264844 Occupational Shift Work, Sleep Behaviors, and Metabolic Health Disparities: Results from the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin

Monday, October 29, 2012

Marjory Givens, PhD, MSPH , Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Paul E. Peppard, PhD , Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Adnan Said, MD, MPH , Department of Medicine, Gastroenterology, University of Wisconsin, School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI
Kristen Malecki, PhD , Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI
Corinne D. Engelman, PhD , Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Loren W. Galvao, MD, MPH , Center for Cultural Diversity and Global Health, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
Mari Palta, PhD, MS , Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
F. Javier Nieto, MD, MPH, PhD , Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Background/Objective: The increasing demand for a 24-hour society, exemplified by a departure from the traditional work day, has heightened our risk of acting at odds with the circadian rhythms of optimal cardiovascular or metabolic function. Particularly vulnerable are employees whose jobs require them to work an “alternate shift” (night, flex, extended, or rotating shifts). The objective of this study was to examine shiftworker metabolic health disparities (obesity and/or type 2 diabetes) and assess the influence of disordered sleep on disease prevalence among a population-based sample of employed adults. Methods: This study utilized population-based, cross-sectional data from 913 employed adults in the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin (2008-2010). Data were collected on self-reported shiftwork employment, disordered sleep (i.e. insomnia, functional sleepiness, insufficient sleep) and measured body mass index and hemoglobin A1c. Analyses examined the prevalence of disordered sleep and metabolic health outcomes among shiftworkers vs. traditional workers, and the potential mediating effects of disordered sleep on metabolic health outcomes. Results: Shiftworkers were more likely than their traditional work schedule counterparts to be overweight/obese (80.9% vs. 69.3%, respectively) and to report disordered sleep (e.g. average daily sleep duration of less than seven hours (51.0% vs. 43.3%, respectively)). Disordered sleep significantly increased the odds of obesity and type 2 diabetes, and partially mediated the relationship between shiftwork and prevalent obesity, controlling for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and education. Conclusion: The results of this study support the call for multi-level, occupation-oriented interventions to address the significant disordered sleep and metabolic health disparities for shiftworkers.

Learning Areas:
Epidemiology
Occupational health and safety
Public health biology
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to name metabolic health disparities faced by shift workers. Participants will be able to describe social, behavioral, and biological factors that may influence metabolic health outcomes for shift workers. Participants will be able to make connections between shift worker metabolic health disparities and the potential implications of circadian disruption for metabolic vulnerabilities in the broader population.

Keywords: Chronic Diseases, Occupational Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am currently a health disparities research fellow and have graduate training in both basic laboratory science and occupational/environmental epidemiology. I have expertise in molecular biology and exposure assessment research and experience in applied public health service, which has heightened my awareness of the need to address health inequities.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.