Abstract

STOLTE, Desire; HENNINGTON, Élida Azevedo  and  BERNARDES, Jefferson de Souza. The meaning of food and health: a contribution to the analysis of the Workers' Nutrition Program. Cad. Saúde Pública [online]. 2006, vol.22, n.9, pp. 1915-1924. ISSN 0102-311X.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-311X2006000900023.

This study aimed to analyze how the Workers' Nutrition Program (WNP) is being implemented in a leather shoe factory in the Vale dos Sinos region of Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used. Demographic, socioeconomic, and anthropometric data were used for descriptive purposes. Discursive data pertaining to the meaning of food and health in the context of the WNP were obtained through focus groups. It is argued that workers in this industry have considerable knowledge about the relationship between food and health. However, the WNP itself is less familiar and fails in its objective of health promotion. The article recommends that nutritionists implement educational practices in the workplace. With regard to public policy in nutrition, a more critical approach should be included in the debate, to contemplate the regionalization and decentralization of workers' health policies, allowing the inclusion of inter-sector, interdisciplinary, and multi-professional perspectives rather than focusing only on specific nutritional issues.

Keywords : Nutrition Programmes and Policies; Occupational Health; Feeding.