The association between shift working behaviour and metabolic syndrome among employees in a hospital setting: protocol for a comparative cross-sectional study

Background Strong evidence exists that shift workers are more susceptible to metabolic syndrome (MetS), with most of this research coming from Western countries. However, South Asians who exhibit an inherently higher risk for the MetS due to their unique body composition and lifestyle factors have not been widely studied. This study aims to determine the association between shift work and MetS in a South Asian population and to assess whether their lifestyle behaviours and body composition have an additional detrimental effect on the disease. The study will be conducted as a comparative cross-sectional study at the Nawaloka Hospital, Colombo, Sri Lanka. A sample of 74 regular day workers and shift workers will be recruited for the study. Firstly, the shift workers group (n=37) will be selected using a stratified random sampling technique. Then a comparison group of day workers (n=37) will be selected after matching for age and gender in a