The factors influencing the eating behaviour of shiftworkers: what, when, where and why

Shiftwork leads to altered eating patterns, with workers often eating foods at all times across the 24 h period. Strategies to reduce the burden of shiftwork on the workers should be prioritised and altering these eating patterns is an important area for change. This narrative review examines the cu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Industrial Health 2019, Vol.57(4), pp.419-453
Main Authors: GUPTA, Charlotte C., COATES, Alison M., DORRIAN, Jill, BANKS, Siobhan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Demographic aspects
Eating
Eating at night
Eating behavior
Environmental factors
Food
Food and nutrition
Food habits
Food sources
Forecasts and trends
Health aspects
Influence
Meal timing
Nightshift
Review
Safety
Shift work
Shiftwork
Workers
Working hours
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Summary:Shiftwork leads to altered eating patterns, with workers often eating foods at all times across the 24 h period. Strategies to reduce the burden of shiftwork on the workers should be prioritised and altering these eating patterns is an important area for change. This narrative review examines the current evidence on the individual and environmental factors influencing the eating behaviours of shiftworkers. A systematic search was conducted and yielded 62 articles. These were split into four themes that influence eating patterns; When shiftworkers eat, What type of foods shiftworkers eat, Where the food is sourced from, and Why shiftworkers choose to eat on shift. Irregular working hours was the biggest influence on when workers ate on shift, shift-type was the biggest influence on what workers ate, the majority of food was sourced from canteens and cafeterias, and socialising with colleagues was the biggest reason why workers chose to eat. While more research is needed to explore multiple industries and shift-types, and to investigate the ideal size, type and timing of food on shift, this review has highlighted that future research into shiftworker eating needs to adopt an integrative approach and consider the different individual and social contexts that influence eating patterns.
ISSN:0019-8366
1880-8026
DOI:10.2486/indhealth.2018-0147