Hurdles at work: perceptions of hospital food handlers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Food handlers have a very important role in preventing food contamination during its preparation and distribution. This responsibility is even greater in hospitals, since a large number of patients have low immunity and consequently food contamination by pathogenic bacteria could be particularly harmful. Therefore, a good working environment and periodic training should be provided to food handlers by upper management.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This study is qualitative research by means of focus group and thematic content analysis methodologies to examine, in detail, the statements by food handlers working in the milk and specific-diet kitchens in a hospital to understand the problems they face in the workplace.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that food handlers are aware of the role they play in restoring patients' health; they consider it important to offer a good-quality diet. However, according to their perceptions, a number of difficulties prevent them from reaching this aim. These include: upper management not prioritizing human and material resources to the dietetic services when making resource allocation decisions; a perception that upper management considers their work to be of lesser importance; delayed overtime payments; lack of periodic training; managers lacking administrative skills; insufficient dietitian staff assistants, leading to overwork, at the same time as there is an excess of dietitians; unhealthy environmental working conditions – high temperature, high humidity, loud and constant noise level, poor ventilation; lack of food, and kitchen utensils and equipment; and relationship conflicts with chief dieticians and co-workers.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>From these findings, improvement in staff motivation could be achieved by considering non-financial incentives, such as improvement in working conditions and showing appreciation and respect through supervision, training and performance appraisal. Management action, such as investments in intermediary management so that managers have the capacity to provide supportive supervision, as well as better use of performance appraisal and access to training, may help overcome the identified problems.</p

Anthropometry and body composition in ethnic Japanese and Caucasian adolescent girls: Considerations on ethnicity and menarche

Objective: This study aimed to compare the various anthropometric and body composition parameters based on the ethnicity and the absence or presence of menarche.Design: A cross-sectional study with incomplete sampling, using the subject as the evaluation unit.Subjects: the final sample of 550 subjects was composed of 122 Japanese and 179 Caucasian premenarcheal adolescents, and 72 Japanese and 177 Caucasian postmenarcheal adolescents.Methods: the variables of body composition were measured through the following methods: bioelectrical impedance analysis, near-infrared interactance (NIR), Slaughter cutaneous skinfold equations and body mass index. Weight, height and sitting height were also evaluated.Results: the Japanese pre- and postmenarcheal girls presented lower weight and height values when compared with the Caucasian girls. in general, the Japanese premenarcheal girls presented less fat and fat-free mass than the premenarcheal Caucasian girls. This fact was demonstrated through NIR results. Conversely, the Japanese postmenarcheal adolescents accumulated more fat than their Caucasian counterparts. However, significant differences were solely encountered in the values of cutaneous skinfold percent body fat. With regard to menarche, it was verified that, regardless of ethnicity, all the anthropometric and body composition variables reached higher values among postmenarcheal adolescents when compared with premenarcheal adolescents.Conclusion: Different results of weight and height between the ethnic groups may bring back the discussion concerning separate growth curves for different ethnic groups. the results of the body composition analysis indicated high adiposity levels among postmenarcheal adolescents.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Postgrad Nutr, BR-04020060 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Prevent Med, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Postgrad Nutr, BR-04020060 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Prevent Med, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc