Brazilian Community Restaurants’ Low-Income Food Handlers: Association between the Nutritional Status and the Presence of Non-Communicable Chronic Diseases

Abstract

This cross-sectional study aimed primarily to determine the association between the nutritional status and the presence of non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) among community restaurants’ food handlers, since their access to food can influence their body mass index (BMI). The study discusses the socio-demographic status of participants, dietary intake, the prevalence of overweightness/obesity, and self-reported diagnosed NCDs. In 36 Community Restaurants (CRs) from all of the Brazilian regions, we collected data from 559 food handlers. We used a questionnaire to collect socio-demographic data and the reported diagnosed chronic diseases. For the anthropometric evaluation with Body Mass Index calculation, we measured the weight and the height of the individuals. They were all weighed before having lunch at the CR, without shoes and coats. Associations between variables were analyzed by the chi-square test and Poisson regression at a significance level of 5%, considering health as the outcome variable. Most of the food handlers were female (63.1%), married or with a partner (51.7%), and overweight (59.9%). Among the food handlers that presented diagnosed NCDs (n = 96, 17.2% of food handlers), 45.8% (n = 44) presented hypertension and 12.5% (n = 12) type 2 diabetes mellitus. There was a significant association between BMI and NCD status in the studied population. The total daily sodium intake of food handlers was higher than the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), especially from the CR lunch, which may raise the risk of chronic diseases such as hypertension (the most prevalent non-communicable disease found in our study). Despite that, in general, the CRs provide access to cheap and adequate meals to their workers, considering energy intake and the proportion of macronutrients. In this population, overweightness and obesity were prevalent; there was an association of obesity with chronic disease in the study population. Therefore, it is necessary for better menu planning for CRs to guarantee sodium reduction throughout time.

Food Insecurity among Low-Income Food Handlers: A Nationwide Study in Brazilian Community Restaurants

“…Moderate/severe food insecurity was almost twice the prevalence of the Brazilian population. In this study, socio-demographic characteristics showed that most food handlers were females in the age group ≤40 years old, similar to previous studies carried out with food handlers [15,16,18,22].…”

“…From the beginning, the Government planned to increase the number of CR distributed throughout the Brazilian territory located in regions with more significant numbers of low-income people, reaching 135 CRs in 2020 [13,14]. The production and distribution of CR involve professionals with different education and income levels [15], highlighting the food handlers that directly produce meals [13]. Among food handlers, it is common to have weight excess [15][16][17][18], low education levels, and low-income [15,19], making them more susceptible to FIS [10] even though they work in places that produce a great amount of food.…”

“…The production and distribution of CR involve professionals with different education and income levels [15], highlighting the food handlers that directly produce meals [13]. Among food handlers, it is common to have weight excess [15][16][17][18], low education levels, and low-income [15,19], making them more susceptible to FIS [10] even though they work in places that produce a great amount of food. Godoy et al [20] studied food insecurity among CR customers.…”

Occupational Risk Assessment in School Food Services: Instruments’ Construction and Internal Validation

“…In Brazil, SFS food handlers participate in all stages of the meal production process [18], which differs from non-school food service food handlers [19], which causes a work overload for them. It is necessary to scale the physical structure of the SFS and assess whether the equipment and utensils available for the production of meals meet the ergonomic criteria for the production of menus suggested by the Education Development Fund (FNDE) [20] and the specialization of the workforce.…”

The Pattern of Cardiovascular Disease Risks Among Working People (18-64 Years) via a Nationwide Household-Based Survey in Malaysia

“…It is considered a work-related disease (WRD) due to the indirect and multifactorial causes such as sedentary lifestyle, sedentary work, hereditary factors and occupational characteristics [14]. The burden of CVD among workers was estimated from previous studies in certain occupations such as mining workers [15], [16], public servants [17], healthcare workers [18], farmer [19], industrial sector workers [20] and community restaurants' food handlers [21]. Those who worked in the forest faced stressful working conditions with limited access to healthcare facilities [22], while truck drivers may have maladaptive behavior [23] to meet their job demands.…”