Reducing Health Risk Factors in Workplaces of Low and Middle-Income Countries

Dietary outcomes of community-based CVD preventive interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to synthesise available evidence on the effects of community-based interventions in improving various dietary outcome measures.

DESIGN

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

SETTING

We searched databases including Medline, EMBASE, PSYCINFO, CINAHL and the Cochrane registry for studies reported between January 2000 and June 2022. The methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias tools for each study type. For some of the outcomes, we pooled the effect size using a random-effects meta-analysis.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of fifty-one studies, thirty-three randomised and eighteen non-randomised, involving 100 746 participants were included.

RESULTS

Overall, thirty-seven studies found a statistically significant difference in at least one dietary outcome measure favouring the intervention group, whereas fourteen studies found no statistically significant difference. Our meta-analyses indicated that, compared with controls, interventions were effective in decreasing daily energy intake (MJ/d) (mean difference (MD): -0·25; 95 % CI: -0·37, -0·14), fat % of energy (MD: -1·01; 95 % CI: -1·76, -0·25) and saturated fat % of energy (MD: -1·54; 95 % CI: -2·01, -1·07). Furthermore, the interventions were effective in improving fibre intake (g/d) (MD: 1·08; 95 % CI: 0·39, 1·77). Effective interventions use various strategies including tailored individual lifestyle coaching, health education, health promotion activities, community engagement activities and/or structural changes.

CONCLUSION

This review shows the potential of improving dietary patterns through community-based CVD preventive interventions. Thus, development and implementation of context-specific preventive interventions could help to minimise dietary risk factors, which in turn decrease morbidity and mortality due to CVD and other non-communicable diseases.

Assessment of food environment at work and its association with cardiometabolic health among employed adults in Delhi, India

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Unhealthy food environment at work is believed to be playing a role in the burgeoning obesity, cardiometabolic risk, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in India. Therefore, food environment assessment at work is crucial to understand the effect of food environment and to find its association with cardiometabolic risk among adults in Delhi, India.

METHODOLOGY

Mix-methods study to find association between worksite food environment on the food choices, dietary behavior, and cardio-metabolic health of 455 apparently healthy adults (both males and females) aged 25-55 years was done in urban India.

RESULTS

Unhealthy food environment, poor eating pattern and sedentary lifestyle at work resulted in clustering of CMR factors among the study participants. Work environment assessment revealed that worksites with canteens had higher overall CHEW score for all its domains (Physical, nutritional, and information environment), in comparison to worksites without or no canteens. Four out of ten apparently healthy adults had metabolic syndrome indicating poor cardiometabolic health. The odds of CMR in subjects with access to canteen (unhealthy food) were estimated to be 0.74 (CI: 0.51 to 1.07; p = 0.11) times the odds of CMR in subjects without canteen (limited access to food). Females (β:0.34; 95% CI:0.23, 0.44; p = 0.00) had high CMR factors in comparison to males. Overall cardiometabolic risk factors increased with age (β:0.01; 95% CI:0.01,0.01; p = 0.00).

CONCLUSION

Findings of the present study urge the need for dietary and lifestyle intervention along with longitudinal studies to further disentangle the association of the food and work environment on the prevalence of CMR among adults.

Effectiveness of community-based cardiovascular disease prevention interventions to improve physical activity: A systematic review and meta-regression

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Despite preventive community-based interventions (CBIs) seem efficacious in reducing CVD risks, a comprehensive up-to-date synthesis on the effectiveness of such interventions in improving physical activity (PA) is lacking. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of community-based CVD preventive interventions aimed at improving PA level. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane register and PSYCINFO databases were searched in October 2019 for studies reported between January 2000 and June 2019. We assessed the methodological quality of included studies using the Cochrane risk of bias tools. We performed a random-effects meta-analysis and meta-regression to pool estimates of various effect measures. Results are reported in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline. Our study protocol was registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42019119885). A total of 44 randomized and 20 non-randomized controlled studies involving 98,919 participants were included. Meta-analyses found that CBIs improved the odds of attaining the recommended PA level (at least 150 min of moderate and vigorous PA (MVPA)/week) at 12 month (OR: 1.62; 95%CI: 1.25-2.11) and 18 to 24 months of follow-up (OR: 1.46; 95%CI: 1.12-1.91). Furthermore, interventions were effective in improving metabolic equivalents of task at 12 month (standardized mean difference (SMD): 0.28; 95% CI: 0.03-0.53), MVPA time at 12 to 18 months (SMD: 0.34; 95%CI: 0.05-0.64), steps per day (SMD: 0.32; 95%CI: 0.08-0.55), and sitting time (SMD: -0.25; 95%CI: -0.34 to -0.17). Subgroup analyses found that interventions in low- and middle-income countries showed a greater positive effect on attainment of recommended PA level (OR: 1.40; 95%CI: 1.02-1.92) than those in high-income countries (OR: 1.31; 95%CI: 0.96-1.78). Moreover, interventions targeting high-risk groups showed greater effectiveness than those targeting the general population (OR: 1.76; 95%CI: 1.30-2.39 vs. 1.17; 95%CI: 0.89-1.55). In conclusion, community-based CVD preventive interventions have a positive impact on improving the PA level, albeit that relevant studies in lower-middle and low-income countries are limited. With the rising burden of CVDs, rolling out CBIs targeting the general population and high-risk groups are needed to control the growing CVD-burden.

