Associations between hedonic hunger, diet quality, mindful eating, sleep quality, and occupational stress in shift and non-shift hospital employees

This cross-sectional study investigates the association between hedonic hunger and lifestyle and nutritional factors among hospital employees with different work schedules. A total of 220 healthcare professionals participated. Hedonic hunger, mindful eating, sleep quality, occupational stress, and diet quality were evaluated using validated scales. Compared to non-shift workers, those on rotating shifts had significantly higher levels of hedonic hunger (<i>p</i> = 0.013) and job stress (<i>p</i> < 0.001), alongside lower mindful eating scores (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Hedonic hunger was moderately correlated with poorer sleep quality (<i>r</i> = 0.335, <i>p</i> < 0.001) and increased job stress (<i>r</i> = 0.333, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that poor sleep quality increased the likelihood of elevated hedonic hunger by 27.8%, retaining significance after adjusting for age and sex (24.7%). Job stress was associated with a 3.0% increase in hedonic hunger risk. These findings highlight the need to integrate stress reduction, mindful eating, and sleep optimisation strategies, especially for shift-working healthcare professionals.