Programa de intervención dietético-nutricional para la promoción de la salud en el lugar de trabajo en una empresa de la ciudad de Huesca, España

Abstract

Introduction: The development of health promotion programs in the workplace can improve employers' health, decrease the absenteeism due to illness and even increase the productivity. The aim of this work was to develop a dietary-nutritional intervention and to assess its effectiveness in a company with 35 employers from Huesca, which has its own canteen. Material and Methods: Canteen menus planning advice and a training program consisting in three workshops were conducted after staff dietary habits assessment through a self-filledin questionnaire. The pre and post intervention results of the different studied variables were compared at the end. Results: At the beginning, half of the respondents ate five meals a day, but the breakfast was mostly incomplete. The sample was characterized by a low intake of fruit and vegetables and a high intake of meat and "occasionally" products. It was observed an improvement in food habits (slight increases in fruit, vegetables, fish and dairy products and decreases in meat) despite lower involvement in workshops and considering that not all the menus suggested were fulfilled after three months intervention. In addition, the workshops had been considered satisfactory by the staff. Conclusions: Carrying out a dietary and nutritional intervention is complex in this company due to its own idiosyncrasy and the short period available. However, the staff has acquired more awareness about the relationship between diet and health and it is a positive experience for the company.