The Impact of Shift Work on the Lifestyle and Well-being of Emergency Physicians: A Comprehensive Examination of Eating Habits and Health Behaviors

Aim: Shift work causes unhealthy changes in sleep patterns, physical activity, and eating habits. We evaluated emergency physicians’ eating habits and health behaviors and how shift work affects them. Materials and Methods: A survey questionnaire consisting of 40 questions was administered to Turkish emergency physicians at the international emergency medicine (EM) congresses held in 2018 by Turkey’s two major EM societies. Results: A total of 278 emergency physicians were divided into the non-shift group (n=55) and the shift group (n=223). Most experienced depression (73.4%) and some reported sleep problems (45%) and irritability (34.2%). No shift effect was detected on most eating habits, body mass index, regular exercise, and self-perceived health status. The shift group statistically had fewer positive considerations about hospital food and was more likely to order or eat from different alternatives. Conclusion: Emergency physicians in our study suffered from sleep problems, mood disorders, unhealthy dietary routines, and limited physical activity, which did not particularly differ by shift work. The generalizability of the findings is limited.