Objectives In a 24/7 society, the negative metabolic effects of rotating night shift work have been increasingly explored. This study aimed to examine the association between rotating night shift work and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in steelworkers. Methods A total of 6881 subjects was included in this study. Different exposure metrics of night shift work including current shift status, duration of night shifts (years), cumulative number of night shifts (nights), cumulative length of night shifts (hours), average frequency of night shifts (nights/month) and average length of night shifts (hours/night) were used to examine the relationship between night shift work and NAFLD. Results Current night shift workers had elevated odds of NAFLD (OR, 1.23, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.48) compared with those who never worked night shifts after adjustment for potential confounders. Duration of night shifts, cumulative number of night shifts and cumulative length of night shifts were positively associated with NAFLD. Both the average frequency of night shifts (>7 nights/month vs ≤7 nights/month: OR, 1.24, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.45) and average length of night shifts (>8 hours/night vs ≤8 hours/night: OR, 1.27, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.51) were independently associated with overall NAFLD after mutually adjusting for the duration of night shifts and other potential confounders among night shift workers. No significant association was found in female workers between different exposure metrics of night shift work and NAFLD. Conclusions Rotating night shift work is associated with elevated odds of NAFLD in male steelworkers.

The misalignment between the circadian clock and behavioral cycles has been implicated in pathogenesis of many diseases. The main purpose of this study is to examine the association between rotating night shift work, exposure to light at night, and glomerular filtration rate among steelworkers in north China. A total of 6869 steelworkers, aged 22 to 60 years, were included in this study. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between night shift work, the brightness of bedroom ambient light at night (LAN), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), with adjustment for potential confounders. Mediation analysis was performed to examine the mediation effect of potential mediators on the association of duration of night shifts and eGFR. Long duration of night shift work (≥29 years) had elevated odds of decreased eGFR (≤89 mL/min/1.73 m²) (odds ratio (OR), 1.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09–1.73) compared with day work after adjustment for potential confounders. The association between duration of night shifts and eGFR (continuous) was partially modified by diastolic blood pressure (average causal mediation effect (ACME), –0.077, 95% CI –0.134 to −0.030, p < 0.001). No significant associations were observed among the different brightness of bedroom ambient light levels: middle level (OR, 0.90, 95% CI 0.77–1.05), lightest level (OR, 0.94, 95% CI 0.75–1.18), and decreased eGFR compared with the darkest level. Long-term night-shift work, rather than the brightness of bedroom ambient LAN, is associated with early stage of renal dysfunction in steelworkers, and blood pressure may mediate the relationship between night shift work and decreased eGFR.

The study designs a comprehensive evaluation system for the prevention and control of occupational hazards, calculates its weight coefficient, and provides a potential strategic and effective tool for the scientific evaluation of occupational hazards in the iron and steel enterprises. The system was established through induction and analysis of relevant literature, personal interview, theoretical analysis, Delphi expert consultation, and special group discussions. Using an improved analytical hierarchy process fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model and on the basis of the improved Delphi expert investigation, the weight of the operability comprehensive evaluation index system is constructed. A three-level index system is established on the basis of harmful factors of occupational activities, health status of employees, protection facilities of occupational hazards, occupational health management, and so on. The index system structure is 4-20-95, and the weight coefficients of the four dimensions are 0.2516, 0.2428, 0.2550, and 0.2506. The recovery rate of the questionnaire was 82.5%, 100.0%, and 100.0%. The effective rates were 75.0%, 100.0%, and 100.0%. Conversely, the expert authority coefficients of the four dimensions are 0.875, 0.769, 0.832 and 0.800. Results show that the consistency factors of the four dimensions are statistically significant. Cronbach’s α coefficient, standardized Cronbach’s α coefficient, and split-half reliability of the comprehensive evaluation index system are 0.959, 0.950, and 0.810, respectively. After factor analysis, four common factors were extracted on the basis of expert opinions, and the cumulative variance was 63.1%. The comprehensive evaluation system for the prevention and control of occupational hazards in the iron and steel enterprises proposed by the study is relatively complete and reasonable.

Occupational exposure to heat stress and noise at the workplace are widespread physical hazards and have been associated with an increase in both morbidity and mortality. This study aims to examine the association between occupational heat stress and noise exposure and carotid atherosclerosis in Chinese steelworkers. A total of 3471 subjects were included in this study. Carotid plaque was measured using ultrasonography. The occupational information was collected by face-to-face personal interviews and all of the reported information was verified with the company’s records. Workers were divided into non-exposure and exposure groups according to the company’s records regarding previous and/or current heat stress and noise exposure status in the workplace. The prevalence of carotid plaque was 30.1% in the study population and workers exposed to both occupational heat stress and noise had the highest prevalence of carotid plaque at 37.2%. The odds of carotid plaque in individuals of different exposure status were significantly elevated after adjustment for potential confounders, especially in the heat stress and noise exposure combination group: OR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.06 to 1.65, in individuals who had experienced heat stress exposure; OR = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.18 to 1.88, in individuals who had experienced noise exposure; OR = 2.02, 95% CI: 1.60 to 2.56, in the combination group. No significant association in female workers and no significant multiplicative or additive interactions were found between occupational heat stress and noise exposure and carotid plaque. Exposure to occupational heat stress and noise are statistically associated with carotid atherosclerosis among male steelworkers.

A multidimensional sleep health framework improves screening and treatment efficacy by simultaneously addressing multiple sleep domains. However, limited studies have used objective measures to evaluate the co-occurrence of diverse unhealthy sleep characteristics and their pleiotropic health effects. To represent real-world sleep patterns, we introduce the Unfavorable Sleep Profile (USP), an integrated multidimensional sleep health metric developed using accelerometer data in the UK Biobank (N = 85,233; aged 43–79 years). USP captures five domains: sleep timing, efficiency, duration, rhythmicity, and regularity. Phenome-wide association study found that USP was significantly associated with 76 out of 526 incident health outcomes over 7.9 years of follow-up. We identified several upstream environmental risk factors associated with USP, including low socioeconomic status. Whole-genome sequence analyses identified common variants in MEIS1 and rare coding variants in TTC1 associated with USP. We validated the USP framework in an independent cohort, the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Our findings underscore the importance of multidimensional sleep health assessment in predicting and potentially mitigating a wide array of health disorders and advance genetic insights into sleep health.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations of rotating night shift work with body fat percentage (BF%) and fat mass index (FMI). A cross-sectional study was conducted among 435 female steelworkers, aged 26–57 years in Tangshan, China. BF% was assessed via bioelectrical impedance analysis and FMI was calculated. Different exposure metrics of night shift work were used to examine the effects of night shift work on BF% and FMI. The duration (years), cumulative number (nights), and cumulative length of night shifts (hours) were positively correlated with FMI and BF%, and these relationships were independent of body mass index (BMI). Compared with day workers, night shift workers with an average frequency of night shifts >7 nights/month (odds ratio (OR) 2.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.17 to 5.35) and percentage of hours on night shifts >30% (OR 2.55, 95% CI 1.21 to 5.39) had elevated odds of obesity (BF% ≥ 35.0%). Nonobese night shift workers by the BMI criterion should also be alert to the risk of the excess accumulation of body fat, which is actually responsible for most obesity-associated adverse health consequences. Health interventions for related populations need to be improved, which is currently more focused on overall weight control.