Influence of Occupational Stress on the Body Mass Index of Hospital Workers: A Systematic Review.

This systematic review aimed to identify the influence of occupational stress on the body mass index of hospital workers. After registering the protocol at PROSPERO (CRD42022331846), we started this systematic review following a search in seven databases, gray literature, as well as manual search and contact with specialists. The selection of studies was performed independently by two evaluators following the inclusion criteria: observational studies evaluating adult hospital workers, in which occupational stress was considered exposure and body composition as a result. The risk of bias in the included studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal checklist. We used the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation to grade the certainty of the evidence. Qualitative results were presented and synthesized through a qualitative approach, with simplified information in a narrative form. A total of 12 studies met the eligibility criteria and were included. This review comprised 10,885 workers (2312 men; 1582 women; and 6991 workers whose gender was not identified). Ten studies were carried out only with health workers, and two included workers from other sectors besides health workers. This review showed a relationship between occupational stress and changes in body mass index in hospital workers. However, most studies presented a moderate or high risk of bias and low quality of the evidence. These findings can be useful for clinical practice, administrators and leaders and provide insights for future research in the field of worker health in the hospital setting.

The Effects of Workplace Stressors on Dietary Patterns among Workers at a Private Hospital in Recôncavo of Bahia, Brazil: A Longitudinal Study before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Working in a hospital environment is known for presenting unhealthy features that affect the workers' health-features which have currently been intensified due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, this longitudinal study aimed to ascertain the level of job stress before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, how this changed, and its association with the dietary patterns of hospital workers. Data on sociodemographic, occupational, lifestyle, health, anthropometric, dietetic, and occupational stress were collected before and during the pandemic from 218 workers at a private hospital in the Recôncavo of Bahia, Brazil. McNemar's chi-square test was used for comparison purposes, Exploratory Factor Analysis to identify dietary patterns, and Generalized Estimating Equations to evaluate the interested associations. During the pandemic, participants reported increased occupational stress, shift work, and weekly workloads, compared with before the pandemic. Additionally, three dietary patterns were identified before and during the pandemic. No association was observed between changes in occupational stress and dietary pattens. However, COVID-19 infection was related to changes in pattern A (0.647, IC95%0.044;1.241, p = 0.036) and the amount of shift work related to changes in pattern B, (0.612, IC95%0.016;1.207, p = 0.044). These findings support calls to strengthen labour policies to ensure adequate working conditions for hospital workers in the pandemic context.

Dietary Patterns, Occupational Stressors and Body Composition of Hospital Workers: A Longitudinal Study Comparing before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This longitudinal study aimed to evaluate the association between dietary patterns and the body composition of hospital workers subjected to occupational stressors before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data on sociodemographic, occupational, lifestyle, anthropometric, food consumption and occupational stress were collected before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 218 workers from a private hospital in Santo Antônio de Jesus, Bahia, Brazil were included in the study. After evaluating the normality of the data, parametric or non-parametric tests were used to characterize the sample. Dietary pattern was defined with Exploratory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling was used to test the desired association. During the pandemic, work per shift increased by 8.2% (p = 0.004) and working hours > 40 h/week increased by 9.2% (p = 0.006). Despite the higher prevalence of low occupational stress (85.8% vs. 72.1%), high stress increased by 13.7% from 2019 to 2020 (p < 0.001) and 30.3% reported a positive mediating effect on the variables of body composition, body mass index (b = 0.478; p < 0.001), waist circumference (b = 0.395; p = 0.001), fat-free mass (b = 0.440; p = 0.001) and fat mass (b = -0.104; p = 0.292). Therefore, a dietary pattern containing high-calorie foods was associated with changes in the body composition of hospital workers, including occupational stressors as mediators of this relationship.

Association between occupational stress, work shift and health outcomes in hospital workers of the Recôncavo of Bahia, Brazil: the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.

The aim of this study was to ascertain the level of occupational stress before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, how it changed and its association with health outcomes of hospital workers in the Recôncavo of Bahia, Brazil. A longitudinal study was conducted with 218 hospital workers over 18 years old. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for collecting sociodemographic, occupational, lifestyle, anthropometric and health data. The main exposures were occupational stress, assessed through Job Content Questionnaire and classified according to the Demand-Control Model and reported shift work. Health outcomes considered were nutritional status assessed by BMI, waist circumference and body fat percentage, health self-perception and cardiovascular risk factors. We used McNemar χ2 or Wilcoxon tests to compare the levels of exposure and outcome variables before and during the pandemic, and OR to evaluate associations between changes in occupational stress and shift work with health outcomes. During the pandemic, participants reported increased occupational stress and shift work and lower self-perceived health and had higher BMI and cardiovascular risk factors, compared with before the pandemic. No association was observed between change in occupational stress and health outcomes. However, increased amount of shift work was related to increased BMI in the overall sample (OR 3·79, 95 % CI (1·40, 10·30)) and in health workers (OR 11·56; 95 % CI (2·57, 52·00)). These findings support calls to strengthen labour policies to ensure adequate working conditions for hospital workers in context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Food habits and risk of cardiovascular disease in schoolchildren from Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais / Hábitos alimentares e risco de doenças cardiovasculares em escolares de Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between food habits and risk factors for cardiovascular disease in schoolchildren of the city Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a population-based sample of 738 schoolchildren aged 6-14 years. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for collecting demographic, socioeconomic, biochemical, clinical, and anthropometric data. Food intake was determined by a food-frequency questionnaire. Food habits were evaluated according to the adapted Recommended Food Score. Multiple linear regression models were constructed to assess how food consumption was associated with cardiovascular risk factors. RESULTS: The schoolchildren presented a dietary pattern characterized by low consumption of healthy foods. Association of cardiovascular risk factors showed that the consumption of foods according to the adapted Recommended Food Score was negatively and significantly associated with tetrapolar percentage of body fat (p=0.030) and systolic blood pressure (p=0.049) in children aged 6-9 years. CONCLUSION: Children's dietary patterns proved to be an important determinant of some of the cardiovascular risk factors studied. Thus, food intake assessment is a primary tool for the prevention and early intervention on cardiovascular risk factors during childhood. .

OBJETIVO: Investigar a relação entre hábitos alimentares e fatores de risco para doenças cardiovasculares em escolares da cidade de Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais. MÉTODOS: Realizou-se estudo transversal com uma amostra representativa de 738 escolares, com idade entre 6 e 14 anos. Um questionário semiestruturado foi aplicado para coleta das variáveis demográficas, socioeconômicas, bioquímicas, clínicas e antropométricas. Os dados dietéticos foram obtidos com um questionário de frequência alimentar, a partir do qual o consumo alimentar foi avaliado segundo o Recommended Food Score adaptado. Modelos de regressão linear múltipla foram construídos para avaliar o quanto o consumo alimentar foi associado aos fatores de risco cardiovascular. RESULTADOS: Os escolares apresentaram um padrão alimentar caracterizado por um baixo consumo de alimentos saudáveis. Na associação dos fatores de risco cardiovascular, o consumo dos alimentos que compuseram aquele score foi associado negativamente e significativamente com o percentual de gordura corporal - tetrapolar (p=0,030) e com a pressão arterial sistólica (p=0,049) nas crianças de 6 a 9 anos de idade. CONCLUSÃO: O padrão alimentar adotado pelas crianças mostrou-se um importante determinante para alguns dos fatores de risco cardiovascular estudados. Assim, a avaliação do consumo alimentar constitui uma ferramenta primordial para a prevenção e intervenção precoce sobre os fatores de risco cardiovascular durante a infância. .