Eating Habits among Healthcare Providers during Working Hours at National Guard Health Affairs-Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Poor dietary habits can impact negatively the well-being of health care workers (HCWs). Although some studies have demonstrated the deleterious effects of unhealthy eating habits of HCWs, they are limited and their results may not be generalized to other professions.

This study aims to explore the dietary habits among different healthcare workers at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted between June 2015 and August 2015. A validated questionnaire was distributed to HCWs and 388 HCWs completed it. Chi-square and Fisher exact test were used to analyze categorical variables and independent sample t-test was used for quantitative variables. The p<0.05 indicates statistical significance.

Saudis HCWs comprised 69.1% and 57% of the participants were females. The majority (46.7%) are residents and nurses (23%). Half of HCWs work more than 8 hours daily. The most frequently consumed foods and drinks are sweets (46.6%) and coffee (66.2%). Females eat more fruits and vegetables than males (47.1% vs. 18.6%, p=0.000). Saudis are less likely to eat fruits and vegetables than non-Saudis (49.7% vs. 66.1%, p=0.001) and they binge eat at home more than non-Saudis (61.9% vs. 22.5%).

HCWs adopt unhealthy dietary habits due to workload, inadequate break time and unavailability of healthy food in the hospital and it has affected their work performance and well-being negatively. Therefore, healthcare organization like KAMC-RD should introduce healthier foods at a reasonable price in the hospital catering, and oversee the organization of workload in a way to ensure adequate break time for the HCWs.