Abstract
Nutritional knowledge, economic, social, biological and cultural factors have been known
to determine an individual’s food choice and intake. Despite the existence of research on the factors
which influence nutrition globally, there is little known about the extent to which these factors
influence the nutrition of construction workers, which in turn influences their health and safety
performance during construction activities. The present paper investigates the extent to which
construction workers’ nutrition is influenced by knowledge, economic, social, biological and
cultural factors. A field questionnaire survey was conducted on site construction workers in the
Gauteng Province of South Africa. Principal components analysis and multiple regression analysis
were used to analyze the data. Findings revealed that consumption of foods termed alternative
foods including dairy products, eggs, nuts, fish and cereals, was influenced by nutritional
knowledge and resources. Foods termed traditional core foods were identified to be influenced by
cultural background; foods termed secondary core foods comprising fruits and vegetables were
reported to be influenced by economic factors, resources and cultural background; while foods
termed core foods were mostly influenced by nutritional knowledge. By providing evidence of the
factors which most influence selection and consumption of certain foods by construction workers,
relevant nutrition interventions will be designed and implemented, taking cognizance of these
factors.