Implementation of Breastfeeding Policies at Workplace in Mexico: Analysis of Context Using a Realist Approach.

Return to work is one of the most significant barriers to breastfeeding (BF). Family-friendly policies are critical to ensure that BF and maternal work are not mutually exclusive. This study aims to determine contextual factors and underlying mechanisms influencing the implementation of workplace policies in Mexico. Following a qualitative approach, the study was conducted in the following four cities in Mexico: Mérida, Chihuahua, Guadalajara, and Monterrey. Interviews were conducted in 14 workplaces, and included 49 (potential) beneficiaries, 41 male employees, and 21 managers and human resources personnel. The information collected was analyzed through a deductive thematic analysis and mapped against the Context-Mechanism-Outcome framework of Breastfeeding Interventions at the Workplace. Contextual factors influencing a BF-friendly environment in the workplace were as follows: work-schedule flexibility, provision of lactation services (i.e., BF counseling) other than a lactation room, women's previous experience with BF and family-friendly environments in the workplace. The underlying mechanisms enabling/impeding a BF-friendly environment at the workplace were as follows: awareness of Mexican maternity protection legislation, usage of BF interventions in the workplace, culture, supervisor/co-worker support and BF-friendly physical space. To achieve a BF-friendly environment in the workplace, actions at the level of public policy and workplaces must accompany adherence to Mexican legislation.

Facilitators and barriers to healthy eating in a worksite cafeteria: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Worksite-based nutrition interventions can serve as access points to facilitate healthy eating and translate existing knowledge of cardiometabolic disease prevention. We explored perceptions, facilitators, and barriers for healthy eating in a cafeteria at a large worksite in Mexico City. METHODS: We conducted an exploratory qualitative study in a large department store in Mexico City with ~ 1500 employees. We conducted eight focus group discussions (FGD) with 63 employees stratified by job category (sales, maintenance, shipping, restaurant, cafeteria, administrative staff, and sales managers). Employees were invited to participate in the FGD if they were at the store at the day and time of the FGD for their job type. FGDs were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using the thematic method. This process involved the researches´ familiarizing themselves with the data, generating initial codes, searching for themes, reviewing the themes, defining and naming themes, and then interpreting the data. RESULTS: Employees defined healthy eating as eating foods that are fresh, diverse, and prepared hygienically. The most commonly reported facilitators of healthy eating at the worksite were availability of affordable healthy food options and employees' high health awareness. Major barriers to healthy eating included unavailability of healthy foods, unpleasant taste of food, and preference for fatty foods and meat. For lower-wage workers, affordability was a major concern. Other barriers included lack of time to eat work and long working hours. CONCLUSION: A broad range of factors affect healthy eating at the cafeteria, some related to nutrition and some related to the employees type of job. Availability of healthy, hygienic, and tasty food at an affordable price could lead to healthier food choices in the worksite cafeteria. These strategies, along with work schedules that allow sufficient time for healthy eating, may help improve dietary behaviors and health of employees.

Effects of a worksite physical activities program among men and women: An interventional study in a footwear industry.

The study aims to assess the association between various levels of engagement in a worksite physical activities program and variables related to musculoskeletal symptoms, psychophysiological well-being, difficulty to perform tasks, willingness to work, and interpersonal relationships, among men and women in a footwear industry. This program involved 1113 workers. Data were analysed using an ordinal logistic regression model. In women, an increase in the frequency of participation in the worksite physical activities program was associated with less musculoskeletal pain (OR = 3.12; 2.07-4.71), better relationships among colleagues (OR = 2.83; 1.67-4.81), and a higher level of psychophysiological well-being (OR = 1.98; 1.06-3.70). In men, an increase in the frequency participation in the worksite physical activities program was associated with less difficulty in performing occupational tasks (OR = 0.49; 0.27-0.87). Thus, the association between occupational exercises and studied variables differed between genders.

Workplace physical exercises, obesity anthropometric indexes, blood pressure and static muscle strength / Ginástica laboral, indicadores antropométricos de obesidade, pressão arterial e força muscular estática

Current analysis compares anthropometric indexes of obesity, blood pressure and static muscle strength among workers who exercised or did not exercise themselves on the workplace. Three hundred and fifty-four workers, of whom 178 did not perform any physical exercises and 176 who did, were evaluated by means of a query on their participation in workplace exercises during the last 30 days. Their systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was measured; height, body mass and waist circumference (WC) were taken; four static muscle strength tests (right and left handgrip strength, scapular strength and lumbar strength) were performed. The Shapiro Wilk test revealed asymmetry in the data presented as median and interquartile variance. Mann-Whitney test was used to compare data between the two groups. Results did not reveal any difference for body mass index (BMI), WC, SBP, DBP and mean blood pressure (MBP) between the groups. However, greater performance was an asset for all participants in workplace exercises for all static strength tests. There is evidence that workers who performed workplace exercises may increase muscle strength without any changes in BMI, WC and blood pressure.

O objetivo desta pesquisa foi comparar indicadores antropométricos de obesidade, pressão arterial sistêmica e força muscular estática entre trabalhadores que realizam e não realizam ginástica laboral. Trezentos e cinquenta e quatro trabalhadores, dos quais 178 praticavam e 176 não praticavam ginástica laboral, foram submetidos a uma avaliação que constituiu de uma pergunta sobre a participação no programa de ginástica laboral nos últimos 30 dias, verificação das pressões sistólica (PAS) e diastólica (PAD), medidas de estatura, massa corporal, circunferência da cintura (CC) e da realização de quatro testes de força muscular estática (preensão manual direita e esquerda, força escapular e força lombar). O teste de Shapiro Wilk revelou assimetria nos dados que foram apresentados como mediana e variância interquartil e, comparados entre os grupos por meio do teste de Mann-Whitney. Os resultados não revelaram diferenças para o índice de massa corporal (IMC), CC, PAS, PAD e pressão arterial média (PAM) entre os grupos. Por sua vez, foi verificado maior desempenho, favorecendo os participantes de ginástica laboral, em todos os testes de força estática. Há evidências que os trabalhadores que realizam ginástica laboral podem aumentar a força muscular, porém sem alterar o IMC, a CC e a pressão arterial.