correlation between HD and OH was moderate. There were no milestones found that may report a punctual event leading to the improvement of information searches. Temporal dependence was corroborated in the RSV on Nutrition, but not in the other two Topics. Strangely, only an association was found on HD searches between the Developing and Least Developed Countries. The study of information search trends may provide useful information on the population’s interest in the disease data, as well as would gradually allow the analysis of differences in popularity, or interest even between different countries. Thus, this information might be used as a guide for public health approaches regarding nutrition and a healthy diet at work. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Food and Nutrition and Occupational Health)
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11 pages, 294 KiB  
Article
Study of Food Intake and Physical Activity Patterns in the Working Population of the Uruguayan State Electrical Company (UTE): Design, Protocol and Methodology
by Maria Mercedes Medina-Vadora, Cecilia Severi, Carlos Lecot, Maria Dolores Ruiz-Lopez and Angel Gil
Nutrients 2021, 13(10), 3545; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13103545 - 09 Oct 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1990
Abstract
Noncommunicable diseases are the main cause of death globally, and most are potentially preventable; they are long term diseases and generally evolve slowly. In Uruguay 64.9% of the population between 25 and 64 years of age are either overweight or obese. The available [...] Read more.
Noncommunicable diseases are the main cause of death globally, and most are potentially preventable; they are long term diseases and generally evolve slowly. In Uruguay 64.9% of the population between 25 and 64 years of age are either overweight or obese. The available scientific data show that workplaces are good for developing food-intake interventions for a healthier life. The present study aims to report the design, protocol and methodology for the evaluation of the food intake and physical activity patterns of the Uruguayan State Electrical Company (UTE) workers, as it is distributed across the whole country, and has established associations with overweight and obesity in order to establish institutional strategies to improve the situation. This study uses a population and a cross-sectional, randomized, representative sample of UTE workers with a precision of 3% and a confidence level of 95%. The considered anthropometric variables are weight, height, waist circumference, percentage of fat mass and percentage of visceral fat. A questionnaire on frequency of consumption of different foods and two 24-h dietary recalls (24-h DR) will be performed to evaluate the food intake. Accelerometry will be used to evaluate physical activity, and the International physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) will be applied. Clinical data will be obtained from the UTE clinical charts. This is the first study of its kind that will be undertaken in Uruguay. It is registered under ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier nº NCT04509908. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Food and Nutrition and Occupational Health)
16 pages, 778 KiB  
Article
Trends in Diet Quality and Related Sociodemographic, Health, and Occupational Characteristics among Workers in Spain: Results from Three Consecutive National Health Surveys (2006–2017)
by Silvia Portero de la Cruz and Jesús Cebrino
Nutrients 2021, 13(2), 522; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13020522 - 05 Feb 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2743
Abstract
Poor dietary practices are commonly reported in working populations from different economic sectors, resulting in increased absenteeism and a decrease in productivity. The aims of this study were to describe the frequency of food consumption and diet quality in workers aged ≥16 years [...] Read more.
Poor dietary practices are commonly reported in working populations from different economic sectors, resulting in increased absenteeism and a decrease in productivity. The aims of this study were to describe the frequency of food consumption and diet quality in workers aged ≥16 years from 2006 to 2017 in Spain and to evaluate the factors associated with diet quality. A nationwide cross-sectional study was carried out among workers using data from the Spanish National Health Surveys in 2006 (n = 11,068), 2011 (n = 7497) and 2017 (n = 8890). Sociodemographic, occupational, and health-related variables were used as well as diet quality data. A multiple linear regression was performed to determine the characteristics related to overall diet quality. The percentage of workers who consumed vegetables, at most, once or twice per week decreased from 2006 to 2017 (p < 0.001). A lower diet quality score was related to the consumption of tobacco and alcohol and being aged ≥25 years old, while a higher diet quality score was linked to being a woman, having Spanish nationality, receiving optimal perceived social support, being physically active in one’s main occupation, doing leisure-time physical activity, and the type of contract. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Food and Nutrition and Occupational Health)
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14 pages, 266 KiB  
Article
Differences in the Prevalence of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Spanish Workers
by Elena Ronda-Pérez, Julia Campos-Mora, Alba de Juan, Teresa Gea, Alison Reid and Pablo Caballero
Nutrients 2020, 12(12), 3848; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu12123848 - 16 Dec 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2747
Abstract
The present study aims to examine the differences in daily fruit and vegetable consumption in the working population in Spain. A cross-sectional study was conducted, using data from the 2017 National Health Survey (n = 10,700 workers aged between 18 and 65 [...] Read more.
