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Workplace
Original research
Changes in work schedule affect headache frequency among Norwegian nurses: a 3-year-follow-up study
  1. Espen Saxhaug Kristoffersen1,2,
  2. Siri Waage3,4,
  3. Staale Pallesen3,4,
  4. Bjørn Bjorvatn3,5
  1. 1 Department of General Practice, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
  2. 2 Norwegian Centre for Headache Research, Department of Neurology, Akershus University Hospital, Lorenskog, Norway
  3. 3 Norwegian Competence Center for Sleep Disorders, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
  4. 4 Department of Psychosocial Science, Universitetet i Bergen, Bergen, Norway
  5. 5 Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
  1. Correspondence to Dr Espen Saxhaug Kristoffersen, Department of General Practice, University of Oslo, Oslo 0318, Norway; e.s.kristoffersen{at}medisin.uio.no

Abstract

Objectives To explore whether changes in work schedule, number of night shifts and number of quick returns were related to changes in headache frequencies.

Methods A longitudinal study with questionnaire data from 2014 (baseline) and 2017 (follow-up) on work schedule (day only, shift work without nights and shift work with nights), number of night shifts, number of quick returns (less than 11 hours in-between shifts) and validated headache diagnoses among 1104 Norwegian nurses. Associations were explored by adjusted multivariate regression analyses.

Results The median age at baseline was 37 years (IQR 31–43) and 90.5% were women. In the adjusted logistic regression analysis of changed work schedule between baseline and follow-up, changing from night work was associated with increased odds for reversion from headache >1 days/month to no headache at all last year (OR 2.77 (1.29; 5.95)). Changes towards less night shifts (>10) or quick returns (>10) during the last year were associated with increased odds of reversion of headache to no headache (OR 2.23 (1.20; 4.17) and OR 1.90 (1.04; 3.49)). Only decrease in number of night shifts (>10) during the last year reduced risk of onset of any new headache between baseline and follow-up (OR of 0.39 (0.18; 0.84)).

Conclusion Changing from night work and reducing the number of night shifts and quick returns were associated with less headache in this 3-year-follow-up of Norwegian nurses. This adds to the growing body of evidence that night work may have direct negative health consequences.

  • Shift Work Schedule
  • Sleep

Data availability statement

Data are available upon reasonable request. To access data, researchers are welcome to contact the corresponding author. For more information, please refer to the project web page (https://www.uib.no/en/rg/sc/120919/survey-shift-work-sleep-and-health-sussh).

https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2023-109164

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    Data availability statement

    Data are available upon reasonable request. To access data, researchers are welcome to contact the corresponding author. For more information, please refer to the project web page (https://www.uib.no/en/rg/sc/120919/survey-shift-work-sleep-and-health-sussh).

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors ESK contributed to the design of the study, data collection, data analysis, drafted the paper, approved the final version and is the guarantor. SW and SP contributed to the design of the study, data collection, data analysis, revised the paper and approved the final version. BB contributed to the design of the study, data analysis, revised the paper and approved the final version.

    • Funding SUSSH was partly funded from the Norwegian Nurses Organisation and Nordforsk, Nordic Programme on Health and Welfare (74809).

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer-reviewed.