Abstract
Objectives: To evaluate different work schedules, short rest time between shifts (quick returns), and night shift exposure for their possible adverse effects on different lifestyle factors in a 6-year follow-up study.Methods: Data stemmed from “The Survey of Shiftwork, Sleep and Health,” a cohort study of Norwegian nurses started in 2008/9. The data analyzed in this sub-cohort of SUSSH were from 2008/9 to 2015 and consisted of 1,371 nurses. The lifestyle factors were: Exercise (≥1 h/week, <1 h/week), caffeine consumption (units/day), smoking (prevalence and cigarettes/day), and alcohol consumption (AUDIT-C score). We divided the nurses into four groups: (1) day workers, (2) night workers, (3) nurses who changed toward, and (4) nurses who changed away from a schedule containing night shifts. Furthermore, average number of yearly night shifts (NN), and average number of quick returns (QR) were calculated. Paired t-tests, McNemar tests, and logistic regression analyses were used in the analyses.Results: We found a significant increase in caffeine consumption across all work schedule groups and a decline in smoking prevalence for day workers and night workers at follow-up. Analyses did not show any significant differences between groups when analyzing (1) different work schedules, (2) different exposures to QR, (3) different exposures to NN on the respective lifestyle factor trajectories.Conclusion: We found no significant differences between the different work schedule groups or concerning different exposures to QR or NN when evaluating these lifestyle factor trajectories. This challenges the notion that shift work has an adverse impact on lifestyle factors.
Highlights
According to the last European Working Conditions Survey, 21% of the workforce is engaged in some type of shift work [1]
Shift Work and Lifestyle Factors for instance been shown to be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), metabolic disturbances, and possibly some cancers [3, 5,6,7,8,9]
This paper investigated different work schedules, different exposures to quick returns (QR) and different exposures to NN during a 6-year follow-up
Summary
According to the last European Working Conditions Survey, 21% of the workforce is engaged in some type of shift work [1]. Shift Work and Lifestyle Factors for instance been shown to be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), metabolic disturbances, and possibly some cancers [3, 5,6,7,8,9]. Concerning psychosocial stress and social jet lag, shift work could potentially affect work-life balance with increased social and familial constraints. This could lead to difficulties initiating or maintaining lifestyle factors with positive health benefits. The results are inconsistent, that shift workers with schedules that include night work differ from day workers regarding lifestyle factors with adverse health consequences, for example in relation to smoking, alcohol, and exercise [14,15,16,17,18]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
