Swift study
Shifting weight in night shift workers
About SWIFt
Do you work at night and want to lose weight?
You’re invited to be part of a world-first study trialling weight loss interventions in night shift workers.
Shift workers, like yourself, are an essential part of our economy and community. In fact, almost 1 in 5 employed Australians are shift workers. But unfortunately, the nature of your work also puts you at a greater risk of weight gain, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. With the challenge of irregular sleeping and eating patterns, this makes traditional weight loss plans hard to follow.
To help combat this issue, we are looking at diet plans that are flexible to the demands of working night shifts. Our SWIFt study will explore these diet plans as a solution to helping shift workers lose weight and live healthier lives.
SWIFt is funded by the National Health and Research Council (NHMRC) and is a joint partnership between Monash University and the University of South Australia.
A partnership with:
What's involved?
SWIFt is focused on finding a suitable diet plan for weight loss in shift workers like yourself, who have little choice but to eat and work at night.
If you meet our eligibility criteria, you will:
- be given a dietary weight loss program to follow for six months
- after this period, follow a one-year weight maintenance program
- visit our Melbourne or Adelaide research centres 13 times over 18 months
- meet with a dietitian at every visit
- have your blood glucose levels, insulin and fats measured, and your body measurements taken throughout the study
During this time, some of your meals will be provided. You’ll also be given a $100 petrol voucher for your time.
Approved by the Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee.
- Monash University HREC ID 18426
- Monash Health HREC Ref: RES-19-0000-462A
- University of Sth Australia HREC ID 202379
How will I benefit?
As a night shift worker, you are at a higher risk of weight gain and chronic diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes. By volunteering for this study, you’re helping our researchers find a suitable diet plan that meets the needs of night shift workers. The outcomes of SWIFt could result in new dietary recommendations that improve the health of night shift workers throughout Australia – and you’ll be playing a key role in helping us get there.
Your individual results from SWIFt may also give you a greater understanding of your own health and empower you to make informed decisions in the future.
Am I Eligible?
Do you work at least 4 night shifts every 2 weeks?
Night shift workers across all industries are invited to participate in SWIFt, including:
- Aviation and airport operations
- Construction
- Emergency response
- Health and welfare
- Hospitality
- Security
- Transport
- And many more
If you have a serious health condition (such as type 1 diabetes), are taking certain medications, or are pregnant, you might not be eligible to participate. Read our eligibility criteria for any restrictions.
Interested in participating in SWIFt? Please complete our 5-minute questionnaire so we can assess if you’re the right candidate for this study. We’ll be in touch soon.
Contact us
Monash University
Dr Marina Iacovou
Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food – BASE Facility.
Phone: (+61) 475 591 695 or (03) 9905 9848
Email: med-swift@monash.edu
University of South Australia
Email: unisa.researchvolunteers@unisa.edu.au
Phone: (08) 83021365