title: [Health promotion and obesity in the workplace among health care workers of a hospital in Catania (Italy)].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Italian Legislative Decree No. 81/2008 foresees the involvement of a "specialised physician" in activities for the promotion of health at the workplace.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  These activities are aimed at modifying erroneous lifestyles (such as smoking, drinking, bad diet, etc.) which are responsible for serious illnesses and also for repercussions on the assessment of fitness for a specific task. Obesity, as we know, represents the major risk factor in the onset of metabolic, neoplastic, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and also in the increased incidence of accidents at the workplace and sick absence.
  
  
  METHODS
  A specific questionnaire was administered to 700 health care workers of a Hospital in Catania to estimate the incidence of factors which favour the onset of these diseases: factors such as familiarity, endocrinal dysfunction problems (diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism), shift work and little physical exercise.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Statistical processing of the data confirmed, partially, that little physical exercise, hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, familiarity in the > 36 age group were the major risk factors in the onset of obesity, as reported in the literature. However, contrary to the literature reports, shift work did not seem to be a risk factor in the sample under study. A programme of rehabilitation, on a voluntary basis, will be offered to those workers who are overweight/obese. This programme will involve professionals such as nutritionists, endocrinologists and psychologists, and it will aim at improving workers' health conditions as well as their work performance.
authors.affiliation: Medicina del lavoro "Azienda Ospedaliera di Rilievo Nazionale e di Alta Specializzazione Garibaldi", Catania.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Farruggia
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Scialfa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bellia
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Palermo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bellia
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giammanco
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006293:Health Promotion; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008019:Life Style; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012802:Sicily / Q000453:epidemiology; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace