Over 20% of the American work force is employed on shifts other than the typical 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.. The effects of shift work can be many and varied. Perceptions of health as well as the eating patterns of shiftworkers were investigated in this study. The methodology used yielded a small, statistically insignificant sample population of both fixed and rotating shiftworkers; yet, after analysis, certain trends of the population were revealed. The rotating shiftworker consumed fewer meals and snacks than the fixed shiftworker. Meals and snacks were defined based on a food taxonomy developed to describe food intake. Additionally, the rotating shiftworker ate less often than the fixed worker. Consuming a meal in the 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. not affected by shift among rotating shiftworkers. Caffeine containing beverages comprised a large part of the diet of shiftworkers. Coffee was consumed more by the older group, and caffeinated soft drinks were preferred by the younger employees. The health status perception of the shiftworker could be labeled as"good". There may be a positive correlation between the regular occurrence of nervous stomach and coffee consumption among the rotating shiftworkers. Nervous stomach may also be related to days taken due to sickness for the rotators. Shift work is a disruption for employees. The nature and frequency of these disruptions are as of yet, not fully realized. Findings from this study warrant further investigation on this topic. / M.S.

purpose of this study was to determine if there are differences in dietary intakes and meal patterns, schedule satisfaction, and health satisfaction between nurses who work a permanent day shift (controls), and nurses who work alternate schedules. Subjects were selected from four hospitals: a large urban military hospital, a small military hospital located on a southern army base, a large southern community hospital, and a large southern university teaching hospital. One hundred and eighty full-time nurses were assigned to four schedule groups: Day, Evening, Night, and Rotating. Subjects completed a detailed survey regarding their work history, schedule and health satisfaction, meal patterns, and background, as well as a 24-hour dietary recall. Nurses who worked permanent days were the most satisfied with their schedules, followed, in order of priority, by the Night, Evening, and Rotating shift groups. Day shift nurses were also the most satisfied with the way their schedule affected their health, followed by nurses in the Evening, Night, and Rotating shift groups. There were no significant differences among the groups in nutrient intake although there were some differences in eating patterns. Nurses working the day shift ate more meals each day and more meals with their families. Rotating shift group nurses were more likely to skip meals. Nurses working the night shift ate more snacks per day and more snacks while at work. Nutrient analysis revealed that all four groups had intakes deficient in Vitamin D according to the RDA. Intakes were below the RDA for calcium, but only the Evening shift group was deficient. / Master of Science

published_or_final_version / abstract / Computer Science / Master / Master of Philosophy

Shift work is becoming increasingly prevalent in our society, with 17% of the full-time work force and 36% of the part-time work force working non-standard shifts (Beers, 2000). The goal of this study was to explore the relationships between several shift work variables and retention of employees working in a retail organization that is open 24-hours a day. Results indicated no significant differences between workers in fixed versus mixed shift schedules on job satisfaction or role stress. Contrary to my hypothesis, mixed shift workers reported higher levels of commitment and remained with the organization longer than fixed shift workers. As predicted, night shift workers reported lower levels of job satisfaction and organizational commitment than evening workers. However contrary to predictions, there were no significant differences between morning and night shift workers. Supervisor support did not moderate the relationship between shift work and commitment, satisfaction, or role stress. However is was a significant moderator of the relationship between day versus evening shift and role stress, with individuals working evening shifts and perceiving high levels of supervisor support remaining with the organization the longest.

