Factors Associated with the Nutritional Status among Male Workers of Iron and Steel Industries in Bara District, Nepal

BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity are major serious public health problems, since their prevalence is accelerating rapidly not only in developed but also in developing countries. The aim of this study was to find out the factors associated with the nutritional status of the industrial workers in Bara District of Nepal. METHODS: An industry-based analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among the 271 male workers using pretested semistructured questionnaires, food frequency questionnaire, 24-hour recall method, and anthropometric measurement after obtaining informed consent from the workers. For the categorical independent variables, bivariate and multivariate regression tests were used for the analysis, and for numerical independent variables, Student's t-test was used. A P value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Ethical approval was taken from the Research Committee of the College of Applied Food and Diary Technology (CAFODAT). RESULTS: Overweight /obesity was observed among 27.3% of the participants of which 22.1% were overweight and 5.2% were obese. Age (OR: 2.54; 95% CI: 1.346–4.823); ethnicity, Brahmin/Chhetri (OR: 6.14; 95% CI: 1.971–19.123) and Madhesi (OR: 4.641; 95% CI: 1.534–14.04); and smoking (OR: 4.165; 95% CI: 1.972–8.80) were associated with nutritional status of industrial workers. Additionally, food frequency (OR: 2.232; 95% CI: 1.101–4.522), dietary diversity, and total calorie intake were also significantly associated with nutritional status of industrial workers. CONCLUSIONS: The study has indicated that more than one-fourth of workers of iron and steel industries in Bara District of Nepal are overweight or obese. Different sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors and lifestyle-related factors were associated with overweight and obesity. There is need for programs for industrial workers focused on nutrition education to raise awareness about nutrition-related problems and risk factors.