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 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).
Highlights
The importance of good health, physical activity and adequate nutrition is frequently discussed
Due to the heterogeneity of the actions carried out, in the clinical trials analyzed, the different interventions carried out were grouped into the following seven categories: 1. Dietary interventions associated with other actions: seven studies [23,27,30,46,48,52,53]
Educational interventions showed their suitability for implementation in the workplace; such interventions resulted in a decrease in weight and Body Mass Index (BMI) in the treatment group [25,29,36,41,47]
Summary
The importance of good health, physical activity and adequate nutrition is frequently discussed. There are many occasions in which we do not realize that health and work go hand-in-hand, influencing each other. In this relationship, it must be taken into account that a large number of people eat at least one of their daily meals in the workplace, which makes food very important in working life. A proper diet together with adequate hydration has the potential to influence many aspects of work. Nutrition is an essential part of economic development because it influences the health and productivity of workers [2,3]
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