In the past two decades the growth of the offshore oil and gas industry of Western Australia has resulted in an increased number of families experiencing the intermittent absence of a partner/parent. The gendered nature of the offshore oil and gas industry means workers tend to be male and the partner left at home tends to be female. This was the case for the participants in this study. For two/three weeks the family experience the absence of the male 'breadwinner', creating a gap within the family as the women and children experiences the loss of the partner/parent. Two/three weeks later the male worker returns home for his rest period and he reengages in his roles and the family is reunited. When the worker is absent the partner at home takes on the worker's gendered roles, tasks and responsibilities; upon his return she surrenders (sometimes willingly) his gendered roles, tasks and responsibilities. Solheim (1988) state families of offshore oil and gas workers experience three social realities; his life at work, her 'single' life when he is at work, and their couple life when the worker arrives home. The families can develop a range of methods to adjust to the flux that occurs within families due to the work schedule (Forsyth and Gramling 1989). The repeated cyclical patterns of parting and reunion, weaving and balancing their three lives, and renegotiation of family work contribute to the stressors and strains the partners of offshore workers experience. This study investigated how the offshore lifestyle impacts the at home partner of offshore workers and in addition, how at home partners use their social networks as means to help adapt to the offshore work schedule, and makes two major findings. Firstly, the at home partners of offshore workers participate in exchanging, at various levels, social support with family, friends and neighbours, although the most important form of support which helps the at home partner adapt to the offshore lifestyle is the support they receive from the offshore worker. Secondly, adapting to the offshore lifestyle is highly influenced by a process consisting of four reactions. The reactions are: the beginning; normalising his presence; normalising his absence; and balancing two lives. The identification of the four reactions can provide a greater understanding of how the offshore oil and gas industry impacts on the daily lives of partners of offshore workers as it helps make visible the day-to-day lives of partners of offshore oil and gas workers.

Thesis (M.A.)--Michigan State University. Dept. of Sociology, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on July 29, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 35-37). Also issued in print.

Thesis (M.S. in Applied Science (Operations Research))--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2004. / Cover title. "June 2004." Thesis advisor: Nita Lewis Miller. Performed by Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA. Includes bibliographical references (p. 103-107). Also available online from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), Dudley Knox Library site (http://www.nps.edu/Library/). Address as of 10/10/06: http://stinet.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA424687&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf. Also available in microfiche.

Orientador: Milva Maria Figueiredo De Martino / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciencias Medicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-06T18:52:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Carmona_LucianeRuiz_M.pdf: 365328 bytes, checksum: db47c3e506b642b33c57163baf33c3ac (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Resumo: Este estudo teve como propósito classificar o cronótipo dos funcionários da equipe de enfermagem, de acordo com o turno de trabalho, e identificar a presença de stress e suas correlações com o cronótipo e horário de trabalho. Foi realizado em um hospital na cidade de Limeira, SP. Participaram da pesquisa 87 sujeitos, dos diferentes setores e turnos de trabalho. A amostra foi constituída por sujeitos de ambos os sexos, com idade entre 19 e 51 anos. Os instrumentos utilizados para a coleta dos dados foram: Inventário de Sintomas de Stress de Lipp (ISSL), e Questionário de Indivíduos Matutinos e Vespertinos (HO). Os resultados do ISSL mostraram que 48 sujeitos (55,2%) apresentavam sintomas de stress, e destes, 40 sujeitos (83,3%) encontravam-se na fase de Resistência, com predomínio de sintomas psicológicos. O HO mostrou que 42 sujeitos (48,3%) foram classificados como do tipo Indiferente, estando estes alocados, principalmente, no turno noturno. Quanto à adequação no turno de trabalho, de acordo com o cronótipo, verificou-se que 65 sujeitos (74,7%) estavam adequados, e destes 36 (55,38%) apresentavam sintomas de stress, houve correlação significativa (Teste Exato de Fisher p=0.035). Houve diferença significativa quando comparado o tempo de trabalho na instituição e a incidência do stress, com os sujeitos com estress possuindo maior tempo de trabalho (Teste Exato de Fisher p=0.003). Conclui-se que a maioria dos sujeitos estava adequada ao turno de trabalho, de acordo com seu cronótipo. Porém, mesmo nestes, o stress foi observado em grande porcentagem da amostra, levando-nos a confirmar os dados obtidos em outras pesquisas quanto ao caráter estressante da profissão de enfermagem / Abstract: The purpose of this study was to classify the chronotype of the nursing team, according to the work shift, as well as to identify the presence of stress and its correlations with chronotype and time of work. It was performed in the hospital in the city of Limeira, state of São Paulo, Brazil. Eighty-seven subjects from different departments and work shifts participated in the research. The sample was constituted by male and female subjects, with ages between 19 and 51 years old. The instruments utilized for the data collection were: Lipp Stress Symptoms Inventory (LSSI) and A self-assesment questionnaire to determine morningness-eveningness in human circadian rhythms (HO). The LSSI results showed that 48 subjects (55.2%) presented stress symptoms, and among them, 40 subjects (83.3%) were in the Resistance phase, with predominance of psychological symptoms. The HO showed that 42 subjects (48.3%) were classified as Indifferent type, being placed mainly in the night shift. Concerning the adequacy to the work shift, in accordance with the chronotype, we verified that 65 subjects (74.7%) were adequate, and among them 36 (55.38%) presented stress symptoms ¿ there was a significant correlation (Fisher¿s Exact Test, p=0.035). There was a significant difference when they were compared according to the time of work at the institution and the incidence of stress, subjects with stress had more time of work (Fisher¿s Exact Test (p=0.003). We concluded that most subjects were adequate to the work shift, according to their own chronotype; however, it was observed stress in a great percentage of the sample, confirming the data obtained in other researches regarding the stressing character of the nursing profession / Mestrado / Enfermagem e Trabalho / Mestre em Enfermagem

