Circadian disruption and its relationship with obesity in the workers of a private health institution in Cúcuta

Abstract

Introduction: The human body has a biological clock which is a natural time device that controls the circadian cycle. It is made up of physical, mental, and behavioral changes, and responds to light. When this is affected by factors such as not sleeping well, there are usually alterations at the hormonal and digestive levels, among others, which can lead a person to trigger obesity, and this leads to an increased risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Objective: To evaluate the relationship between the circadian disruption of the sleep-wake cycle with the risk of developing obesity in workers of a private health institution in the year 2023. Methodology: An observational, cross-sectional, descriptive study will be conducted, not experimental. The population that will participate in the research will be health professionals from a private health institution in the city of Cúcuta. The Horne and Östberg morning-evening questionnaire and anthropometric measurements were used. Results: Regarding the prevalence of overweight, it was 42.24% and obesity 14.66%. On the other hand, regarding circadian disruption, it was shown that 56.9% have a moderate morning chronotype and 34.38% have an intermediate chronotype, which means that most of them perform better in daytime work shifts. Finally, it was evident that the few people who had an evening chronotype do not have problems with overweight and obesity, unlike the people whose chronotype was intermediate or morning in whom there are problems of overweight in 42.6% and obesity in 14.78. %. Conclusion: Most health workers in the studied population who have alterations in the circadian cycle have problems with overweight (42.24%) and obesity (14.66%).