Title:The Linkage “Body Mass Index-Insomnia Levels-Eating Disorder Flexibility”
in Italian Nurses During the Covid-19 Outbreak: A Psychoendocrinological
Employment Disease
Volume: 22
Issue: 5
Author(s): Elsa Vitale*, Vito Galatola, Rocco Mea, Francesca Di Dio and Anna Canonico
Affiliation:
- Centre of Mental Health, Modugno, Local Health Company, Bari, Italy
Keywords:
Body mass index, Covid-19, eating disorder, insomnia disorder, nurse, psychoendocrinological disease.
Abstract:
Aim: To evaluate differences between insomnia condition and the flexibility attitude to
eat in Italian nurses directly involved in the care of patients affected by Covid-19 according to sex,
Body Mass Index, shift working condition and incidence of new Covid-19 cases in the region of
participants. Moreover, any correlations between the insomnia condition and the flexibile attitude
to eat have been investigated.
Methods: An online questionnaire was administered in October 2020, which included: the socio-demographic
section, the insomnia condition assessment and the behavioral flexibility evaluation to
develop in connection with developing an eating disorder.
Results: 341 Italian nurses answered the questionnaire. Regarding the insomnia condition levels,
nurses belonging to regions with a higher incidence rate of the Covid-19 pandemic recorded higher
levels of insomnia than others (p=.004). Females and nurses belonging to regions with lower
Covid-19 incidence rate recorded a significant higher total eating flexibility attitude (p=.003;
p<.001), also, in the Food and Exercise flexibility (p=.007; p<.001). As regards the flexibility attitude
for weight and shape, significant differences were recorded among nurses according to their
BMI values (p<.001) and to their incidence rate of the belonging region (p<.001). The insomnia
condition levels significantly correlated with the flexibility attitude to eat both in its total score
(p=.010), in the general score (p=.010) and in the weight and shape score (p<.001). All correlations
between the insomnia conditions and the flexibility to eat were significantly inverse with the exception
for of the food and exercise dimension. All the flexibility attitudes to eat sub dimensions significantly
correlated among them (p<.001).
Conclusion: There was a direct correlation among socio-demographic factors, BMI values, insomnia
and behavioral flexibility scores in Italian nurses so, it could be assumed that the nursing profession
is at risk of developing a metabolic syndrome condition and, therefore, it could be considered
as a psychoendocrinological employment disease during the Covid-19 outbreak.