Napping has been explored extensively as a means of counteracting the negative effects associated with shift work. A significant amount of this research has focused on the implementation of scheduled naps, with few studies considering flexible nap schemes. The current study therefore aimed to assess the effects of a flexible nap opportunity on the physiological, cognitive, performance, neurophysiological and subjective responses of a group of non shift workers over the course of a three-day simulated night shift regime. Additional foci were the effects of the nap condition on the extent of the circadian adaptation of the subjects to the irregular work schedule and the circadian-related influences associated with being awake during the night. 36 subjects – 18 males and 18 females – were recruited to participate in the current study. The data collection spanned twelve days, during which four, three-day long shift cycles were set up: three night shift cycles and one day shift cycle. During each night shift cycle, three separate experimental conditions were staggered, namely the nap condition, the no nap condition and a booster break condition (a collaborative study that completed the setup). The day shift served as a further comparison. Each cycle comprised of 12 subjects, which meant there were four subjects per condition during each cycle. The shifts were 8 hours in duration, with the no nap group following a standard break schedule evinced in industry. The three breaks taken during the shifts amounted to a total time of 1 hour. The nap group was afforded a 1 hour flexible nap opportunity between 00h00 and 03h00 with no other breaks. Therefore, both conditions had the same amount of work time. During the shifts, subjects performed two simple, low arousal tasks (beading and packing) and completed a test battery roughly every two hours which was comprised of physiological, performance, neurophysiological and subjective measures. It was found that the inclusion of the nap opportunity significantly improved output performance and response time during a low precision, modified Fitts tapping task over the course of three night shifts, relative to no napping. Physiologically, napping resulted in higher heart rate frequency measures by the end of the shifts, which were also accompanied by significant reductions in subjective sleepiness ratings during all iii the night shifts. The nap group’s responses in this case, did not differ significantly from those of the day shift. Both simple reaction time and memory performances improved as a result of the nap inclusion, but only during the third night shift. The majority of the measures included in the research also depicted the effects of the circadian rhythm, which was indicative of the pronounced effect that this natural biological down regulation has on performance during the night. Napping reduced the severity of these effects during beading performance and measures of subjective sleepiness. With regard to habituation, the nap opportunity also resulted in positive changes in the responses of beading performance, high precision response time, simple reaction time and both subjective sleepiness measures, relative to no napping. Sleep diary responses indicated that although sleep length and quality during the day were significantly reduced for both night-time conditions, recovery sleep (length and quality) for the nap group did not differ significantly from the no nap group. The findings of this research indicate that the inclusion of a flexible napping opportunity during the night shift had positive effects on some physiological, performance and subjective responses, and that this intervention is as beneficial as scheduled napping. Specifically, napping resulted in a significantly higher output during the beading task, relative to the no nap group despite the duration of work time being the same. As such the introduction of a flexible, self-selected nap opportunity is a practical, effective and individual-specific means of alleviating the negative effects of shift work, while improving certain performance parameters. Therefore, industries should consider its inclusion in their fatigue management programs. However, contextspecific considerations must be made, with regard work scheduling, individual differences and task demands when implementing such an intervention. This will ensure that its introduction will be well received and in time, lessen the health and work-related decrements associated with shift work.

