Open AccessA cross‐sectional study of the association between frequency of telecommuting and unhealthy dietary habits among Japanese workers during the COVID‐19 pandemic
Author(s) -
Kubo Yoshiko,
Ishimaru Tomohiro,
Hino Ayako,
Nagata Masako,
Ikegami Kazunori,
Tateishi Seiichiro,
Tsuji Mayumi,
Matsuda Shinya,
Fujino Yoshihisa
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of occupational health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 59
ISSN - 1348-9585
DOI - 10.1002/1348-9585.12281
Subject(s) - telecommuting , medicine , demography , meal , logistic regression , odds ratio , cross sectional study , environmental health , pandemic , covid-19 , work (physics) , mechanical engineering , disease , pathology , sociology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , engineering
Objective Due to the COVID‐19 pandemic, telecommuting has become a new way of working that has not only changed individuals’ work, but also their health and lifestyle. We examined the relationship between telecommuting frequency and unhealthy dietary habits among Japanese workers. Methods A total of 33,302 workers completed an Internet survey about telecommuting and dietary habits. Data from 13,468 office workers who telecommuted were analyzed. Telecommuting frequency during the COVID‐19 pandemic was extracted from a questionnaire. The odds ratios (ORs) of four types of dietary habits, namely, skipping breakfast, solitary eating, lower meal frequency, and meal substitution associated with telecommuting frequency were estimated using multilevel logistic regression nested in the prefecture of residence to control for differences in residential area. Results The multivariate OR of skipping breakfast was 1.15 (95% CI: 1.03–1.29, p = .013) for participants who telecommuted in excess of four days per week compared to those who rarely telecommuted. Similarly, the OR of solitary eating, lower meal frequency and meal substitution were 1.44 (95% CI: 1.28–1.63, p < .001), 2.39 (95% CI: 1.66–3.44, p < .001), and 1.26 (95% CI: 1.04–1.51, p = .015) for those who telecommuted in excess of four days per week compared to those who rarely telecommuted. There was a statistically significant increase in the dose‐response trend in ORs of solitary eating ( p for trend <.001), lower meal frequency ( p for trend <.001), and meal substitution ( p for trend = .001) with increasing telecommuting frequency. Conclusion Telecommuters may develop unhealthy dietary habits, indicating the need for strategies to help telecommuters manage their nutrition and diet.