Table 1.
UK Biobank participants’ characteristics by current night shift work exposure (N = 272,214)
| Current work schedule |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day workers | Shift work, but only rarely, if ever, nights | Irregular or rotating shifts with some nights | Irregular/rotating shifts with usual nights | Permanent night shifts | |
| N | 224,928 | 23,172 | 13,559 | 3,754 | 6,801 |
| Age (years) | 52.7 (7.1) | 52.3 (7.0) | 51.0 (6.8) | 50.8 (6.6) | 51.3 (6.8) |
| Sex (% male) | 46 | 47 | 62 | 64 | 61 |
| European (%) | 95 | 91 | 88 | 85 | 87 |
| Single (%) | 16 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 18 |
| Townsend Index* | −2.2 (−3.7 to 0.2) | −1.3 (−3.2 to 1.6) | −1.3 (−3.2 to 1.8) | −1.2 (−3.2 to 1.8) | −1.1 (−3.0 to 2.0) |
| Weekly work hours | 34.9 (12.5) | 35.7 (12.2) | 40.4 (13.0) | 40.4 (12.7) | 40.0 (13.0) |
| Family history of type 2 diabetes† (%) | 21.5 | 24.7 | 24.9 | 25.1 | 25.8 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 27.0 (4.6) | 27.7 (5.0) | 28.2 (4.9) | 28.2 (4.9) | 28.4 (4.8) |
| Never smoker (%) | 58.6 | 54.4 | 53.1 | 54.2 | 52.7 |
| Physical activity (MET-h/week) | 25.3 (12.6–48.1) | 29.7 (17.2–75.7) | 33.3 (19.0–81.3) | 33.3 (19.0–79.5) | 34.8 (21.8–91.4) |
| Daily alcohol consumption (%) | 20 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 10 |
| Sleep duration (h) | 7.1 (0.94) | 7.0 (1.0) | 6.9 (1.1) | 6.9 (1.1) | 6.8 (1.2) |
| Late chronotype (%) | 8.0 | 7.8 | 9.2 | 11.6 | 16.6 |
| Hypertension (%) | 18.9 | 20.6 | 20.5 | 21.1 | 21.6 |
| Antihypertensive medication use (%) | 12.3 | 13.5 | 13.4 | 14.5 | 14.4 |
| Elevated cholesterol levels (%) | 7.0 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 7.8 | 8.2 |
| Lipid-lowering medication use (%) | 8.6 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 10.2 | 10.0 |
| Statin use (%) | 7.5 | 8.4 | 8.4 | 8.8 | 8.8 |
| Corticosteroid use (%) | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
Data are mean (SD), median (interquartile range), or percentages.
*Positive values of the index will indicate areas with high material deprivation, whereas those with negative values will indicate relative affluence.
†Biological father, mother, or sibling.