Heart-healthy nutrient intake and cardiovascular fitness in the workplace

The risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) within the workplace can be reduced by promoting consumption of heart-healthy nutrients (HHN) and improving cardiovascular fitness (CVF). Several studies conducted on workers found that nutrition interventions decreased CVD risk. However, little information is available regarding the relationship between HHN and CVF among different occupational groups. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between HHN (fiber, cholesterol, sodium, and fat) and CVF in white collar, service, and blue collar workers from the NHANES (1999-2004). Logistic regression was used to compute the adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for HHN (n = 3,354), using SAS-Callable SUDAAN 10.0. The average worker consumed higher than recommended amounts of cholesterol (Mean ± SE; 308 mg ± 4.90), sodium (3,382 mg ± 49.75), total fat (92 g ± 1.16), and saturated fat (31 g ± 0.42). Despite the higher intake of unhealthy nutrients, white collar, service, and blue collar workers were equally likely to be in the low CVF category, as those consuming a HHN diet (OR = 0.79; [95% CI: 0.62-1.02]), (0.88; [0.72-1.10]), (1.25; [0.87-1.78]), and (0.96; [0.68-1.35]), respectively. Among service workers, those consuming a low-fiber diet (16 g ± 0.27) were more likely to be in the low CVF category than workers consuming the recommended amount of fiber (3.57; [1.29-9.90]). Worksite wellness programs should aim to improve HHN intake for all workers, while specifically promoting the benefit of a high-fiber diet and its relationship to CVF in service workers.