Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/3109

Title

Assessment of the nutritional habits and perceptions of shiftworking police officers

Author(s)

Bull, Diane F.;  Knowles, Simon R.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the nutritional status of police officers in comparison to the recommendations by the Australian Department of Health & Ageing (ADHA, 1998). Sixtyseven subjects completed the Nutritional Status Questionnaire (NSQ) that investigates dietary habits (average number of healthy meals, average servings of vegetables, average servings of dairy products, average servings of meat products; average servings of fruits, and average servings of cereals and/or grains) and perceptions (perceived nutritional status, perceived nutritional status in comparison to workmates and immediate family). Supporting the hypothesis was the finding that subjects reported lower than the recommended average daily intake of five servings of vegetables; two servings of dairy products; two servings of fruit; and four servings of cereal or grains. Not supporting the hypothesis was the finding that subjects tended to report eating more than recommended one serving of meat products per day. Pearson’s correlation coefficients provided evidence of a significant positive relationship between dietary perceptions (nutritional status in comparison to workmates and immediate family) and average number of meals consumed each day, and average diet scores. Other findings from this study were that 44% of subjects reported not consuming any tea; 27.8% of subjects reported not consuming any coffee; 91% subjects reported not consuming any hot chocolate; 42% of subjects reported not consuming any alcohol on after work; 41.8% subjects in reported not consuming any alcohol on days away from work. Sixty-nine percent of subjects in this study did not smoke. The findings from this study provide evidence towards the possible adverse impact of shiftwork on an individual’s dietary habits and perceptions.

Publication type

Conference abstract

Research centre

Swinburne University of Technology. Faculty of Life and Social Sciences

Source

Proceedings of the 16th International Symposium of Night and Shiftwork, October 2002, Bali, Indonesia

Publication year

2003

Publisher URL

http://time.iguw.tuwien.ac.at/nov2003toc.htm