The present study aims to examine the differences in daily fruit and vegetable consumption in the working population in Spain. A cross-sectional study was conducted, using data from the 2017 National Health Survey (n = 10,700 workers aged between 18 and 65 years). The daily consumption of fruit and vegetables was evaluated using two items included in a food frequency questionnaire. Occupations were classified into the 17 main groups of the National Classification of Occupations of 2011 (CNO-11). The prevalence (P) of daily fruit and vegetable consumption was calculated in relation to sociodemographic characteristics, health behaviors, work-related characteristics and occupations. Logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association, with simple and adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR). The P of daily consumption of fruit and vegetables in workers was 60% for fruit and 40% for vegetables. After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and health behaviors, workers working night or rotating shifts had a lower consumption of fruits (aOR:0.9; p < 0.05), and those working on temporary contracts had a lower consumption of vegetables (aOR:0.8; p < 0.05). Engineers, scientists, health care workers and teachers had the highest fruit consumption (74.5%) and the highest vegetable consumption (55.1%). The lowest consumption of fruits was presented by the military (42.3%) and unskilled workers in the service sector (45.8%), and the lowest consumption of vegetables was presented by skilled construction workers (25.5%). These findings could aid in workplace health promotion and could be used in future studies to evaluate the impact of the activities adopted. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Food and Nutrition and Occupational Health)
13 pages, 766 KiB  
Article
Age, Gender and Season Are Good Predictors of Vitamin D Status Independent of Body Mass Index in Office Workers in a Subtropical Region
by Li-Kai Wang, Kuo-Chuan Hung, Yao-Tsung Lin, Ying-Jen Chang, Zhi-Fu Wu, Chung-Han Ho and Jen-Yin Chen
Nutrients 2020, 12(9), 2719; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu12092719 - 05 Sep 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2803
Abstract
This study aimed at determining the prevalence and predictors of hypovitaminosis D (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D < 30 ng/mL) among office workers in a subtropical region from an electronic hospital database. Totally, 2880 office workers aged 26–65 years who received health examinations with vitamin [...] Read more.
This study aimed at determining the prevalence and predictors of hypovitaminosis D (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D < 30 ng/mL) among office workers in a subtropical region from an electronic hospital database. Totally, 2880 office workers aged 26–65 years who received health examinations with vitamin D status and total calcium concentrations at a tertiary referral center were retrospectively reviewed. Subjects were divided into groups according to genders, age (i.e., 26–35, 36–45, 46–55, 56–65), body-mass index (BMI) (i.e., obese BMI ≥ 30, overweight 25 ≤ BMI < 30, normal 20 ≤ BMI < 25, and underweight BMI < 20) and seasons (spring/winter vs. summer/autumn) for identifying the predictors of hypovitaminosis D. Corrected total calcium level <8.4 mg/dL is considered as hypocalcemia. Multivariate logistic regression demonstrated that females (AOR 2.33, (95% CI: 1.75, 3.09)), younger age (4.32 (2.98, 6.24), 2.82 (1.93, 4.12), 1.50 (1.03, 2.17)), and season (winter/spring) (1.55 (1.08, 2.22)) were predictors of hypovitaminosis D, whereas BMI was not in this study. Despite higher incidence of hypocalcemia in office workers with hypovitaminosis D (p < 0.001), there was no association between vitamin D status and corrected total calcium levels. A high prevalence (61.9%) of hypovitaminosis D among office workers in a subtropical region was found, highlighting the importance of this occupational health issue. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Food and Nutrition and Occupational Health)
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Review

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31 pages, 3380 KiB  
Review
Effectiveness of Workplace-Based Diet and Lifestyle Interventions on Risk Factors in Workers with Metabolic Syndrome: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression
by Alicia Gea Cabrera, Pablo Caballero, Carmina Wanden-Berghe, María Sanz-Lorente and Elsa López-Pintor
Nutrients 2021, 13(12), 4560; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13124560 - 20 Dec 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5063
Abstract
Workplace health interventions are essential to improve the health and well-being of workers and promote healthy lifestyle behaviours. We carried out a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of articles measuring the association between workplace dietary interventions and MetS risk. We recovered potentially eligible [...] Read more.
Workplace health interventions are essential to improve the health and well-being of workers and promote healthy lifestyle behaviours. We carried out a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of articles measuring the association between workplace dietary interventions and MetS risk. We recovered potentially eligible studies by searching MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science, using the terms “Metabolic syndrome” and “Occupational Health”. A total of 311 references were retrieved and 13 documents were selected after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Dietary interventions were grouped into six main types: basic education/counselling; specific diet/changes in diet and food intake; behavioural change/coaching; physical exercise; stress management; and internet/social networks. Most programmes included several components. The interventions considered together are beneficial, but the clinical results reflect only a minimal impact on MetS risk. According to the metaregression, the interventions with the greatest impact were those that used coaching techniques and those that promoted physical activity, leading to increased HDL (effect size = 1.58, sig = 0.043; and 2.02, 0.015, respectively) and decreased BMI (effect size = −0.79, sig = −0.009; and −0.77, 0.034, respectively). In contrast, interventions offering information on healthy habits and lifestyle had the contrary effect, leading to increased BMI (effect size = 0.78, sig = 0.006), systolic blood pressure (effect size = 4.85, sig = 0.038) and diastolic blood pressure (effect size = 3.34, sig = 0.001). It is necessary to improve the efficiency of dietary interventions aimed at lowering MetS risk in workers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Food and Nutrition and Occupational Health)
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17 pages, 557 KiB  
Review
Selection of Probiotics in the Prevention of Respiratory Tract Infections and Their Impact on Occupational Health: Scoping Review
by José Antonio Picó-Monllor, Beatriz Ruzafa-Costas, Eva Núñez-Delegido, Pedro Sánchez-Pellicer, Javier Peris-Berraco and Vicente Navarro-Lopez
Nutrients 2021, 13(12), 4419; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13124419 - 10 Dec 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3753
Abstract
The occupational health impact of respiratory infectious diseases is costly to the economy and the health care system. Probiotics are non-pathogenic live microorganisms that, when ingested in adequate amounts, can colonize the intestinal tract, and enhance the immune system. In recent years, numerous [...] Read more.
