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Shifting schedules: the health effects of reorganizing shift work

Bambra, C.; Whitehead, M.; Sowden, A.; Akers, J.; Petticrew, M.

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Authors

C. Bambra

M. Whitehead

A. Sowden

J. Akers

M. Petticrew



Abstract

Background Approximately one fifth of workers are engaged in some kind of shift work. The harmful effects of shift work on the health and work–life balance of employees are well known. A range of organizational interventions has been suggested to address these negative effects. Methods This study undertook the systematic review (following Quality Of Reporting Of Meta [QUORUM] analyses guidelines) of experimental and quasi-experimental studies, from any country (in any language) that evaluated the effects on health and work–life balance of organizational-level interventions that redesign shift work schedules. Twenty-seven electronic databases (medical, social science, economic) were searched. Data extraction and quality appraisal were carried out by two independent reviewers. Narrative synthesis was performed. The review was conducted between October 2005 and November 2006. Results Twenty-six studies were found relating to a variety of organizational interventions. No one type of intervention was found to be consistently harmful to workers. However, three types were found to have beneficial effects on health and work–life balance: (1) switching from slow to fast rotation, (2) changing from backward to forward rotation, and (3) self-scheduling of shifts. Improvements were usually at little or no direct organizational cost. However, there were concerns about the generalizability of the evidence, and no studies reported on impacts on health inequalities. Conclusions This review reinforces the findings of epidemiologic and laboratory-based research by suggesting that certain organizational-level interventions can improve the health of shift workers, their work–life balance, or both. This evidence could be useful when designing interventions to improve the experience of shift work.

Citation

Bambra, C., Whitehead, M., Sowden, A., Akers, J., & Petticrew, M. (2008). Shifting schedules: the health effects of reorganizing shift work. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 34(5), 427-434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2007.12.023

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date May 1, 2008
Deposit Date Nov 7, 2008
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Print ISSN 0749-3797
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 34
Issue 5
Pages 427-434
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2007.12.023

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