Working Characteristic, Occupational Sitting, Dietary Practices and Its Relationship with Nutritional Status among University Staff Population
Main Article Content
Abstract
Sedentary behaviour and unhealthy diets are common among university staff, driven by work demands and affecting their health. This study aimed to describe the working characteristics, occupational sitting, and nutritional status of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) staff and examine their relationships. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study using quota sampling was adopted (n=219). The Malay Occupational Sitting and Physical Activity Questionnaire (OSPAQ) and Dietary Practices were self-administered, while medical staff assessed nutritional status. Descriptive analysis, Independent t-test, Pearson correlation and Multivariate Linear Regression were employed. Results: Respondents had a mean daily computer usage of 6.70 ± 2.41 hours and occupational sitting time of 266.76 ± 130.79 minutes/day. Poor eating habits were prevalent including irregular practice of the Healthy Plate Concept, and insufficient intake of fruits, vegetables, and water. The majority had normal total cholesterol (36.5%) and fasting blood glucose (78.5%), yet 63.9% were overweight or obese, with mean values of 5.54 ± 0.99 mmol/L for cholesterol, 5.92 ± 1.42 mmol/L for glucose, and 27.35 ± 5.44 kg/m2 for BMI. Females had significantly higher total cholesterol (p=0.001) and those with secondary education had higher BMI than tertiary-educated respondents (p=0.002). No significant relationship was found between work characteristics and nutritional status, but female (β = 0.582, 95% CI = 0.304, 0.861) and computer usage (β = -0.064, 95% CI = -0.125, -0.004) were predictors of total cholesterol. Conclusion:The study highlights the need for targeted interventions to improve dietary practices among university staff, warranting further research on work-related influences on nutritional status.
Downloads
Article Details
References
Mazzola JJ, Moore JT, Alexander K. Is work keeping us from acting healthy? How workplace barriers and facilitators impact nutrition and exercise behaviors. Stress Heal. 2017;33(5):479–89. doi: 10.1002/smi.2731.
Razalli AR, Kamaruddin K, Tek OE, Teck WK, Mohd Daud NA. Evaluating Teaching Workload of Academic Staff for Optimum and Effective Use of Expertise Resources. Int J Acad Res Bus Soc Sci. 2021;11(6):13–26. doi: 10.6007/ijarbss/v11-i6/10077.
Farrahi V, Rostami M, Nauha L, Korpisaari M, Niemelä M, Jämsä T, et al. Replacing sedentary time with physical activity and sleep: Associations with cardiometabolic health markers in adults. Scand J Med Sci Sport. 2023;33(6):907–20. doi: 10.1111/sms.14323.
Silveira EA, Mendonça CR, Delpino FM, Elias Souza GV, Pereira de Souza Rosa L, de Oliveira C, et al. Sedentary behavior, physical inactivity, abdominal obesity and obesity in adults and older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2022;50:63–73. 10.1016/j.clnesp.2022.06.001.
Guo C, Zhou Q, Zhang D, Qin P, Li Q, Tian G, et al. Association of total sedentary behaviour and television viewing with risk of overweight/obesity, type 2 diabetes and hypertension: A dose–response meta-analysis. Diabetes, Obes Metab. 2020;22(1):79–90. doi: 10.1111/dom.13867.
Fountaine CJ, Piacentini M, Liguori GA. Occupational Sitting and Physical Activity Among University Employees. Int J Exerc Sci. 7(4):295– 301. doi: 10.70252/XARY1716.
Qi M, Moyle W, Jones C, Weeks B. Physical Activity and Psychological Well-Being in Older University Office Workers: Survey Findings. Work Heal Saf. 2019;67(3):123–30. doi: 10.1177/2165079918790585.
Chu AHY, Moy FM. Joint Association of Sitting Time and Physical Activity with Metabolic Risk Factors among Middle-Aged Malays in a Developing Country : A Cross-Sectional Study. 2013;8(4):1–7. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0061723.
Moyeda-Carabaza AF, Githinji P, Nguyen B, Murimi M. The influence of frequent consumption of foods-away-from-home on the total diet quality and weight status among faculty and staff. J Am Coll Heal. 2023;71(1):292–9. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2021.1891081.
Shehata WM, Abdeldaim DE. Emotional eating in relation to psychological stress during COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study in faculty of medicine, Tanta University, Egypt. BMC Public Health. 2023;23(1):1–9. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-15177-x.
Lima JP., Costa SA, Brandão TRS, Rocha. Eating at the Workplace — A University Setting †. 2021;1–13. doi: 10.3390/foods10040695.