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters in Technology: Environmental Health, Durban University of Technology, 2017. / Shift work is a necessity for many organizations. Reasons for shift work are mainly to ensure continuous and optimized operations. Many studies on shift workers have concluded that it can lead to adverse physiological, social and psychological health effects. This study examines challenges associated with working shifts at a biscuits manufacturing factory. Results should be able to assist the employer in implementing effective interventions directed at limiting the negative effects of shift work on employees. This is a convergent parallel design multi method stud among 152 shift workers in a biscuits manufacturer located in Durban, KwaZulu Natal. An abbreviated and modified form of the validated SSI questionnaire was used (Barton et al. 1995). The questionnaire contained a battery of items designed to examine the relationship of health and personal adjustment to shift work. Owing to the exploratory nature of the study, a focus group methodology was also used and this allowed for in-depth qualitative research which catered for a more comprehensive understanding of the current shift work issues. A retrospective review of injury records of employees who sustained occupational injuries between 2012 and 2013 was also conducted. The sample comprised of 85 (56%) males and 63 (42%) females. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association between shift work and the likelihood of sleep disturbance, poor health outcomes and limited time for social and domestic activities, adjusting for age, sex, partner working, years working night shift, marital status, job class and years employed. Odds ratio (OR) for reported sleep disturbance was slightly higher among women (OR=1.65; 95% CI = 0.25; 10.84; p < 0.05) compared to males, but this was not statistically significant. Longer shift work experience (i.e.11-20 years) was significantly associated with better health status (OR=0.18; 95%CI = 0.06; 0.46; p < 0.05). Shift work experience (11 to 20 years) was also found to be significantly associated with limited time for both social (OR = 0.10; 95%CI = 0.03; 0.30) and domestic activities (OR= 0.25; 95% CI = 0.11; 0.57; p < 0.05) (Table 4). Age had no effect on social and domestic activities, but those 40 years and above were more likely to have limited time for social and domestic activities (OR = 3.06; 95%CI =0.60; 15.60 and OR= 2.5; 95%CI=0.47; 13.06). Those with more shift work experience seemed to have more time for social and domestic activities compared to those with less than 10 years experience. Findings from the FGD’s revealed that most participants (91%) did not get sufficient sleep time after night shift; this was mainly because of the chores they had to do after getting home form night shift and disturbances from the household and neighbours. The average time spent sleeping by majority of participants after night shift was 5 hours. Swollen feet, gastric, sleep disorders, indigestion and headaches were some common complaints experienced by shift workers in this study. About 27% of participants reported to have been injured at work before. These incidents were reported to be related to drowsiness and fatigue. The company’s incident records showed a total of 160 injuires between 2012 and 2013, of which 38 occurred during night shift. In 2012, the company recorded 65 injuries which included 51 first aid (FA) injuries, 6 minor injuries (MI) and 8 lost time (LT) injuries, as categorized by the company. 2013 had the highest number of incidents, with 95 total injuries, averaging to 7.9 injuries annually. There were 84 first aid incidents recorded for year 2013, 9 minor injuries and only 2 lost time injuries. Twenty three percent (15, n=65) incidents occurred during night shift in year 2012, of which 11% (7, n=65) were females. The number of night shift incidents slightly increased to 24% (23, n=95) in 2013 and females accounted for 9.40%. The records showed that majority of injuries happened between 17h00 and 21h00 at night. Results of this study provides evidence that shift work impacts negatively on the lives of the employees and can lead to adverse health outcomes such as poor dietary intake, headaches and swollen feet to mention but a few. / M