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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Blanche Grosswald, PhD, School of Social Work, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, 536 George St., New Brunswick, NJ 08901, (732) 932-4014, bgrosswa@rci.rutgers.edu
Shift work and health of California workers Blanche Grosswald, Ph.D. Abstract
Objectives. The purpose of the study was to examine the physical and mental health effects of shift work.
Methods. A cross-sectional survey design used data from the California Work and Health Survey (CWHS). This database contains data on 2,034 individuals, randomly selected from among California residents in 1999 and 2000 with over-sampling of ethnic, elderly and disabled groups. The study considered only the employed participants within this weighted sample (n=1,152).
Results. Shift workers were significantly more likely to report fair or poor health than non-shift counterparts. Of 12 possible health conditions, two had significant associations with shift work. Back problems had a positive association while shift work was protective against carpal tunnel, although the latter lost significance when controlling for occupational category. No significant relationships were found between shift work and cardiovascular or gastrointestinal disorders. A linear regression model demonstrated a strong positive association between shift work and increased number of adverse health conditions. Shift work was also associated with depressive symptoms.
Conclusions. Shift work and several measures of negative health outcomes demonstrated strong positive associations among a randomly selected representative sample of California workers. The area of shift work and health merits continued research.
Learning Objectives: To be able to
Keywords: Occupational Health, Workplace Stressors
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.