Too tired to eat healthily

Almost a third of professionals across the Middle East region (28 per cent) are overworked to the point that they only manage to eat once a day - normally fast food and at night, according to the results of a recent online poll series.

Another 26 per cent of respondents agreed that they were not very healthy, managing to sometimes have lunch and snack on chocolate and other items during the day, while 21 per cent stated that they are healthy enough, and manage to pack a lunch or at least healthy snacks from home.

At the other end of the scale, the results showed that only 17 per cent of professionals manage to eat fairly healthily, making it a point to eat at least two meals during the course of the working day, and only eight per cent considered themselves as very healthy, sticking to an eating plan during the day that includes four to five small meals.

Amer Zureikat, regional manager, of internet jobsite Bayt.com which conducted the research, said: "Eating healthily, at regular intervals, is something that is scientifically proven and widely promoted for overall general physical and even mental health and wellbeing, but the results show that more than half of the region's professionals don't come anywhere near to these guidelines.

This is a very important issue for employers to address: aside from the long term implications that eating irregular and unhealthy meals can have on an individual's health; a poor diet can cause lethargy, loss of concentration and mood and behavioural changes in the workplace, in the short term."

The 'Eating Habits in the Middle East Workplace' June online poll sought to understand from employees how healthy their diet and lifestyle are at work, and what measures, if any, their employers take to promote health and well-being.

The bad eating habits amongst the region's professionals have led a sizable proportion to gain weight. The poll found that only 18 per cent of professionals have stayed the same weight since they started working, while almost two thirds of professionals, 59 per cent, have gained up to 10 kilograms or more.

However, weight loss since starting work was also found to be significant amongst the poll's respondents: 14 per cent of those surveyed said they had lost up to five kilograms, four per cent said they had lost up to 10 kilograms, while five per cent had lost more than 10 kilograms.

The poll went on to ask employees how active they consider themselves to be during the working day. The results were largely split down the middle, with just over half considering themselves as fairly to very active, and the rest either not very active, or not active at all. The results showed that 22 per cent of respondents get so tired during the day; they are unable to exercise after work.

"That more than a fifth of employees are so exhausted by the time they finish work to the point that they can't possibly exercise should perhaps send employers' alarm bells ringing, in terms of how work performance will be affected if employees are tired during the working day to the point where they are incapable of getting active afterwards," said Mr Zureikat.

The trend of work tiring employees to the point of inactivity continued into employees' weekends: 29% stated that by the end of the week they were too exhausted to put more effort into being active on the weekend, while 18 per cent said that they aim for a workout on the weekend but were sometimes too tired. However, 32 per cent of professionals consider themselves as very active and engage in sports and outdoor activities throughout the whole weekend, and another 22 per cent said that they make it a point to engage in sports and other outdoor activities at least one day.

When it came to how far employers currently go to promote a healthy lifestyle for employees, the overwhelming message was 'not far enough': a massive 74 per cent said that their company didn't really do anything to promote a healthy lifestyle. Just 13 per cent of professionals in the region said that they had both a cafeteria with healthy food and a gym at their place of work. Another 9 per cent said that their company had a cafeteria that offers healthy food, and only 4 per cent said there was a company gym that they could use during the lunch break.

"It appears that employers should be doing more for promoting the health and wellbeing of their staff, as it can give employees a greater sense of wellbeing and make them happier, more productive and more committed to their work, added Mr Zureikat.

"What's more, our recent research found that a number of the region's professionals were had health problems as a result of the recession: 27% stated the recession has personally caused them health concerns or issues including stress, and 13% stated that a family member's health had been affected. Promoting health and wellbeing among employees is therefore even more important during these trying economic times."

When it came to what factors would motivate employees to lead a healthier lifestyle at work, the respondents were largely divided: 30% stated that more organisational sports days would motivate them to be healthier, 30% said that it would be a gym with a free subscription, and 26% said that a company cafeteria with healthy food, as opposed to fast food, would encourage them to be healthier.

"If organisations want to enjoy the positive knock-on effects from healthy and happy employees, then they can use this data as a starting point, and assess their existing lifestyle practices," concluded Zureikat. Data for the 'Eating Habits in the Middle East Workplace' June poll series was collected online between the period of 31st May and 13th July 2009, with a total of 12,368 respondents from across the Middle East.