Health and Nutritional Status of Irregular Shiftworkers: A Cross-Sectional Study in South Zagros Oil and Gas Production Company

Background: Irregular working times or atypical working schedules, accompanied by the risk of unhealthy dietary habits, physical inactivity, and partial sleep deprivation, potentially lead to increased metabolic risk factors. This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional status, physical activity level, and the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of South Zagros Oil and Gas Production Company (SZOGPC) employees (predominantly irregular-shift workers) toward diet and nutrition.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from January to October 2017 on 997 SZOGPC workers. Demographic characteristics, anthropometric measures, biochemical markers, physical activity status, KAP, and dietary intake of the employees were assessed and analyzed. The offered menus were also analyzed.Results: The participants’ mean age was 37.0±6.7 years; the majority of them were married (88.2%) and had irregular-shift work (85.6%). Approximately four-fifths of the participants were either pre-obese or obese, and two-thirds had central obesity. Over half of the participants had high serum triglyceride concentrations and inadequate high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Alkaline phosphatase and alanine transaminase levels were higher than the normal range in 79.0% and 36.2% of the subjects, respectively. The KAP survey showed that only 28-31% of the interviewed participants had acceptable KAP subscale or total scores on the principles related to weight gain and obesity. The mean energy intake was almost 50% more than the average recommendations.Conclusion: Irregular-shift workers appear to be at increased health risk, particularly in terms of acquiring non communicable diseases. Effective lifestyle interventions such as nutrition education and basic menu changes must be considered as a major priority to promote health in such populations.