Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations of rotating night shift work with body fat percentage (BF%) and fat mass index (FMI). A cross-sectional study was conducted among 435 female steelworkers, aged 26–57 years in Tangshan, China. BF% was assessed via bioelectrical impedance analysis and FMI was calculated. Different exposure metrics of night shift work were used to examine the effects of night shift work on BF% and FMI. The duration (years), cumulative number (nights), and cumulative length of night shifts (hours) were positively correlated with FMI and BF%, and these relationships were independent of body mass index (BMI). Compared with day workers, night shift workers with an average frequency of night shifts >7 nights/month (odds ratio (OR) 2.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.17 to 5.35) and percentage of hours on night shifts >30% (OR 2.55, 95% CI 1.21 to 5.39) had elevated odds of obesity (BF% ≥ 35.0%). Nonobese night shift workers by the BMI criterion should also be alert to the risk of the excess accumulation of body fat, which is actually responsible for most obesity-associated adverse health consequences. Health interventions for related populations need to be improved, which is currently more focused on overall weight control.
Highlights
Previous or current smoking and Han nationality were more likely to be reported among night shift workers
We detected that the associations of different exposure metrics of night shift work with BF% and fat mass index (FMI) were independent of body mass index (BMI)
A long duration and high frequency of night shift work may increase the accumulation of body fat in female steelworkers, and this effect is independent of BMI
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Night shift work is a method of the organization of working time, in which different staff members or groups succeed one another at the workplace during the regular sleeping hours of the general population. Our round-the-clock society is dependent on shift work, despite a growing body of evidence that has shown that the misalignment of circadian rhythms can have a series of pronounced adverse effects on health. Shift work has been identified as an important occupational hazard, affecting about 20% of workers worldwide [1]. Evidence is extensive with regard to the link between night shift work and obesity [2,3]
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