New Survey Reveals more Bad News for Shift Workers

Recent research carried out by the Safefood Organisation into the habits of people who work shifts has found more than 2 in 3 (67%) reported skipping meals on work days and almost 8 in 10 (78%) reported getting insufficient sleep.
The report also found that in certain employment sectors, 1 in 3 shift workers were smokers, this rate
is significantly higher than those in the general population.

The research also suggests that a lack of breaks, shift patterns, poor availability of food, inadequate canteen opening times, and tiredness due to long working hours were the most common barriers to healthier lifestyles.
It found workers in the health service were among the most likely to skip meals and get insufficient sleep, while 51 per cent were overweight. In the manufacturing sector, 64 per cent were overweight and 30 per cent were smokers.

Gender and age were also identified by the report as being influencing factors, men for instance, reported poorer dietary habits than women and were more likely to report being overweight. Younger shift workers reported poorer dietary habits and higher alcohol consumption rates than older workers. Older workers reported poorer sleep patterns and lower levels of physical activity.

“We looked at existing studies in this area, as well as surveying more than 1,000 people to better understand the factors that influence their food and related lifestyle habits while working shift hours,” said Clare Corish, associate professor at UCD’s School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science.

“What’s noticeable from the research is how skipping meals, inadequate physical activity and insufficient sleep are commonly noted by shift workers as behaviours that impact upon them,” she said. “We’re also seeing how the different workplace sectors play a role in those behaviours and how complex that can be.”
For example: “Health and social care workers have poorer access to healthier food options, and often an erratic, stressful work schedule, but in general have healthier patterns of food consumption and lower rates of smoking.”

Welcoming the report, Ray Dolan, CEO safefood said “It has been long assumed that shift work has a negative impact on people’s health and increases the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer. With the publication of this research, we’re beginning to address an important gap in our knowledge of both the barriers and potential public health interventions to improving the food and related lifestyle habits of people working shifts.”

The research was led by UCD in partnership with Ulster University and Dublin Institute of Technology.