Lifestyle assessment in different work environments

Purpose: An unhealthy lifestyle reduces physical function, thus causing an early exit from the labor market and leading to a disability pension. It has been shown that an appropriate initiative to promote a healthy lifestyle in the workplace has increased health, increased productivity and had a good cost-effect ratio. The aim of this study was to assess of the lifestyle of employees of an international company of household items and a university hospital company. Methods: From the household company 291 (170 female and 121 male, aged 40.96 ± 8.8 years) and from Hospital 272 (190 women and 82 men, aged 51.5 ± 7.9 years) employees were enrolled in the study. Subjects underwent body composition analysis and were required to complete two questionnaires (International Physical Activity Questionnaire and National Institute for Research of the Food and Nutrition). Results: The subjects of household company were in an overweight condition (BMI = 25.1 ± 4.3 kg/m2), in particular males (p.001). Products based on cereals were consumed about once a day, fresh meat 3.1 ± 1.9 times per week, fresh fruit (5.7 ± 4.1) and vegetables (6.2 ± 3.6) less than one serving a day. Vigorous physical activity was performed for 39.43 ± 95.56 min/week, moderate physical activity for 66.66 ± 196.63 min/week, and the number of daily steps was 9549.0 ± 5238.2. Also at the university hospital male employees were in an overweight condition (25.2 ± 3.1 kg/m2), while females were at the upper limit of normal weight (BMI = 24.7 ± 4.5 kg/m2). Products based on cereals were consumed about once a day, fresh meat 2.9 ± 1.9 times per week, fresh fruit (8.2 ± 5.3) and vegetables (8.0 ± 4.4) more than one serving a day. Vigorous physical activity was performed for 45.9 ± 93.7 min/week, moderate physical activity for 79.9 ± 152.8 min/week, and the number of daily steps was 7160.9 ± 3506.0. Conclusions: There are differences in the lifestyle between the two work environments. Job duties can have an influence on the daily habits and consequently on the body composition. Workplaces have great potential to change personal lifestyle choices and a preliminary assessment should be performed in order to propose a tailored intervention. Interventions to improve the lifestyle require an approach that considers not only the characteristics and habits of the workers, but also the organizational determinants that act as a barrier or facilitator for a successful implementation.