Night-shift nurses got fitter in 12 weeks. Their weight didn't clearly change.
People say: “Can night-shift workers stick with exercise?” We read the study.
Randomised controlled trial (RCT). 23 people. 12 weeks.
A trial. Chance decided who did what.
Who: Physically inactive night-shift acute-care hospital nurses in Orlando, Florida (26 randomized, 23 completers: 11 exercise, 12 control); mean age 33, 83% women, mean BMI ~30, mostly <= 10 years of night shifts; 43% self-reported diagnosed anxiety and/or depression
- Sessions attended96%of 36 sessions
- Aerobic fitnessupcontrols: no rise
- Weight & blood testsno clearvs control group
More to know, from our read of the paper:
- Very small trial: 26 randomized, 23 analysed (11 exercise vs 12 control); completers only; no power calculation (pilot-style sample size), so 'no clear change' in weight/blood markers may be too few people to detect it. Authors say the sample may be inadequate for between-group differences
- Participants were young (mean 33), fairly healthy, mostly <5 years of night shifts; authors did not expect big cardiometabolic changes
- Exercise was supervised at a research clinic (93.8% of sessions in person) with heart-rate targets; real-life unsupervised adherence may be lower
- Timing of sessions relative to shifts (before/after shift, days off) was not recorded
- No improvement in hand-grip strength or knee-extension torque
A small trial: fitter, not lighter, in 12 weeks.
- Three cardio sessions a weekAbout an hour each: half bike, half treadmill.
- Build up slowlyEffort rose step by step over the 12 weeks.
- Go outside work hoursNurses picked a time between 7 AM and 7 PM.
In this small randomized trial in Florida, 26 inactive night-shift hospital nurses (average age 33) were split into supervised cardio three times a week for 12 weeks or a wait-list group; 23 finished. The exercisers attended 96% of their 36 sessions, and their aerobic fitness (VO2max) rose while the control group's did not. Weight, body fat, blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol showed no clear difference between groups. With so few people, small changes could have been missed.
Brennan AM, Green JF, Carnero EA, Sparks LM, Goodpaster BH, Robinson PS, Erickson ML (2026). Efficacy and Adherence to a Supervised Aerobic Exercise Training Intervention in Night-Shift Hospital Nurses: A Randomized Controlled Trial. The FASEB Journal.
Design: Randomised controlled trial (RCT) · single-site randomized controlled trial with wait-list control (proof-of-concept; sample size from pilot-study recommendations, no formal power analysis); completer analysis by ANCOVA
Goals:
We read the abstract and the full text of this paper and checked every number on this page against it (17 facts, checked on 2026-10-29). The study design is named above. Cohort and other observational studies are described as linked, not proven. Found an error? Email theis@onestudyaday.com.
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