Avaliação do impacto de ações para promoção do consumo de frutas e hortaliças no ambiente de trabalho

Abstract

Objective. To assess the impact of actions to promote the consumption of fruits and vegetables (FV) in the workplace. Method. Non-randomized before and after intervention study with historical control group, in a public company directed to scientific research. The study population were employees who had lunch in the restaurant of the company in the days of the study. At the pre-intervention survey, data about both the company studied (A) and the one responsible for supplying meals (B), sociodemographic characteristics and FV consumption of subjects studied, and their opinions on topics related to FV were collected. It was also conducted a focus group with opinion makers of the company in order to identify the determinants of their FV consumption aiming to subsidize the construction of strategies for FV promotion. The intervention lasted for eight months and was composed by two lines: environmental (restaurant) and education (directed to individuals). At the first one, activies were developed to sensitize the B's manager and nutritionist about the importance of promoting FV and regular contacts were made to subsidize her to offer FV in the restaurant. At the second one, presential activities were performed, materials were distributed and electronic communication strategies were developed. At the pos-intervention survey, besides FV consumption by employees, the level of exposure to the intervention and their opinion about changes in the restaurant in terms of FV supply were recorded. The analysis of the impact of the intervention consisted in the exam of the relevance of the difference between proportions or means obtained before and after the intervention. The association between intervention and outcomes was examined by multiple regression models controlling for the initial FV intake and individuals sociodemographic factors. Results. We studied 61 individuals. The average coverage of activities and educational materials was 63.5%. Nearly 2/3 of employees noticed a change in at least two aspects related to appearance and variety of preparations. At the second survey, 88.6% of the employees trusted in the hygiene of raw FV comparing to 56.9% in the first survey. There was an increase of 53.6 g (38%) in the consumption of FV at lunch. The regular consumption of vegetables increased from 47.5 to 72.1%, and the average number of days of consumption of vegetables increased from 4.4 to 5.6 days. It was found association between the increase in the consumption of FV and positive change in confidence in the hygiene of raw FV; incresase in consumption of vegetables and both positive change in confidence in the hygiene of raw FV and level of exposure to the educational aspect of the intervention, and increase in the average days of consumption of vegetables and perceived positive changes in the variety and presentation of preparations with FV. Conclusion. There was an increase in consumption of FV among employees exposed to the intervention. Its multicomponent design seems to have contributed to the study's findings.