Community-Based Interventions for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Low-and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review

Objectives: To synthesize evidence on the effectiveness of community-based interventions for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to inform design of effective strategies for CVD prevention. Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane register of controlled studies and PSYCINFO databases for studies published between January 2000 and June 2019. Other studies were identified from gray literature sources and review of reference lists of included studies. The primary outcomes for the review were those aimed at primary prevention of CVD targeting physical activity, diet, smoking and alcohol consumption. Results: Database searches yielded 15,885 articles and 94 articles were identified through snowball searching. After screening, the articles from LMICs were 32 emanating from 27 studies: 9 cluster randomized trials, eight randomized controlled trials and 10 controlled before and after studies. Community-based interventions successfully improved population knowledge on CVD and risk factors and influenced physical activity and dietary practices. Evidence of interventions on smoking cessation and reduced alcohol consumption was inconsistent. Conclusion: This evidence should inform policy makers in decision-making and prioritizing evidence-based interventions.

Blood Pressure Changes After a Health Promotion Program Among Mexican Workers

Background: Cardiovascular disease is becoming increasingly prevalent in low and middle-income countries (LMIC), and high blood pressure (BP) is one of the main risk factors. The efficacy and sustainability of worksite health promotion (WHP) programs for BP reduction in LMIC have yet to be determined. Methods: This non-randomized company-based trial evaluated 6- and 12-months effects of a WHP intervention on BP among 2,002 participating workers from seven Mexican companies. Intervention and control groups were assigned at the company level. The intervention included nutrition counseling, physical exercise, and stress management components. Mixed models assessed differences in BP change between intervention and control companies in intent-to-treat (ITT), per-protocol (PerP), and as-treated (AsTr) analyses, and also within-group changes stratified by company, intervention component, and baseline cardiovascular risk factor levels. All analyses were adjusted for potential confounders. We accounted for missing data and loss to follow-up using inverse probability of censoring weighting. Results: ITT analyses revealed mean BP change differences of -1.1 mmHg at 12 months (95% CI: -2.9; 0.6) in intervention companies relative to control companies. PerP and AsTr analyses confirmed this finding. Within-group analyses showed consistent BP reductions at both 6 and 12 months. Substantial differences in BP changes ranging from diastolic -6.1 mmHg, (95% CI: -11.2; -1.2) to systolic -13.0 mmHg (95% CI: -16.0; -10.1) were found among individuals with diabetes at baseline in intervention companies relative to control companies. Conclusion: After 1 year, WHP was associated with modest but uncertain BP reductions. Substantial reductions were mainly observed among diabetic workers.

A Comparison of Safety, Health, and Well-Being Risk Factors Across Five Occupational Samples

Objective: The aim of this study was to present safety, health and well-being profiles of workers within five occupations: call center work (N = 139), corrections (N = 85), construction (N = 348), homecare (N = 149), and parks and recreation (N = 178). Methods: Baseline data from the Data Repository of Oregon's Healthy Workforce Center were used. Measures were compared with clinical healthcare guidelines and national norms. Results: The prevalence of health and safety risks for adults was as follows: overweight (83.2%), high blood pressure (16.4%), injury causing lost work (9.9%), and reported pain (47.0%). Young workers were least likely to report adequate sleep (46.6%). Construction workers reported the highest rate of smoking (20.7%). All of the adult workers reported significantly lower general health than the general population. Conclusion: The number of workers experiencing poor safety, health and well-being outcomes suggest the need for improved working conditions.

