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Associations between shift type, sleep, mood, and diet in a group of shift working nurses
This recent 2019 study addresses the lack of research on how factors associated with shift work and diet, such as sleep and mood, can have an impact upon shift workers’ diets, and thus investigates the relationship between the four: shift work, sleep, mood and diet. A total of 52 nurses (46 female, mean age 39.8) participated in a 14-day within- and between- subjects design study, having mood measured in the form of happiness, anxiety, depressive mood, stress and tiredness) using visual analog scales, as well as their sleep through actigraphy, and macronutrient and energy intake (in kilojoules) through a foodworks nutrition software. Food diaries were completed for a minimum of three days per shift type (morning, afternoon, night). The covariates (demographic and work-related variables) were used to select predictors, which were used in the final model if deemed important. The results showed that working an afternoon shift was associated with a lower energy intake and lower levels of stress (both p-values<0.01) compared to morning and night shifts. Higher levels of stress were associated with a higher energy intake (β=35.3, P<0.01) and a higher percentage of fat (ß=0.1, P=0.05) and saturated fat (β=0.1, P<0.01). Compared to the other shift types, morning shift was associated with lower carbohydrates (β= -4.3, P<0.01) and night shift was associated with lower protein (β= -2.7, P=0.03). Lower sleep efficiency was associated with a higher carbohydrate intake (β= -0.4, P<0.01) and a lower protein intake (β=0.25, P<0.01). This study suggests that afternoon shifts are associated with lower energy consumption compared to morning and night shifts, while negative mood (stress, depression, anxiety) was found to be associated with higher fat intake. Negative mood mediated the association between shift type and energy intake. Therefore Heath and co. (2019) state that dietary interventions for shift workers should also consider mood and shift type into their strategy. [NPID: performance, shift work, sleep, mood, nurse health, happiness, anxiety, depressive mood, stress, tiredness, depression, anxiety, morning shift, night shift, sleep efficiency]
Year: 2019
