Nutritional variables and work-related accidents: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND Nutritional aspects are important for the prevention of diseases and disorders, and few studies have focused on the relationship between risk of work injury and nutritional variables. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to verify whether nutritional variables constitute risk factors for work-related accidents. PARTICIPANTS 1,422 industrial workers (600 cases plus 822 controls). METHODS A case-control study was carried out in an industrial city in south-east Brazil. A multiple logistic regression model was adjusted using work-related accidents as the response variable and nutritional variables as predictors. The associations were assessed by Odds Ratio (OR), with a p-value < 0.05. RESULTS 47.29% of the workers were overweight or obese. Protective factors for work-related accidents were (a) attending formal education for an above average number of years (OR=0.91, p< 0.0001) and (b) eating a traditional dinner (OR=0.67, p=0.0087). Risks factors were (a) hard physical effort in the workplace (OR=1.37, p< 0.0001), (b) having lunch in the workplace (OR=1.57, p<0.0001) and (c) receiving government benefits in the form of food stamps (OR=1.39, p=0.0350) or food baskets (OR=1.30, p=0.0414). CONCLUSION Our findings suggest an association between nutritional variables and work-related accidents. This indicates the need, during the formulation of policies for these kinds of government benefits, to include nutrition aspects in order to minimize work-related accidents risks.

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