The occupational health impact of respiratory infectious diseases is costly to the economy and the health care system. Probiotics are non-pathogenic live microorganisms that, when ingested in adequate amounts, can colonize the intestinal tract, and enhance the immune system. In recent years, numerous studies have described the possible usefulness of certain probiotic strains in the treatment and prevention of respiratory tract infections, with disparate results. In order to assess the possible efficacy and safety of these microorganisms to prevent or ameliorate respiratory tract infections, we systematically searched the bibliographic databases MEDLINE (via Pubmed), EMBASE, The Cochrane library, Scopus, and Web of science, using the descriptors “Respiratory Tract Infections”, “Probiotics”, “Occupational Health”, “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 probiotics, most of them in the genus Bifidobacterium sp. and Lactobacillus sp., could be a good mix to strengthen the immune system and reduce the symptoms of URTIs in the healthy working population. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Food and Nutrition and Occupational Health)
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32 pages, 1580 KiB  
Review
Influence of Nutrition, Food and Diet-Related Interventions in the Workplace: A Meta-Analysis with Meta-Regression
by Liliana Melián-Fleitas, Álvaro Franco-Pérez, Pablo Caballero, María Sanz-Lorente, Carmina Wanden-Berghe and Javier Sanz-Valero
Nutrients 2021, 13(11), 3945; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13113945 - 04 Nov 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4694
Abstract
Objective: To review the scientific literature on the influence of verified nutrition, food and diet interventions on occupational health. Method: This study involved a critical analysis of articles retrieved from MEDLINE (via PubMed), Embase, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, Latin American [...] Read more.
Objective: To review the scientific literature on the influence of verified nutrition, food and diet interventions on occupational health. Method: 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 “Diet, Food, and Nutrition” and “Occupational Health” and applying the filters “Clinical Trial”, “Humans” and “Adult: 19+ years”; the search was conducted on 29 May 2021. Results: A total of 401 references were retrieved from the bibliographic databases, with an additional 16 identified through a secondary search; among the studies retrieved, 34 clinical trials were selected after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The interventions were grouped into seven categories: (1) dietary interventions associated with exercise or educational programs; (2) individual environmental interventions or other educational actions; (3) educational interventions oriented toward lifestyle, dietetics, physical activity and stress management; (4) economic incentives; (5) multicomponent interventions (combination of mindfulness, e-coaching and the addition of fruits and vegetables); or dietary interventions (facilitating greater food supply in cafeterias); or interventions focused on physical exercise. Conclusions: Given that most people spend a large part of their time in the workplace and, therefore, eat at least one of their daily meals there, well-planned interventions—preferably including several strategies—have been demonstrated, in general, as useful for combating overweight and obesity. From the meta-regression study, it was observed that the interventions give better results in people who presented high Body Mass Index (BMI) values (obesity). In contrast, intervention 2 (interventions related to workplace environment) would not give the expected results (it would increase the BMI). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Food and Nutrition and Occupational Health)
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Other

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15 pages, 640 KiB  
Systematic Review
Free-Living Dietary Intake in Tactical Personnel and Implications for Nutrition Practice: A Systematic Review
by Kristen L. MacKenzie-Shalders, Angela V. Tsoi, Ka Wing Lee, Charlene Wright, Gregory R. Cox and Robin M. Orr
Nutrients 2021, 13(10), 3502; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13103502 - 03 Oct 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2914
Abstract
Tactical personnel (including military, law enforcement, and fire and rescue) are responsible for ensuring national and public safety. Dietary intake is an important consideration to support optimal health and performance. The aims of this systematic review were to: (1) describe the reported free-living [...] Read more.
Tactical personnel (including military, law enforcement, and fire and rescue) are responsible for ensuring national and public safety. Dietary intake is an important consideration to support optimal health and performance. The aims of this systematic review were to: (1) describe the reported free-living dietary intake (energy and macronutrients) of tactical personnel, and (2) describe the practical implications of reported dietary intakes to support the physical and dietary requirements of tactical personnel. A systematic search of databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and Web of Science) was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. English and full text research articles were identified and screened against inclusion and exclusion criteria. Demographic and dietary intake data were extracted, tabulated, and synthesized narratively. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Quality Criteria Checklist. Twenty-two studies (15 military, 4 law enforcement, and 2 fire and rescue) were eligible to inform this review. The volume of evidence suggested that tactical personnel met dietary protein and exceeded dietary fat recommendations but failed to meet energy and carbohydrate recommendations. Therefore, practical approaches to support optimized energy, fat and carbohydrate intake in tactical personnel is important. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Food and Nutrition and Occupational Health)
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