Evaluation of Work-Related Factors Affecting the Frequency of Overweight and Obesity Among Healthcare Workers in Intensive Care Units in a Training and Research Hospital

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among healthcare workers (HCWs) in intensive care units (ICU) and to evaluate the affecting work-related factors. Method: The cross-sectional study was conducted between 01.09.2022 and 01.11.2022 in HCWs (working in the ICUs) in a training and research hospital. Personal information form, international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ short) were used in the study, and their self-reported height and body weights were recorded. Results: According to the Body Mass Index of the participants, 29.0% (n=60) were overweight and 13.0% (n=27) were obese. There are differences between advanced age, male gender, marital status being married, presence of obesity in family history, smoking, exposure to stress and pressure at work, lack of physical activity, sitting down to work for more than 3.5 hours in a day, shift work duration of more than 9.5 days per month, eating fast food, not being educated about obesity and overweight. Conclusion: Protecting workers against risk factors associated with overweight and obesity will increase the level of workers’ health and the quality of service received from the workers. This situation will have a positive impact on public health, reducing health costs and reducing losses for both the workers and the country's economy.