Ambiente alimentar hospitalar: caracterização e relação com trabalhadores, pacientes e visitantes

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The hospital food environment integrates the organizational environment, places where food sources are available to defined population groups, and not to the general population. This environment is a place of great influence of healthy eating habits and health promotion of these individuals, since hospitals are institutions that provide health care. However, studies indicate that foods of low nutritional value are offered and sold within hospitals. Although there is growing research on organizational food environments, little is known about the hospital food environment and its association with consumption and the anthropometry of those who attend them. OBJECTIVE: to identify and relate the characteristics of the hospital food environment and the consumption and anthropometry of workers, patients, and visitors. METHODS: Literature database were searched for studies published up to August 2022. Two independent authors selected and extracted data from articles. Observational or intervention studies with assessment of the hospital food environment and food consumption and/or anthropometric profile of patients, visitors or hospital staff were included. Variables were synthetized narratively and tables were constructed to present data. RESULTS: From a total of 5,189 citations, five studies were included. Two studies investigated the association of the hospital food environment with food consumption, two with anthropometry and one with both outcomes. The hospital food environment evaluated was considered a promoter of unhealthy eating. Regarding consumption, the presence of fast-food restaurants in hospitals and the lack of variety, quality and availability of healthy foods were associated with the consumption of unhealthy foods. Studies that evaluated the association with anthropometry did not show significant changes. However, a reduction in body mass index associated with greater participation in food and nutrition education was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The hospital food environment evaluated was considered a promoter of unhealthy eating. However, its association with consumption and anthropometry is not entirely clear. Food intervention studies appear to have some impact on the health of workers, but the evidence is as scarce for visitors and patients as the results for anthropometry of all populations.