The effectiveness of workplace health promotion in low- and middle-income countries

Although many literature reviews synthesize literature regarding workplace health promotion (WHP) interventions, systematic reviews on the effectiveness of and factors influencing the operation of WHP activities in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) are scarce. Therefore, we systematically reviewed evaluation studies to examine the effectiveness and factors related to the implementation of WHP programmes in LMIC. Twenty-six peer-reviewed and grey evaluation studies, published before November 2017, were included from electronic databases (PubMed, The Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, EMBASE and Web of Science) and manual searching. The results revealed that WHP intervention in LMIC was effective in reducing health risks in a wide range of industries and settings, including in resource-poor contexts such as small enterprises and the manufacturing industry. The main factors positively influencing the effectiveness of the intervention are long intervention time period, and needs-based and active intervention strategies. In addition, commitment from workplace leaders, the involvement of workers and support from authorities and professionals are factors contributing to a successful WHP programme. However, the evidence regarding the effectiveness of WHP in LMIC regarding the health outcomes and business productivity is inconclusive due to the several remaining methodological limitations. Future developments of more rigorous methods of evaluating the effectiveness of WHP activities should be addressed to produce higher-quality evidence that would inform future practice.

Development of nurse education in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Ghana: From undergraduate to doctoral programmes

Doctoral programmes in nursing have a long history in the US where traditional research based PhDs and more clinically based doctoral programmes are common. In the rest of the world PhDs are better accepted though professional doctorates with a thesis component are common in the UK. In countries with newly established or planned doctoral programmes in nursing the research PhD seems the degree of choice. Here we discuss developments in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Ghana. This study used official documents, strategic plans, curriculum developments and other documentary evidence from Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Ghana. We compared doctoral programmes and development with other countries by reference to the literature. We offer the example of public health and non-communicable diseases in particular as one area where doctorally trained nurses applying international standards in collaboration internationally may be of benefit.

Cluster randomised controlled trial of behavioural intervention program: a study protocol for control of hypertension among teachers in schools in Kerala (CHATS-K), India

Background

Control of blood pressure among hypertensives is a major challenge around the world. Interventions for improving hypertension control in India are very limited. This paper describes the protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial of efficacy of behavioural intervention on control of hypertension among school teachers in Kerala.

Methods

A total of 92 schools are randomised to intervention and control group in Kerala. A baseline survey was conducted in all schools to assess the prevalence of hypertension and its risk factors among school teachers in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala state, India. Teachers in both sets of schools will receive a leaflet containing details on the importance of controlling hypertension. With the objective of improving control of hypertension, the intervention schools will additionally receive self-management education and behavioural intervention programs delivered by trained intervention managers along with measurement of weight, waist circumference and blood pressure. This intervention program will be developed based on the findings of the baseline survey and selected components of successful models of hypertension control from previous research done in similar settings. The intervention will be given for 3 months after which a post-survey will be conducted among teachers of both control and intervention schools. The primary outcome is change in control of hypertension and secondary outcome is the change in behavioural risk factors of hypertension both in the control and intervention groups.

Discussion

This is the first comprehensive study looking at the efficacy of behavioural intervention on hypertension control among school teachers in Kerala, India. This study is likely to provide an upper estimate of behavioural intervention on hypertension control since teachers are reported to have one of the highest compliance rates of behavioural intervention.

Trial registration

This trial was prospectively registered with the Clinical Trials Registry of India [CTRI/2018/01/011402] on 18 January 2018.

Effects of Obesity Management Program Provided by Occupational Health Nurse in Worksite

This study was conducted on 60 male adult technicians in the worksite to examine the impact of the obesity management program on their eating habits, exercise self-efficacy, quality of life, and body components. This was a nonrandomized pretest and posttest intervention study. The obesity management program was applied for 16 weeks on diet education, exercise, and counseling provided by the occupational health nurse in the worksite. The questionnaire for measure included the general characteristics, eating habits, exercise self-efficacy, and quality of life. Body components were measured by using the InBody 720 device. The participants who received the obesity management program showed better eating habits, a higher level of exercise self-efficacy, a higher level of quality of life, lower levels of body weight and body mass index (BMI), a smaller waist and hip circumference, and a higher level of muscle mass as compared with the preapplication.