Assessing the impact of work schedules on sleep, activity, energy balance, and food choice in adults. SWEAT Study (Sleep Work, Energy intake, AcTivity)

Kaur, Varleen (2024) Assessing the impact of work schedules on sleep, activity, energy balance, and food choice in adults. SWEAT Study (Sleep Work, Energy intake, AcTivity). Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

In the contemporary era, characterized by a 24-hour society, it is imperative to examine the consequences of various work schedules on health. Shift work, a prevalent phenomenon in this modern age, significantly influences the behavioural components of one's lifestyle. Disrupted sleep caused by shift work can affect the behavioural regulation of energy intake and expenditure due to circadian rhythm alterations. A large number of regular shift workers are found in Newfoundland and Labrador, but they are an understudied population. It is important to identify modifiable lifestyle factors such as sleep, dietary habits, and physical activity to reduce adverse effects of shift work. The primary objective of this pilot and feasibility study was to determine the practicality of conducting a larger-scale, interventional trial with shift workers. This required evaluating aspects such as recruitment and retention rates, attrition, data collection protocols, adherence to the study protocol, data management, and potential barriers to implementing the intervention approach. The results of this study provide a foundation for further research and offer insights into the feasibility of the intervention. Secondary outcomes included comparing food intake, diet quality, sleep, and physical activity between day and shift workers. This field-based study used both subjective and objective assessments of sleep and physical activity via GENEActiv (actigraphy watch) and two 24-hour dietary recalls. Participants had to complete questionnaires related to demographics, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), Morningness and Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The food intake was measured using the Automated-Self-Administered 24-hour (ASA24) dietary assessment web-based tool. Diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Food Index-2019 (HEFI-2019). Eleven day (41±6 years, 63% females) and thirteen shift (39±8 years, 77% females) workers from different occupations were recruited with a 100% retention rate. Daily self-reported energy and macronutrient intakes were not different between groups. HEFI-2019 score was higher (p=0.04) for shift workers (45±6) compared to day workers (39±5) for food recall 1. Time spent in bed on weekends was higher (p=0.04) for day workers (9±2 hrs) than shift workers (7±1 hrs) from the accelerometer data. Data from IPAQ showed shift workers had higher (p<0.001) work- and transport-related activity compared to day workers. Self-reported time spent in moderate and vigorous physical activity was higher (p=0.02) for shift workers compared with day workers. We found notable differences in the subjectively recorded physical activity parameters (questionnaires), of both the groups, as compared with the objectively recorded physical activity (accelerometry). Greater physical activity can be a parameter to reduce the adverse effects of shift work. These observations suggest that physical activity may be the target of intervention studies.

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