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A Clustering Study of Dietary Patterns and Physical Activity among Workers of the Uruguayan State Electrical Company

Authors :
Maria Mercedes Medina-Vadora
Julio Plaza-Diaz
Francisco Jesús Llorente-Cantarero
Cecilia Severi
Carlos Lecot
María Dolores Ruiz-López
Ángel Gil
Source :
Nutrients, Vol 16, Iss 2, p 304 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2024.

Abstract

Recent studies have shown that certain nutrients, specific food groups, or general dietary patterns (DPs) can promote health and prevent noncommunicable chronic diseases (NCCDs). Both developed and developing countries experience a high prevalence of NCCDs due to poor lifestyle habits, DPs, and low physical activity levels. This study aims to examine the dietary, physical activity, sociodemographic, and lifestyle patterns of Uruguayan State Electrical Company workers (the IN-UTE study). A total of 2194 workers participated in the study, providing information about their sociodemographics, lifestyles, and dietary habits through different questionnaires. To identify DPs from 16 food groups, principal component analysis (PCA) was performed. A hierarchical cluster algorithm was used to combine food groups and sociodemographic/lifestyle variables. Four DPs were extracted from the data; the first DP was related to the intake of energy-dense foods, the second DP to the characteristics of the job, the third DP to a Mediterranean-style diet, and the fourth DP to age and body mass index. In addition, cluster analysis involving a larger number of lifestyle variables produced similar results to the PCA. Lifestyle and sociodemographic factors, including night work, working outside, and moderate and intense PA, were significantly correlated with the dietary clusters, suggesting that working conditions, socioeconomic status, and PA may play an important role in determining DPs to some extent. Accordingly, these findings should be used to design lifestyle interventions to reverse the appearance of unhealthy DPs in the UTE population.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20726643
Volume :
16
Issue :
2
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Nutrients
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.89c551e8db8843578a24d85cd00c0247
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16020304