Abstract
BackgroundThe objective of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the relationships between night shift work, eating habits and body mass index (BMI) among Lebanese nurses.MethodsA total of 307 nurses were randomly selected from five hospitals located in Beirut. Data about demographic and professional characteristics, anthropometric measures, dietary habits and intakes were collected through a validated questionnaire. To study the relationship between night shift work, eating habits and BMI, chi-square test, t-test and logistic regressions were used.ResultsThe majority of nurses (78. 2%) had irregular meals timing with a significant decrease in the number of complete meals consumed during the day and an increase in the number of snacks consumed during night (p < 0. 05). The most consumed snacks during night shifts were sweets and potato chips. The findings highlighted that BMI and waist circumference significantly increased with the number of years of work (r = 0.175; p < 0.05) and the cumulative number of night shifts hours over the entire work history (r = 0.135/p < 0. 05).ConclusionNight shift work is positively associated with abnormal eating patterns and BMI among Lebanese nurses. However the increase in BMI is not related to eating habits.
Highlights
The objective of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the relationships between night shift work, eating habits and body mass index (BMI) among Lebanese nurses
Night shift work is positively associated with abnormal eating patterns and BMI among Lebanese nurses
About 78.2% of nurses had an irregularity in meals timing which contributed to a significant decrease in the number of complete meals consumed during the day after a night shift work (p = 0.000 < 0.05), and to an increase in the number of snacks consumed during night at work (p = 0.015 < 0.05)
Summary
The objective of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the relationships between night shift work, eating habits and body mass index (BMI) among Lebanese nurses. Night shift work is frequent in some professional sectors such as in hospitals, retail sectors, and transportation. The frequent consumption of high sugar and high fat foods and the lack of physical activity observed among night shift nurses can lead to an accumulation of subcutaneous fat [21, 22] with subsequent increase in body weight [25, 26]. No studies have yet been published and/or carried out on night shift work and its effect on eating habits among nurses in Lebanon. This study allowed us to add some values to the scientific literature by evaluating the impact of night shift work on the diet of Lebanese nurses and to determine if there is a possible relationship between night shift work, diet and an increase in BMI
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