Dietary Behaviors and Dietary Quality are Determined by the Working Hours of Industrial Male Workers Working in Rotating Shifts

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the effect of working hours on the dietary behaviors and dietary quality of male industrial workers employed in rotating shifts. The survey was conducted from February to March 2022, enrolling 209 male workers operating in rotational shifts at industries in the Chungcheongnam-do region. Eating behavior and health awareness were investigated during the morning shift, afternoon shift, and night shift for the same subjects. The shift timings were found to be associated with dietary behavior, which had an impact on the dietary quality of workers. Negative effects of shift timings on diet and health were also perceived by the shift workers. The frequency of alcohol consumption was high during the morning shift, and the frequency of night time snack intake was high during the afternoon shift. During the night shift, there was decreased vegetable intake and increased ramyeon intake. Compared to the morning shift, a significant decrease in dietary quality scores was found during the night shift. The workers recognized that rotating shift work negatively affected health, eating habits and sleep. There was a high demand for providing a variety of menus and healthy night snacks in the company cafeteria. When nutritional counseling and educational health services were provided, the willingness to participate was high. Therefore, to improve the health and dietary quality of shift workers, there is a need to provide diets suitable for the working environment and the characteristics, and to provide nutrition management services.