Work conditions and nutritional status of workers from the food service sector: A case study

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between the work conditions and the nutritional status of a group of workers in a Food service Unit. The methodology consisted of the nutritional status evaluation and the Ergonomic Analysis of Work. Seven female workers and one male worker were included in this research; they had been working at the company for a period from three months to five years (median of 45 months). The work in the Food Service Unit demanded moderate physical effort, repetitive movements for long periods of time, sporadic weight loading and lifting and standing posture. The Body Mass Index data demonstrated that two workers were entrophic and five were overweight. The diets were considered hypercaloric for four workers, hyperproteic for six, hyperlipidic and hypoglycemic for all individuals. In this way, although the Unit activities demanded a significant expenditure of energy, some physical and organizational limitations could be contributing to the high rate of food consumption and to their unbalanced diet.