Longitudinal Study of the Relationship Between Shift Work and Cholesterol Using Bayesian Multilevel Modeling with Skew T Distribution

Abstract

Background and Objectives : Previous studies have reported contradictory results regarding the association of Shift Work (SW) and Blood Cholesterol (BC). In this paper, we studied the relationship between SW and BC. Methods: The data of this historical cohort study was extracted from annual observations of the workers of Esfahan’s Mobarakeh Steel Company selected through cluster random sampling between 1996 and 2011. In this research, we assessed the effect of SW on BC with controlling BMI, age, work experience, marital status, smoking, and educational status. Results : Five hundered and seventy four male workers participated in this study with a mean (SD) age of 41.89 (7.51) and mean (SD) work experience of 16.75 (7.16) years. In this study, after controlling confounding factors, we found no significant relationship between SW and BC. Conclusion: Because our study showed no relationship between SW and BC, we can state that this relationship does not exist with more certainty.

Keywords

• Cholesterol
• Multilevel Analysis
• Bayesian Method
• Shift Work