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The Problem of Changing Food Habits Report of the Committee on Food Habits 1941-1943 (1943) / Chapter Skim
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A Study of the Effect of Odd-Shifts Upon the Food Habits of War Workers
Pages 82-84

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From page 82...
... In February of ~94~, 4070 of all war workers were on atypical work shifts A study of ~o8 war workers in Seattle and Bremerton, Washington, attempted to answer two broad questions concerning the effects of these atypical shifts: ~) what are the implications for food habits of working on orate of the two atypical work shifts; ~)
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From page 83...
... Although there is no significant difference in the number of hours of sleep the typical graveyard shifter gets as compared to the number of hours of sleep of the average swing shifter, the lower average hours of sleep of the night worker is found to be suggestive. Over one-fourth of those on the graveyard shift sleep' less than seven hours a night while only about 47o secure that little sleep on the swing shift.
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From page 84...
... Problem areas, then, center about these points: poor plant cafeterias; no cafeteria; poor restaurants in the plant area, often inaccessible; lack of eating facilities for the graveyard shifters; failure of older workers to adjust eating end sleeping habits to odd-shift requirements; difficulty of food habit adjustment on the swing shift; difficulty of sleeping adjustment on the graveyard shift; nutritional deficiencies on both shifts; interference of recreational needs with physical needs, and vice versa; family problems caused by the new occupational rhythms. Recommendations called for include: at least a half-hour period, preferably with pay, if efficiency is actually found to be speeded by the longer period of time; adequate cafeteria service for all shifts; sale of well-balanced lunches in plants; nutritional education for heads of families and of boarding houses; an industrial policy of putting older men on day shift except where odd-shift is specifically requested; pooling of information concerning daily schedules through governmental studies and trade-union workers, followed by suggestions to workers; cooperation between agencies interested in recreational and food habits; segregation of workers on separate shifts, where possible, in boarding houses and in governmental defense housing projects; well-equipped, adequately staffed nursery schools for small- children; careful consideration of requests for shift change where reason centers about shift status of other members of the family.
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Key Terms

  • graveyard shift
  • food habits
  • graveyard shifter
  • war workers
  • day shift

  • boarding houses
  • occupational rhythms
  • swing shifter
  • work shifts
  • shift begins

  • habit adjustment
  • atypical work
  • significant difference
  • shift workers
  • food habit

  • shift worker
  • sleeping habits
  • eating facilities
  • usually associated
  • workers sleeping

  • night worker
  • careful consideration
  • nutritional deficiencies
  • sleeping hours
  • eating dinner

  • individual workers
  • proper nutrition
  • shift except
  • workers lack
  • night following


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