Shift work relationships with same- and subsequent-day empty calorie food and beverage consumption

• Published in: Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health Vol. 46; no. 6; pp. 579 - 588
• Main Authors: Lin, Ting-Ti, Park, Chang, Kapella, Mary C, Martyn-Nemeth, Pamela, Tussing-Humphreys, Lisa, Rospenda, Kathleen M, Zenk, Shannon N
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Finland Finnish Institute of Occupational Health 01-11-2020; Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health; Nordic Association of Occupational Safety and Health; Nordic Association of Occupational Safety and Health (NOROSH)
• Subjects: Adult; beverage consumption; Beverages; calorie; Chronic illnesses; Circadian rhythm; Correlation analysis; Diet; Eating; Eating behavior; ecological momentary assessment; empty calorie; empty calorie food; Feeding Behavior; Female; Food; Food consumption; Food intake; Humans; Male; Night shifts; Nighttime; Nurses; Occupational exposure; Original; Original article; Regression analysis; Regression models; Schedules; Shift work; shift work relationship; Shift Work Schedule; shift worker; Smartphones; Sweet taste; Taiwan; Workers; Working conditions; Young Adult; Taiwan; United States > US
• ISSN: 0355-3140; 1795-990X
• DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.3903

Objectives Shift work may contribute to unhealthy eating behaviors. However, the evidence is built mainly on comparisons of eating behaviors between shift and non-shift workers. Growing research has suggested daily experiences and exposures may contribute to daily fluctuations in people's food consumption. The purpose of this study was to examine within-person associations between shift work and same- and subsequent-day empty calorie food/beverage consumption. Methods This was a 14-day intensive longitudinal study using ecological momentary assessment. A convenience sample of 80 hospital registered nurses working a rotating shift in Taiwan completed a 21-item food checklist assessing their empty food/beverage consumption (ie, fast/fried food, sweet and salty snacks, sugar-sweetened beverages) four times at random daily. Daily shift work (ie, day, evening, or night shift) was derived from the registry-based work schedule. Three-level mixed-effects regression models were employed for hypothesis testing. Results A total of 77 participants with 2444 momentary assessments were included in the final analysis. The results suggested that participants on night compared to day shifts had higher likelihoods of fast/fried food intake [adjusted odds ratio (OR
) 1.7, 95% CI 1.2-2.6] and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption (OR
1.5, 95% CI 1.0-2.1). However, there were no significant associations between shift work and subsequent-day empty calorie food/beverage consumption. Conclusions Night shift work is associated with same-day increased empty calorie food/beverage consumption among workers. Strategies that help to prevent unhealthy eating behaviors on night shifts may help to reduce rotating shift workers' empty calorie food/beverage consumption and ultimately improve their health.