Koen N, Philips L, Potgieter S, Smit Y, van Niekerk E, Nel DG, et al. Staff and student health and wellness at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University: current status and needs assessment. South African Fam Pract. 2018;60(3):84–90. doi: 10.1080/20786190.2017.1396788.
Tee CM, Singh A, Cheng SH. Prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension and its associated factors among the university staff. Malaysian J Med Heal Sci. 2020;16(3):243–54.
Park JH, Moon JH, Kim HJ, Kong MH, Oh YH. Sedentary Lifestyle: Overview of Updated Evidence of Potential Health Risks. Korean J Fam Med. 2020;41(6):365–73. doi: 10.4082/KJFM.20.0165.
Wheeler MJ, Green DJ, Cerin E, Ellis KA, Heinonen I, Lewis J, et al. Combined effects of continuous exercise and intermittent active interruptions to prolonged sitting on postprandial glucose, insulin, and triglycerides in adults with obesity: a randomized crossover trial. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2020;17(1):1–11. doi: 10.1186/s12966-020-01057-9.
Siddiqui NZ, Nguyen AN, Santos S, Voortman T. Diet quality and cardiometabolic health in childhood: the Generation R Study. Eur J Nutr. 2022;61(2):729–36. doi: 10.1007/s00394-021-02673-2.
Arslan F, Tasgin Ö, Guven ŞD, Özcan A, Özbay Özbas Ö. The relationship between body composition and diatary habits in the university faculty members. Turkish J Sport Exerc. 2017;337–44. doi: 10.15314/tsed.317011.
Okondu OE, Maitanmi JO, Akinola M, Akingbade O, Abubakar K, Faleti DD, et al. Dietary Knowledge and Practices among Non-Medical Staff at Babcock University in Ogun State, Nigeria. Babcock Univ Med J. 2021;4(2):112–9. doi: 10.38029/bumj.v4i2.83.
Manaf MRA, Nawi AM, Tauhid NM, Othman H, Rahman MRA, Yusoff HM, et al. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its associated risk factors among staffs in a Malaysian public university. Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):1–11. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-87248-1.
Ranganathan H, Khaira MK, Gopal RLR, Bhat AH, Ahmad N, Bahari SE, et al. Central obesity, obesity, and physical activity among university staffs. Int J Public Heal Sci. 2023;12(2):733–40. doi: 10.11591/ijphs.v12i2.21249.
Zabuddin NABM, Jamaludin MAA Bin, Pasha MA, Salam A. Overweight and Obesity and its Associated Factors Among Office Staff at a Higher Education Institute in Malaysia. Bangladesh J Med Sci. 2023;22(4):833–41. doi: 10.3329/bjms.v22i4.67122.
Yamane T. Statistics: An Introductory Analysis. 2nd ed. New York: Harper and Row, New York; 1967.
Institute for Public Health, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia. National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019: Vol. I: NCDs – Non-Communicable Diseases: Risk Factors and other Health Problems. 2020.
Jancey J, Tye M, McGann S, Blackford K, Lee AH. Application of the Occupational Sitting and Physical Activity Questionnaire (OSPAQ) to office based workers. BMC Public Health. 2014;14(1):1–6. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-762.
Farah Farhana A, Rasdi I, Emilia ZA, Sharifah Norkhadijah SI, Suwankhong D. Workplace Sedentary Behaviour and Work-related Quality of Life Among Office Workers. Malaysian J Med Heal Sci. 2022;18(8):53–61.
World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific Region. The Asia-Pacific Perspective: Redefining Obesity and its Treatment [Internet]. Health Communications Australia. 2000 [cited 2023 Dec 4]. Available from: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/206936/0957708211_eng.pdf
World Health Organization. Obesity : preventing and managing the global epidemic : report of a WHO Consultation on Obesity, Geneva, 3-5 June 1997. Geneva; 1998.
Ministry of Health Malaysia. Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) on Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). 6th ed. Putrajaya, Malaysia: Malaysia Health Technology Assessment Section (MaHTAS); 2020.
Ministry of Health Malaysia. Clinical Practice Guidelines on Management of Dyslipidaemia. 5th ed. Putrajaya, Malaysia: Health Technology Assessment Unit; 2017.
Faghy MA, Duncan MJ, Pringle A, Meharry JB, Roscoe CMP. UK university staff experience high levels of sedentary behaviour during work and leisure time. Int J Occup Saf Ergon. 2022;28(2):1104–11. doi: 10.1080/10803548.2021.1874704.
Kinoshita K, Ozato N, Yamaguchi T, Sudo M, Yamashiro Y, Mori K, et al. Association of sedentary behaviour and physical activity with cardiometabolic health in Japanese adults. Sci Rep. 2022;12(1):1–8. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-05302-y.
