Absenteeism due to employee health costs Australian businesses around $7 billion annually and poor nutrition plays a large part in it.

A Medibank Private study The Health of Australia’s Workforce (2005) found that healthy workers tend to be three times more productive than their unhealthy colleagues. Unhealthy employees also access up to nine times the sick leave of their healthy counterparts. 

The report also found that 46% of the Australian workers surveyed lived on high fat diets, and that only 8% consumed five or more serves of fruit and vegetables on a daily basis, as recommended by the National Health and Medical Research Council. People suffering from obesity, who have poor fitness or people who smoke all tend to take longer to recover from illness and injury.

28% of Australia workers were found to be clinically obese and another 34% were found to be overweight.

Poor nutrition

Depending on what is eaten, poor nutrition can result in people becoming significantly overweight or significantly underweight. 

Poor nutrition can have a variety of causes. These include difficulties accessing food while in poor health, psychological challenges (depression, anxiety, social isolation) resulting from the health issue, lower appetite and chronic pain symptoms.  Poor nutrition is more likely in those who consume alcohol daily and excessively. 

Some common health impacts include:

• Poorer cognitive performance and lower concentration levels
• Increased fatigue and lower productivity
• Higher levels of depression
• Higher cholesterol
• Hypertension
• Heart disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• Osteoporosis
• Some types of cancer

Impact on injured workers

Injured workers are at high risk of weight gain due to inactivity and poor nutrition during their convalescence. When workers are aware of this, they can take steps to address the challenges. 

Injured workers may feel more inclined towards binge eating, takeaways or highly processed foods as a result of boredom, depression or immobility. These can have long terms impacts on their health, bringing an array of potential health problems. 

If workers prioritise nutrition, they can assist  their body in recovery from illness or injury. 

When a wound occurs, the body releases stress hormones resulting in metabolic changes so it can supply the injured area with the nutrients it needs to heal. Known as the catabolic phase, it can be prolonged if the body is not supplying adequate nutrients. Through optimising nutrition intake, wounds are given the best chance to heal.

• Vitamin A has an anti-oxidant effect, and helps the immune system
• Vitamin B helps with the formation of anti-bodies
• Iron prevents anaemia 
• Zinc helps with cell formation.
• Protein helps the body to repair

Prior to an operation

It’s been found that between 30% and 50% of surgical patients are poorly nourished. This can result in a reduction in lean muscle mass, alterations in respiratory activity, reduced immunity and a slow working colon or gut. The result is that wounds health more slowly, wounds are more likely to become infected, and there are more likely to be complications.

In the lead up to surgery, it is worth letting patients know they can improve their well-being by consuming a healthy diet, particularly as major trauma and surgical stress change the rate of absorption of nutrients.

Following an operation

Immediately following an operation, there may be a loss of appetite. It can help for patients to eat small, frequent meals during this time. It’s possible that the total amount of food may be more than is usually eaten – but that’s okay. Patients should avoid consuming too many carbohydrates and make sure that they eat plenty of proteins. Protein is contained in foods such as chicken, cheese, milk, eggs, fish, tofu and soy. 

When recovering, it can be easy for people to forget to drink enough fluids. The intake needs to remain high, around two litres per day. This could be water, milk drinks or fruit juice containing vitamin C.

It’s best to limit foods which are processed, low GI, high in sugar or high in saturated fats as these can trigger inflammation. Anti-inflammatory foods include oily fish, berries, orange and yellow fruit, vegetables (including leafy greens, tomatoes, peppers and beetroot) and spices such as ginger and turmeric.

What can the workplace do?

• Provide health education for staff, including nutritional advice
• Provide fact sheets about healthy food choices
• Encourage workers to talk to their doctor and/or an accredited nutritionist about their diet
• Talk to workers with a work injury about what they can do to assist themselves, offer support such as referral for advice if needed
• Develop a healthy food and drink workplace policy (including healthy catering)