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For shift workers, odd hours usually mean strange sleeping habits and unhealthy meals. And now an editorial in the journal Public Library of Science Medicine takes the position that unhealthy eating associated with unusual working hours could be considered a new form of occupational hazard. Because such eating is a risk factor for obesity and diabetes. ["Poor Diet in Shift Workers: A New Occupational Health Hazard?"]
More than 15 percent of workers in the United States are employed in shifts, with workers taking over for each other so that the establishment can stay open for up to 24 hours a day. Because some shifts take place at night, employees have their circadian rhythms disrupted, and thus their metabolisms.
Taking round the clock shifts also makes eating a good diet and getting sufficient exercise difficult. A recent study in the same journal found an increase in diabetes risk among nurses who performed shift work. [An Pan et al., "Rotating Night Shift Work and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Two Prospective Cohort Studies in Women"]
The editorial suggests not only employee incentives, but also legislation to make healthful diets easy and cheap. It concludes that treating poor eating among shift workers as an occupational hazard is consistent with the history of workplace safety rights.
—Sophie Bushwick
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]
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7 Comments
Add CommentI believe most workplaces allow you to bring a lunch. Most also provide cold storage. So the choice of what you eat is your own.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI agree. Same thing for exercise. I worked on 3rd shift (23:00-07:00) for quite a while & I would stop at the gym on my way home, just after they opened. It was great - never a wait for any of the equipment. I think I actually got healthier while on the night shift.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYes, I don't see the real issue here. As long as refrigeration and a microwave are provided, they can eat just as healthy as anyone else. When I worked shifts, my wife would always cook meals specifically for me to reheat at work. As far as exercise, I could see some issues there, but not insurmountable ones. If you have a schedule like madscientist, you could still hit the gym. If not, there is plenty of exercise you can do without the gym, granted you probably aren't getting the same quality of a workout, but you can do enough to stay healthy.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI don't agree with you. For example, after you had a night shift, you were probably sleeping till next noon. How could you have your lunch while you are sleeping?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisShift workers adjust their meal schedules according to their work hours. The names given to meals become rather ambiguous & flexible when you work off-hous.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisoff-hours
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTotally agree. What you ate has always been your own choice.
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