The eating habits of the workers at work and the factors related to the subject

ABSTRACT This research has been conducted regarding the aim to identify the eating habits of the people working at Ankara Provincial Directorate of Agriculture, and their practice of bringing their lunch together with them and eating it at work, and to determine the factors related to that practice. The total number of the people on which the research had been done is 243, 162 of which are female and 81 of which are male. With the inquiry applied on the people on whom the research is done, their weekly frequency of consumption and the kinds of nourishments they consume daily is found. Their height and weight are determined and their body-mass index are calculated. By taking the day on which the research had been done as the criterion, it is found out their condition of skipping the meal, and how they spend the lunch meal. The percentage of those who eat three meals a day is 68.3%. It is found out that 48.2% of them bring lunch once or twice a week. The ones who always bring lunch make 16.9% of them. The three most important reasons why the workers bring their lunch with them are given levels according to their importance degree (the most important 3, the second most important 2, the least important 1) and the average and the standard aviation are calculated. According to that, women think the most important point is the cleanliness of the food (2.17, ±6.84), whereas men give their not liking the food prepared at work (2.26, ±4.97) as the most important reason. 93% of both the male and the female workers eat lunch with their friends or in the room they work, at the office during the days they bring their lunch with them. 58% of the workers cannot consume the meals to be consumed warmly at the required warmth. 38.7% of them preserve their lunch in their drawers. %47.3 of those who took part in the research, as far as the physical conditions and hygiene are concerned, found the status of equipment, %45.3 of them found cleanliness, %41.2 of them found space, %36.2 of them found air conditioning and %27.2 of them found the enlightment not enough. By their educational status, 58.8% of these people are not quite satisfied with the practice of bringing lunch and having it at work. 35.0%> of women do not like this practice because they cannot wash the dishes, and 34.5% of men do not like it because they cannot eat in the table manners. 28.3% of the workers have no expectation from the institution as far as the nutrition is concerned. It is discovered that those who have expectations (20%) expect more different kinds of food to be given, more qualified oil to be used, the food to be prepared less oily and and less salty. Key words: Nutrition, eating at work, eating habits, lunch. IV