Teleworkers Engage Less in Inattentive Eating: An Examination of the Effect of Teleworking  on Inattentive Eating and Subsequent Snack Intake.

Eating while being distracted (inattentive eating) increases the amount of snacking after the meal. This increased snacking can have negative health consequences. In the recent COVID-19 pandemic, snacking has increased. Another thing that has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic is the amount of people who are teleworking. While research on teleworking shows mixed results, several studies showed that teleworkers snack more and take less breaks than people who work on location. This study analyzes if there is a relationship between inattentive eating and teleworking. The data was collected by sending out an online questionnaire to people who worked from home or on location. Analyses were done to examine whether the two work locations differed on amount of lunch breaks, amount of attention for the food while eating, types of distractions and snacking behavior. The results showed that teleworkers take more breaks and pay more attention to their food while eating. Teleworkers were more...Show moreEating while being distracted (inattentive eating) increases the amount of snacking after the meal. This increased snacking can have negative health consequences. In the recent COVID-19 pandemic, snacking has increased. Another thing that has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic is the amount of people who are teleworking. While research on teleworking shows mixed results, several studies showed that teleworkers snack more and take less breaks than people who work on location. This study analyzes if there is a relationship between inattentive eating and teleworking. The data was collected by sending out an online questionnaire to people who worked from home or on location. Analyses were done to examine whether the two work locations differed on amount of lunch breaks, amount of attention for the food while eating, types of distractions and snacking behavior. The results showed that teleworkers take more breaks and pay more attention to their food while eating. Teleworkers were more engaged in distractions that decreased stress and thus also cognitive load. People who worked on location spent more time on their computer while eating. This is an activity with high cognitive load and related to more snacking in the afternoon. However, when controlling for interacting with a computer device, teleworkers did snack more. Overall, teleworking is not related to more inattentive eating, but is related to more snacking. So, the sudden increase of teleworking due to the COVID-19 pandemic has one positive side to it, as it is associated with less inattentive eating.Show less

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Teleworkers Engage Less in Inattentive Eating: An Examination of the Effect of Teleworking on Inattentive Eating and Subsequent Snack Intake.