Qualité de l’alimentation, activité physique et image corporelle d’adultes actifs : comparaison selon le rythme de travail (régulier jour/travail posté)

Objectives

A healthy diet, regular physical activity and a positive body image are essential elements to maintain the physical and mental health of employees. The objective was to describe these aspects in workers, comparing those working during the day with those with cyclical work.

Materials and methods

Cross-sectional study by questionnaire divided into two groups according to the work rhythm: 140 day workers (DW) and 106 shift workers (SW). The data collected concerned their diet, physical activity, body image and anthropometric measurements.

Results

The study involved 246 men (age: 35.0 ± 8.1 years old). Smoking was dominant (89.8%; P = 0.0000). The average daily energy intake was 1861.2 ± 800.9 kcal/day (60.3% carbohydrates, 16.9% proteins, 22.6% lipids), with no difference between the two groups (P = 0.3671). The mean score of the Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I) was 56.2 ± 9.3 points, with no difference between DW and SW (P = 0.1439). Non-athletes were predominant (55.3%; P = 0.0190). Employees spent 2.1 ± 1.4 hours/day in a sedentary position outside of work and DWs slept more (P = 0.0381). Excess weight was present in 54.1%. Among the employees, 31.7% had an erroneous perception of their body weight (under or overestimation). Body dissatisfaction concerned 59.8%.

Conclusion

SWs seemed to have similar aspects to DWs. Workers’ health is a global issue that requires interventions by occupational medicine, adapted to their specific needs, and beneficial for both individuals and the company.