A pilot study to assess the impact of nutritional intervention on the suboptimal health of caregiver-employees

Purpose To investigate the suboptimal health status and the impact of a nutritional intervention on caregivers-employees (CEs). Method The study was conducted in Hong Kong, which has a high employment rate and a high elderly dependency ratio, thereby placing a considerable burden of care on working individuals. Carers aged ≥18 with paid employment, literacy in either English or Chinese, and access to the Internet, currently providing care to at least one adult aged ≥65 with chronic conditions. A pre- and post-test research design was adopted to assess the impact of a dietary intervention (a two-month pilot program comprising nutritional assessments, individualized dietary advice, and follow-up sessions with registered dietitians) on the health status of CEs using the Suboptimal Health Status Questionnaire (SHSQ-25). Results Seventeen CEs, all females, participated in this pilot study. Although 70.6% of the participants thought they needed additional help to meet their work-caregiving responsibilities, only 47.06% had sought help. Fifteen participants (88.24%) had suboptimal health status based on the SHSQ-25 cutoff score of <35, which decreased to 70.59% at the one-month post-intervention follow-up. The overall post-intervention SHSQ-25 (mean±SD = 43.82±14.42 vs. 49.06±13.045; p =0.0077) and the fatigue subscale (27.65±6.53 vs. 30.0±5.01; p =0.0285) scores were significantly lower than baseline scores. The scores of the cardiovascular, digestive, immune, and mental status subscales remained unchanged. Conclusions Our findings warrant further large-scale studies to confirm the positive impact of improving nutritional status on the suboptimal health status of CEs.