Evaluation of metabolic parameters among health workers in terms of adherence to Mediterranean diet

BACKGROUND: The certain occupational risk factors, such as physical and mental stress from working conditions and poor diet, make healthcare workers(HCWs) a vulnerable group for obesity and non-communicable diseases(diabetes, dyslipidemia, etc.). Adopting a healthy and sustainable diet is very important in terms of both health and environmental impacts. The aim of this study was to evaluate metabolic parameters among HCWs in terms of adherence to the Mediterranean diet, which is shown to be a healthy and sustainable dietary model. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 372 HCWs. The data collection tool consisted of the sociodemographic information of the participants, Mediterranean Diet Adherence Scale(MEDAS) questions, body mass index(BMI) and metabolic parameter information obtained retrospectively from hospital data. BMI≥30 kg/m2 and 25-29.9 kg/m2 were considered obese and overweight, respectively. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed. RESULTS: 71% of the participants stated that they had not heard of the concept of ‘sustainable nutrition’ before. Of the HCWs who participated in the study, 65.3% were overweight or obese. It was found that 59.7% of the HCWs showed low adherence to the Mediterranean diet and 39.5% showed moderate adherence. Men(p < 0.001), those with high school education or less (p = 0.030) and those who did not think that they ate healthy(p = 0.001) had significantly lower compliance with the Mediterranean diet. BMI(p = 0.022) and HbA1c(p = 0.049) parameters were significantly lower and HDL parameter(p = 0.015) was higher in HCWs with moderate and high adherence to the Mediterranean diet. CONCLUSIONS: It was observed that the frequency of hearing the concept of ‘sustainable nutrition’ and compliance with the Mediterranean diet was low among healthcare professionals. Also, it was found that the frequency of obesity, dyslipidemia, and high diabetes-related parameters were increased in those with low adherence to the Mediterranean diet. KEY MESSAGES: • National, EU and global policies should be developed to increase compliance with healthy and sustainable diets among health workers who play a key role in the provision of quality healthcare services. • Plans and programs to increase adherence to Mediterranean-type dietary patterns will bring significant increased health benefits related to non-communicable diseases and its risk factors.