Occupational Nutrition and Dietary Habits of Healthcare Workers in a Tertiary Hospital in Enugu State

Healthcare workers are not immune to diet-related health risks, and the demanding nature of hospital work often disrupts regular eating habits, contributing to nutritional inadequacies and increased chronic disease risk. This study examines the dietary habits, nutritional status, and occupational nutrition challenges of healthcare workers at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu State, South East Nigeria. Night shifts, emotional labour, limited break times, and inadequate hospital canteen facilities create a nutrition-unfavourable environment for many clinical staff. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with 280 healthcare workers including physicians, nurses, medical laboratory scientists, and allied health staff. Dietary habits were assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire and a 24-hour dietary recall. Nutritional status was determined through body mass index, waist circumference, and blood pressure measurements. A self-administered questionnaire captured perceived barriers to healthy eating in the workplace, satisfaction with available food options, and use of hospital canteen services. Findings are expected to reveal high rates of meal skipping, reliance on canteen foods of variable nutritional quality, and a significant prevalence of overweight among non-physician staff. Night shift workers were hypothesised to exhibit poorer dietary quality than day shift counterparts. The study recommends workplace nutrition policies and enhanced canteen standards for Nigerian tertiary health institutions. Keywords: occupational nutrition, healthcare workers, dietary habits, Enugu, hospital staff.