Shiftwork Is Associated with Higher Food Insecurity in U.S. Workers: Findings from a Cross-Sectional Study (NHANES)

Maximilian Andreas Storz, Gianluca Rizzo and Mauro Lombardo
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Maximilian Andreas Storz: Center for Complementary Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine II, Freiburg University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Univerity of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
Gianluca Rizzo: Independent Researcher, Via Venezuela 66, 98121 Messina, Italy
Mauro Lombardo: Department of Human Sciences and Promotion of the Quality of Life, San Raffaele Roma Open University, 00166 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 5, 1-14

Abstract: The number of shift workers has increased substantially within the last decades to keep pace with the increasingly complex societal need for 24 h services. Shift work has been associated with unhealthy lifestyles and a lower overall diet quality. Little is known, however, with regard to food security and consumer behavior in shift workers. The present study sought to address this gap in the literature, exploring a sample of n = 4418 day workers and n = 1065 shift workers in the United States. Using cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES, 2007–2010), we found that shiftwork was associated with a lower amount of money spent on eating out and higher food insecurity issues. Compared to day workers, a higher proportion of shift workers reported receipt of food stamps (12.5% vs. 23.4%, p < 0.001) and worried about running out of food (3.95% vs. 8.05%, p < 0.001). These associations remained significant after adjustment for confounders when using multivariate logistic regression. The number of not-home-prepared meals did not differ between both groups. In light of the population health disparities and adverse health outcomes associated with food insecurity, novel strategies are urgently warranted to improve the situation of shift workers.

Keywords: diet; nutrition; shiftwork; work schedule; consumer behavior; food security; eating habits; away-from-home meals; NHANES; food availability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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