FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is biological time?
Biological time is our body's internal time which controls our physiology, behavior, mental and physical performance. It is different from solar time (environmental time) or the schedule we keep (social time) - these two are "external" times that we observe on a daily 24-hour cycle.
- What is chronotype?
Chronotype (chronos=time) reflects how your individual biological clock ticks and how it fits into the 24-hour day. Individuals differ in their biological timing, resulting in different chronotypes. The different chronotypes are apparent when you consider that some people are more alert in the morning, while others are able to produce their best work at night.
- What is social jetlag?
Social jetlag occurs when there are discrepancies or misalignment between the internal/biological time and the external/social time. Essentially, the symptoms are that of jetlag without actual travel.
- What is the Philippine Chronotype and Social Jetlag Survey?
It is an ongoing survey of Filipinos whose daily routines do not involve shift work. It is a baseline study that uses the chronotype tool called PhilMCTQ and looks at chronotype in the population, the occurrence of social jetlag, and the relationship of these to one's health and function.This survey is conducted by the research group PhilSHIFT. Funded by the University of the Philippines and Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD), details about the survey may be found in the Philippine Health Research Registry (PCHRD Project No. FP 140028).
- What is PhilMCTQ?
PhilMCTQ (Philippine Munich Chronotype Questionnaire) is the tool used to determine the Filipino chronotype. It is a version of the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire (MCTQ) by Prof. Till Roenneberg. Also known as MCTQ-Pilipino, PhilMCTQ is for Filipinos whose regular routines (e.g. work or studying) are scheduled during the day. Another version of MCTQ for Filipino shift workers, to be called PhilMCTQ-Shift, is presently being developed.
- How can I participate in the survey and answer the PhilMCTQ?
PhilSHIFT goes around the Philippines to implement the survey at different sites. If your school or company is not yet a survey site, you may answer it online via the link that is provided in this site that will bring you to the WeP survey platform. Choose "MCTQ-Pilipino" from the list of public projects and answer the questionnaire until you reach the "thank you" message.Feedback on your chronotype and sleep and activity shall be sent as an email entitled "PhilMCTQ Feedback" or "PhilMCTQ Shift Feedback". A pdf attachment will tell you your chronotype.
- I did not receive any feedback upon answering the PhilMCTQ. What should I do?
Participants are advised to check for "Project Feedback" in their Spam folder. Note that Internet connection or browser can also prevent complete submission. This may explain why you may not get your feedback. A more stable Internet connection or change of browser is advisable before trying PhilMCTQ again.
- Project Feedback is not in my Spam. I attempted to answer PhilMCTQ again on a stable Internet connection but still have not received any feedback. What should I do?
Please confirm the email address you've used and send this to philshift@upm.edu.ph together with the date/time of attempts so we may investigate.
- What is PhilSHIFT?
The PhilSHIFT Research Group (PhilSHIFT) studies the human chronotype (biological clock or internal timing) in the Philippines. It brings together researchers from the University of the Philippines Manila and Ludwig Maximilian University Munich in a collaborative effort to study the Filipino circadian rhythm in relation to shift work. PhilSHIFT developed the PhilMCTQ and PhilMCTQ-Shift.
