Study On Nutritional Status, Influence Factors And Countermeasures Of Mental Workers

Objective:To know the status of health and nutrition and its influencing factors in mental workers, to find effective propaganda and education methods to improve their dietary patterns and habits to conduct a healthy diet, and to provide evidence basis for effective intervention measures for the government and health management departments.Methods:Stratified random sampling was used, then, physical and clinic biochemical examination was performed, in the meantime one-to-one interviews were conducted with a self-disigned questionnaire for diet, nutrition and lifestyle investigation in300mental works from hospitals, colleges and universities, and administrations. The study content included five parts, demographic status, physical examination, blood biochemical examination, nutritional knowledge level, and life behavior.Results:1.The prevelence rates of chronic non-communicable diseases were relatively high in mental workers, which was21.2%for hypertension,72.6%for hyperlipidemia,25.7%for hyperglycemia, and28.3%for obesity.2.The correctness for Nutritional knowledge was high, with an average score of83.67±1.13. The correctness rates for questions on gastrointestinal fuction improvement, osteoporosis and anemia prevention, element supplementation for cancer prevention, foods rich in dietary fiber, fine protein, and calcium were more than80%, while they were less than60%for questions as eating foods with much sugar often would be prone to diabetes, whether we should eat the most during supper in a day or not, the calcium in milk was easier to absorb than in other food. The males scored an average of82.41±1.38, and the females scored85.00±1.79. The scores was81.67±6.75in those who had junior college degree,83.35±1.33in those with bachelor degree,85.79±1.59in those with master’s and above degree. Those with monthly income of2500～yuan got85.11±.60,5000～yuan82.72±1.54. Those with monthly expenditure1000～yuan on food got82.96±2.38,1350～yuan84.00±1.51,1700～yuan83.68±2.92, and2000～3000yuan83.75±4.18.3.The results displayed that most of indicators in mental workers was normal, and the prevelence rate of hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia and hypertension was72.6%,25.7%, and21.2%in mental workers. BMI was used as a comprehensive nutrition index, and28.3%of mental workers were overweight. Therefore, the health statue of mental workers should not be ignored.4.90.1%(192) of subjects were interested,7.1%(15) was indifferent, and2.8%(6) had no interest in nutritional knowledge. The methods to get nutrional knowledge were magazines and newspapers (20.9%/114), internet (36.6%/82), TV and radios (34.8%/78), professional books (31.3%/70).33.9%of subjects tend to obtain nutritional knowledge from TV and radios,32.1%from doctor and nutritionists consulting, only7.1%from relatives and friends.5.The results of multivariate unconditional stepwised Logistic regression displayed that the factors affecting blood pressure were age(OR=2.097), education status (OR=0.305), expenditure for food (OR=0.417), score of knowledge (OR=0.659), knowledge and interest (OR=0.189), snack (OR=2.838), barbecue (OR=3.019), eating out (OR=11.76), dietary bias (OR=2.642), and water drinking (OR=0.665). The blood lipid level was inflenced by expenditure for food (OR=0.635), knowledge of diet and health (OR=0.845), snack (OR=3.759), dietary bias (OR=1.730) and self care (OR=0.482).Conclusion:Mental workers were at high risk for chronic non-communicable diseases, who were always of unhealthy life behavior and dietary habits. The status of their mastery degree of nutritional knowledge, dietary pattern, dietary mode, physical exercise was correlated with their health. The factors affecting blood pressure were age, education status, expenditure for food, score of knowledge, knowledge and interest, the factors affecting the blood sugar were snack, barbecue, eating out, dietary bias, and water drinking, the blood lipid was inflenced by expenditure for food, knowledge of diet and health, snack, dietary bias and self care. To prevent the incidence of diet related obesity, hypertension, diebete and hyperlipidemia, more efforts should be paid on the various propaganda and education methods mainly including prevention and control using food as well as combining food properly while advertising cooking processing method.