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

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Nutritional Science
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Shift work is a known risk factor for unhealthy eating patterns.
• Previous studies primarily compared shift vs. non-shift workers.
• Daily fluctuations in food consumption may be influenced by daily experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate within-person associations between shift work and empty calorie food/beverage intake.
• To examine same-day and subsequent-day consumption patterns.
• Focus on rotating shift workers in Taiwan.

Main Methods:

• 14-day intensive longitudinal study design.
• Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) with a food checklist.
• Three-level mixed-effects regression models for analysis.

Main Results:

• Night shift workers showed higher odds of consuming fast/fried food and sugar-sweetened beverages on the same day.
• No significant association found between shift work and subsequent-day empty calorie consumption.
• Analysis included 77 participants and 2444 momentary assessments.

Conclusions:

• Night shift work is associated with increased same-day intake of empty calorie food/beverages.
• Interventions targeting night shift eating behaviors are recommended.
• Reducing empty calorie consumption may improve rotating shift workers' health.