Feeding habits and lifestyles of male construction workers Estilos de vida, alimentación y estado nutricional en trabajadores de la construcción de la región metropolitana de Chile

Abstract

© 2014, Sociedad Medica de Santiago. All rights reserved. Background: The less affluent and educated members of the society tend to be less prone to healthy lifestyles. Aim: To describe feeding habits, nutrition, quality of life and working conditions of construction workers comparing two recent surveys, namely the 2009 Chilean National Health Survey (NHS) and the 2010 Work, Employment and Health Survey (WEH). Material and Methods: One hundred ninety male workers aged 43 ± 13 years were surveyed about feeding habits during working days and weekends, smoking and usual physical activity. Weight, height and blood pressure were also measured. Results: In 2010, 82% of workers were overweight or obese compared with 67% rates in the NHS of 2009. The rate of sedentariness was 86% compared with 84% in the NHS of 2009 and 93% in the WEH 2010. Forty one percent smoked and those aged less than 25 years consumed more calories than the other age groups. There was a high intake of carbonated beverage