Night Shift Work—A Risk Factor for Breast Cancer

Marta Szkiela, Ewa Kusideł, Teresa Makowiec-Dąbrowska and Dorota Kaleta
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Marta Szkiela: Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Department of Hygiene and Health Promotion; Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lodz, 90-647 Łódź, Poland
Ewa Kusideł: Department of Spatial Econometrics, Faculty of Economics and Sociology, University of Lodz, 90-255 Łódź, Poland
Teresa Makowiec-Dąbrowska: Department of Work Physiology and Ergonomics, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine in Łódź, 91-348 Łódź, Poland
Dorota Kaleta: Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Department of Hygiene and Health Promotion; Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lodz, 90-647 Łódź, Poland

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 2, 1-12

Abstract: Shift work is considered a risk factor for some health problems. This study aimed to determine whether night shift work is a significant factor for breast cancer risk. The case–control study was conducted from 2015–2019 in the ?ód? region. The case group included 494 women diagnosed with malignant breast cancer; the control group included 515 healthy women. The research tool was an anonymous questionnaire. In the case group, the percentage of women working shift work was 51.9%, whereas in the control group, it was 34.1% (OR = 2.08 (95% CI: 1.61; 2.69)). A more insightful examination of shift work showed that only night work has a significant impact on breast cancer (OR = 2.61 (95% CI: 1.94; 3.53)). Even after considering the effect of other possible cancer factors (like high BMI, smoking, early menstruation, late menopause, pregnancy history, age, place of living, education), the odds of developing cancer were twice as high in the group of shift workers (OR = 2.20 (95% CI: 1.57; 3.08)). Considering a significantly higher risk of cancer among people working at night and a high percentage of such employees in Poland, the government should consider special action in the prophylactic treatment of cancers.

Keywords: shift work; breast cancer; occupational choice; public health; value of life (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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