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Completed

NCT Number: NCT01739569

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

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.

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Key information

Conditions

Nutrition Intervention Behavior Personal Satisfaction Psychological Well-Being

Age range

20 year–70 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

EFFECT, Copenhagen University Hospital at Herlev

Herlev, Copenhagen, 2730, Denmark

About this study

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.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

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

Treatment and study plan

dietary treatment

Other

Dietary treatment with healthy lunch and snack meal during working hours

Primary outcomes

  1. Reaction-time

    Time frame: 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 outcomes

  1. Dietary intake

    Time frame: 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

  2. Physical activity

    Time frame: 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.

  3. Palatability of the diet eaten during working hours

    Time frame: 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).

  4. Well-being

    Time frame: 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.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Copenhagen University Hospital at Herlev

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Long-term Effect of Healthy Lunch and Snack Meal on Reaction Time and Well-being: A Randomised Controlled Intervention in Physicians and Nursing Staff.

Important dates

Study start
2012
Primary completion
2012
Study completion
2012
First posted
Dec 3, 2012
Registry last updated
Dec 21, 2022

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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