The Nutrition of Male Industrial Workers with Particular Reference to Intake and Expenditure of Calories

Abstract

A previous pilot study (Ministry of Health, 1950) showed that calorie intake did not on the average vary between groups of men doing work of different degrees of activity. The result was contrary to what might have been expected; the present larger study was made to investigate further the relationship between heaviness of work and calorie intake. Another object was to develop survey methods for assessing the proportions of the calorie intake spent by industrial workers on various activities. The opportunity was taken during the survey of collecting certain medical and physiological data for industrial workers. The objects of the study, which was a new development in the survey field, were in general successfully achieved. The study showed that the necessary information could be collected by survey methods, but that there are difficulties in interpretation and that, in particular, further study of job assessment and more data on standards of calorie expenditure for various activities are required.