Unhealthy Eating Habits and Determinants of Diet Quality in Primary Healthcare Professionals in Poland: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background/Objectives: The aim of this work was to understand the factors influencing the prevalence of dietary behaviors, as well as determinants of unhealthy eating and diet quality among primary care physicians and nurses in Poland. Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 161 doctors and 331 nurses was conducted in the years 2020–2022 in primary healthcare settings. Results: Unhealthy eating habits affected GPs aged 40–54 years (42.9%), females (64.3%), those of normal body weight (67.9%), representing private medical practice (67.9%), who had over 20 years of work experience (42.8%). Similarly, among the group of nurses, unhealthy eating habits were reported in subjects aged 40–54 (46.5%), individuals with normal body weights (49.5%), those with one chronic disease (38.4%), representing public medical practice (63.6%), with over 20 years of work experience (40.4%), seeing ≤100 patients during the work week (84.8%). The univariable logistic regression analyses for unhealthy dietary habits showed that overweight GPs had lower odds of unhealthy eating habits (OR = 0.35; 95% CI: 0.11–1.08; p < 0.05). Among the nurses, the odds of unhealthy eating habits increased with the number of years of work. Nurses with 10–20 years of work experience had 1.23 times greater odds of unhealthy eating habits, while people working for more than 20 years had 1.81 times greater odds of unhealthy eating habits than individuals working for a period shorter than ten years (OR = 1.23; 95% CI: 0.68–2.23; p > 0.05 vs. OR = 1.81; 95% CI: p < 0.05). The multivariable logistic regression analysis did not show statistically significant results. Conclusions: These issues should be addressed when planning educational activities aimed at supporting healthcare professionals in implementing lifestyle changes.