MRC Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Health and Work, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.
MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.
Occup Med (Lond). 2021 Dec 24;71(9):429-438. doi: 10.1093/occmed/kqab131.
Night/shift work may be increasing but there are few data about the prevalence amongst older workers. With governments encouraging people to work to older ages, it is important to know how feasible night/shift work is for them and whether there are any adverse health consequences.
Amongst current older workers (aged 50-64 years), to explore the prevalence of night/shift working and evaluate its health impacts and sustainability over 4 years of follow-up.
Data from the Health and Employment After Fifty cohort were used to describe the demographic, job and health characteristics of men and women undertaking night/shift work. Longitudinal data were used to examine the number and nature of exits annually thereafter.
Amongst the 5409 working at baseline, 32% reported night/shift work in sectors which differed by sex. Night/shift workers were more likely to be: current smokers; doing physically demanding work; struggling to cope at work; dissatisfied with their hours; depressed; sleeping poorly; rating their health poorly. Women whose job involves night work were more likely to exit the workforce over 4 years.
Almost one in three contemporary UK older workers report night/shift work. We found some evidence of adverse impacts on health, sleep and well-being and higher rates of job exit amongst women. More research is needed but night/shift work may be challenging to sustain for older workers and could have health consequences.
尽管夜班工作可能越来越普遍，但关于老年工人中夜班工作的流行程度的数据却很少。随着政府鼓励人们工作到老年，了解夜班工作对他们来说是否可行，以及是否存在任何不良健康后果，这一点非常重要。
在当前的老年工人（50-64 岁）中，探讨夜班工作的流行程度，并评估其在 4 年随访期间的健康影响和可持续性。
使用健康和五十岁后就业队列的数据来描述从事夜班工作的男性和女性的人口统计学、工作和健康特征。使用纵向数据来检查此后每年的离职人数和性质。
在基线时的 5409 名工作者中，32%的人报告在不同性别行业中从事夜班工作。夜班工作者更有可能是：当前吸烟者；从事体力要求高的工作；在工作中难以应对；对工作时间不满意；抑郁；睡眠质量差；对自己的健康评价不佳。从事夜间工作的女性在 4 年内更有可能退出劳动力市场。
几乎三分之一的当代英国老年工人报告说从事夜班工作。我们发现夜班工作对健康、睡眠和幸福感有一些不良影响，女性的离职率也更高。需要进一步研究，但夜班工作可能对老年工人来说难以维持，并且可能对健康造成影响。