NCCFN. Malaysian Dietary Guidelines 2020. National Coordinating Committee on Food and Nutrition, Ministry of Health Malaysia; 2021.
Ahmad Sirfan AS, Hamirudin AH, Sidek S. Assessment of fruit and vegetable consumption among female university students. Food Res. 2020;4(5):1451–60. doi: 10.26656/fr.2017.4(5).067.
Li X, Braakhuis A, Li Z, Roy R. How Does the University Food Environment Impact Student Dietary Behaviors? A Systematic Review. Front Nutr. 2022;9(April). doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.840818.
Roy R, Hebden L, Kelly B, De Gois T, Ferrone EM, Samrout M, et al. Description, measurement and evaluation of tertiary-education food environments. Br J Nutr. 2016;115(9):1598–606. doi: 10.1017/S0007114516000568.
Pulz IS, Martins PA, Feldman C, Veiros MB. Are campus food environments healthy? A novel perspective for qualitatively evaluating the nutritional quality of food sold at foodservice facilities at a Brazilian university. Perspect Public Health. 2017;137(2):122–35. doi: 10.1177/1757913916636414.
Ministry of Health Malaysia. The Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) for the Management of Obesity. 2nd ed. Putrajaya, Malaysia: Malaysia Health Technology Assessment Section (MaHTAS); 2023.
Gupta R, Sharma M, Goyal NK, Bansal P, Lodha S, Sharma K. Gender differences in 7 years trends in cholesterol lipoproteins and lipids in India: Insights from a hospital database. Indian J Endocrinol Metab. 2016;20(2):211–8. doi: 10.4103/2230-8210.176362
Feraco A, Armani A, Amoah I, Guseva E, Camajani E, Gorini S, et al. Assessing gender differences in food preferences and physical activity: a population-based survey. Front Nutr. 2024;11(February):1–11. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1348456.
Letamo G, Keetile M, Navaneetham K, Medupe K. Gender differences in dietary behaviours, health-related habits and prevalence of non-communicable diseases in Botswana. J Biosoc Sci. 2021;1–17. doi: 10.1017/S0021932021000572.
Furuki H, Sonoda N, Morimoto A. Ps-p08-1: Relationship between Education Level and Obesity Among Healthy Japanese People. J Hypertens. 2023;5:1–14
Scalvedi ML, Gennaro L, Saba A, Rossi L. Relationship Between Nutrition Knowledge and Dietary Intake: An Assessment Among a Sample of Italian Adults. Front Nutr. 2021;8(September):1–13. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2021.714493. doi: 10.1097/01.hjh.0000917200.72247.eb
Akkartal Ş, Gezer C. Is Nutrition Knowledge Related to Diet Quality and Obesity? Ecol Food Nutr. 2020;59(2):119–29. doi: 10.1080/03670244.2019.1675654.
Rampal L, Saeedi P, Aminizadeh Bezenjani S, Salmiah MS, Norlijah O. Obesity and associated health related factors among university staff in serdang, Malaysia. Malaysian J Med Heal Sci. 2012;8(2):23–32.
Ludin AFM, Nor NAM, Omar S, Isa SNI, Ghoshal R, Kamaruddin MZA. Physical Activity and Health Related Quality of Life Among Non-Academic Staff of a University. Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia 2015;13(2):69–75
Nie P, Otterbach S, Sousa-Poza A. Long work hours and health in china. China Econ Rev. 2015;33:212–29. doi: 10.1016/j.chieco.2015.02.004.
Hu Z, Liu C, Wen Y. Working Hours and Employee Health: Evidence from China’s Workweek Reduction Policy. SSRN Electron J. 2022;88(April):102543. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.4173596.
Chau JY, Grunseit A, Midthjell K, Holmen J, Holmen TL, Bauman AE, et al. Cross-sectional associations of total sitting and leisure screen time with cardiometabolic risk in adults. Results from the HUNT Study, Norway. J Sci Med Sport. 2014;17(1):78–84. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2013.03.004.
Dempsey PC, Hadgraft NT, Winkler EAH, Clark BK, Buman MP, Gardiner PA, et al. Associations of context-specific sitting time with markers of cardiometabolic risk in Australian adults. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2018;15(1):1–11. doi: 10.1186/s12966-018-0748-3.
Saeidifard F, Medina-inojosa JR, Supervia M, Olson TP, Somers VK, Erwin PJ, et al. Differences of energy expenditure while sitting versus standing : A systematic review and meta-analysis. 2018; 25(5): 522-38. doi: 10.1177/2047487317752186.