A1874 Night-work and health: a study on a population of workers in the Metropolitan Area of Florence, Italy

Monday, March 19, 2012: 16:20
Isla Mujeres 2 (Cancun Center)

Manfredi Montalti, Public health section of Occupational Health, University Of Florence, Firenze, Italy
Nicola Mucci, Public health section of Occupational Health, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
Costanza Bini, Public health section of Occupational Health, University Of Florence, Firenze, Italy
Francesco Sofi, Agencyfor nutrition, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
Vincenzo Cupelli, Public health section of Occupational Health, University Of Florence, Firenze, Italy
Giulio Arcangeli, Public health section of Occupational Health, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
Handouts
  • Night work and health[1].pdf (1.6 MB)
    • Introduction
    In the contemporary 24-hours society night-work affects almost all areas of employment, representing an emerging issue in Occupational Medicine.

    Methods
    We interviewed, through the Italian Association of Sleep Medicine (AIMS) questionnaire, 359 workers (61% night-workers, NW; 39% daily-workers, DW), divided into four groups based on the number of night-shifts per year (NSY): G1: no NSY; G2: <80 NSY; G3: 80≤NSY<150; G4: ≥150 NSY.

    Results
    The prevalence of overweight-obesity (OO) (BMI≥25) was, from G1 to G4: 50.7%, 55.3%, 77.4%, 82.7%; p<0.0001. Night-shifters reported more frequently excessive daytime sleepiness (26.4%, 48.2%, 49.1%, 56.8%; p<0.0001) and falling asleep (8.6%, 11.8%, 28.3%, 27.2%; p<0.0001). Sleep apnea was referred by 5.7% (n=8/140) of DW and 12.3 (n=27/219) of NW (p<0.05); one/eight DW (12.5%) and 19/27 NW (70.4%) had already received the diagnosis of OSAS by a physician (p<0.01). The prevalence of main disorders was the following: cardiovascular (21.4%, 29.4%, 35.9%, 38.3%; p<0.05), gastrointestinal (23.6%, 47.1%, 60.4%, 63.0%; p<0.0001), mood (12.1%, 25.9%, 20.8%, 19.8%; p=0.0682), diabetes (3.6% DW, 7.3% all NW; p=0.1414), menstrual (6.5% female DW, 30.4% female NW; p=0,0542). The prevalence of psychoactive substances consumption was: caffeine (32.1%, 45.9%, 50.9%, 56.8%; p<0.01), nicotine (33.6%, 38.8%, 45.3%, 54.3%; p<0.05), alcohol (48.5%, 48.2%, 56.6%, 58.0%; p=0.4295), hypnotic drugs (20.7%, 24.7%, 32.1%, 16.1%; p=0.1551). Regarding occupational- and work-accidents we found the following results: all accidents (50.7%, 49.4%, 64.2%, 58.0%; p=0.2555), sleepiness-related accidents (21.1%, 40.5%, 55.9%, 51.1% of who referred accidents; p<0.001), accidents among OO subjects (38.0% OO-DW, 59.3% OO-NW; p<0.005).

    Discussion
    Our experience confirmed that night-work, leading to subversion of physiological circadian rhythms and habits, may produce an impact on the individual overall well-being and, consequently, on the companies’ productivity. To reduce this impact and the related costs, particularly regarding accidents, is necessary to plan interventions on both workers (individual risk factors, dietary habits, sleep hygiene) and work organization (ergonomic shifts-schedules).

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