Study characteristics of the high quality studies
Study | Quality score | Study population | Sex | Sample size | Participation rate (%) | Exposure shift workers | Recall/register period | Outcome measures |
Prospective cohort studies | ||||||||
Tüchsen et al 35 | 67% | Danish carers of the older population: social, nursing home, home care and healthcare assistants/helpers | Female |
| 78.7% | Fixed evening, fixed night, rotating shifts | Register: 52 weeks |
|
Tüchsen et al 36 | 67% | Danish working population, random sample |
|
| 75% | Irregular working hours | Register: 78 weeks |
|
Case-control studies | ||||||||
Kleiven et al 38 | 76% | Norwegian chemical plant workers | Cases: 91.8% male Referents: 91.5% male | Cases/references: N=3580/7582 | NA: Data retrieved from registers | 3-Shift system | Register: 10 years | Sick spells >3 days |
Bourbonnais et al 39 | 59% | Canadian nurses with sick leave diagnosed ‘most likely to be related to work load’ | Female |
| NA: Data retrieved from registers | Fixed evening, fixed night and rotating shifts |
| Sick spells ≥6 days for full-time workers, ≥8 days for part-time workers |
Cross-sectional studies | ||||||||
Higashi et al 40 | 67% | Japanese chemical fibre and textile workers in production, maintenance and service departments | Male |
| NA: Data retrieved from registers | 3-Shift system | Register: 1 year |
|
Niedhammer et al 41 | 62% | French workers, random sample from voluntarily participating occupational physicians | 58.2% male |
| 96.5% | Shift work without nights, fixed night, shift work including nights | Recall: 12 months | Proportion of workers who had at least 1 sick leave spell of >8 days |
Böckerman and Laukkanen42 | 54% | Finnish workers from all sectors of the economy: mostly blue-collar workers | 58% male |
| 69% | Shift and period work as one group | Recall: 12 months | Proportion of workers with ≥2 sick leave days |
Ohayon et al 43 | 54% | French psychiatric hospital staff: medical, maintenance, social services and administrative staff |
|
| 40.7% | 2-Shift system, fixed/rotating nights | Recall: 12 months | Proportion of workers who had at least 1 sick day |
Eyal et al 44 | 54% | Israeli shift workers in a company: industry unknown | Male |
| NA: Data retrieved from registers | Shift work | Register: 12 months | ≥20 accumulated days of registered absence |