Effect of Healthy Lunch and Snack Meal on Reaction Time and Well-being of Physicians and Nursing Staff (Go-No-Go)

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Nutrition Intervention
• Interventions: Other: Dietary treatment

• Registration Number: NCT01739569
• Lead Sponsor: Copenhagen University Hospital at Herlev

Brief Summary

The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of increased availability of healthy food and drink during working hours on reaction time and well-being in physicians and nursing staff.

Hospital medical staff often works long and hectic hours, without adequate meal or rest breaks in order to provide 24-hour care. This is a concern, as not only the staff's well-being is important to the individual welfare, but it is also vital to the quality and safety of the care their patients receive. The investigators believe that by focusing on physicians and nursing staffs nutrition the investigators will see a positive effect on staff performance and well-being - and thus ultimately possibly on patient safety.

Hypothesis: The provision of healthy lunch and snack meal during working hours for a period of 4 weeks will improve reaction time and well-being compared to habitual diet in physicians, nurses and nursing assistants.

Detailed Description

The study is designed as a randomised controlled 2 x 4 weeks cross-over trial, initiated with a 1-week run-in period. The study sample will consist of 60 volunteer physicians, nurses and nursing assistants from Herlev University Hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark. A healthy lunch and snack meal meeting the current danish diet recommendations will be delivered daily during all working days in the intervention period. During the control period, the participants are requested to maintain their habitual dietary intake at work. Reaction time will be assessed by reaction time test Go/No-Go, a subtest of Test-battery for Attention Performance. Changes in mood will be measured by the Profile of Mood State questionnaire. In addition, dietary intake, level of physical activity and palatability of the intervention diet will be registered.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2012-08
• Study First Submitted: 2012-11-22
• Study First Submitted QC: 2012-11-29
• Primary Completion: 2012-12
• Study Completion: 2012-12
• Study First Posted: 2012-12-03
• Status Verified: 2022-12
• Last Update Submitted: 2022-12-20
• Last Update Posted: 2022-12-21

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 60

Inclusion Criteria

• Employed in Herlev University Hospital as physician, nurse or nursing assistant (males and females)
• Age 20-70 years
• BMI 18,5-30 kg/m2
• Work at least 30 h/wk
• Have daily contact with patients and/or have responsibilities that may affect patient safety
• Primarily work in day- or evening shifts during the study period
• Not having any intentions of loosing weight or changing lifestyle habits during the study period
• Not suffer from any diseases that might affect dietary intake (e.g. food allergies, food intolerance)
• Not dine in the staff canteen, the Diastole, more than once a week
• Be able to write and understand the Danish language

Exclusion Criteria

• For those working >35 h/wk having holiday/ time off duty for more than 9 consecutive days during the study period.
• For those working <35 h/wk having holiday/time off duty for more than 5 consecutive days during the study period
• Not to be able to attend the planned tests in the study
• Pregnancy
• Intensive physical exercise (e.g. strength training) > 5 hours/wk
• Suffer from food allergies or - intolerance

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: CROSSOVER

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Dietary treatment	Dietary treatment	Dietary treatment with healthy lunch and snack meal during working hours

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Reaction-time	week 0, week 5 and week 9	Differences in reaction-time, as measured by the reaction time test Go/No-Go, a subtest of Test-battery for Attentional Performance from baseline (week 0) to week 4 in the intervention period and week 4 in the control period.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Palatability of the diet eaten during working hours	Week 0, week 5 and week 9	Differences in palatability of the intervention diet compared to the control diet measured by scores using a specific and standardized Visual Analouge Scale (VAS-scores).
Well-being	Week 0, week 5 and week 9	Differences in selfreported well-being, as measured by the POMS Questionaire (McNair et.al. Manual of the Profile of Mood States. San Diego:Educational and Industrial Testing Service;1981) form baseline (week 0) to week 4 in the intervention period and week 4 in the control period.
Dietary intake	Week 0, week 5, week 9	Differences in dietary intake with respect to macronutrient composition, meal pattern and choice of food items measured by self-reported records during 4 working days using a standardized dietary record form
Physical activity	Week 0, week 5, week 9	Differences in 24-hours physical activity measured by self-reported records during four working days using a standardized physical activity record form.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

EFFECT, Copenhagen University Hospital at Herlev; 🇩🇰 Herlev, Copenhagen, Denmark