Chronotype and its association with eating behaviour and psychosocial well-being in shift workers: A systematic review.
Emmanuel Ngelayang Franky Giltelin, Nur Islami Mohd Fahmi Teng, Siti Nor Ismalina Isa et al.
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In 30 seconds
This systematic review examined how chronotype relates to eating behaviour and psychosocial well-being among adult shift workers. Twenty-nine studies met the inclusion criteria; participants were primarily nurses and other healthcare workers, with some from manufacturing and service sectors. Evening chronotypes were consistently associated with less healthy dietary patterns and poorer psychosocial outcomes than morning or intermediate types, including higher reported depression, anxiety, stress, emotional exhaustion, and burnout. Misalignment between chronotype and work schedule was associated with worse outcomes, while alignment was associated with better job satisfaction and well-being. The abstract reports no pooled quantitative effect estimate.
Key findings
- Across 29 included studies, evening chronotypes were associated with irregular meal timing, breakfast skipping, delayed eating, and greater energy-dense food consumption.
- Evening types were reported to have higher depression, anxiety, stress, emotional exhaustion, and burnout than morning and intermediate types.
- Chronotype–schedule misalignment was associated with worse outcomes; alignment was associated with improved job satisfaction and well-being.
- Sleep disturbances were more common in evening types than in morning and intermediate types.
Why it matters
The review suggests that chronotype may help explain differences in dietary habits, sleep, and psychosocial well-being among shift workers. These patterns are relevant to workplace health because shift schedules can coincide with workers’ natural sleep–wake preferences. However, the evidence described is associative, and the review identifies a need for longitudinal and interventional research to clarify causal pathways and assess workplace strategies.
What to keep in mind
The review reports that future longitudinal and interventional research is needed to establish causal pathways and evaluate chronotype-based workplace interventions.