Shiftwork, age and well-being: recent developments and future perspectives

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Gerontology
• Sociology of Work

Background:

• The global workforce is rapidly aging, particularly in Europe and the USA.
• The health and well-being of older shift workers are influenced by a complex interplay of individual, medical, psychosocial, and job-related factors.
• These factors are linked to biological aging, life situation changes, and the specific needs of aging shift workers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and synthesize evidence on age-specific solutions for shift work.
• To identify effective strategies for improving the health and well-being of aging shift workers.

Main Methods:

• Review of published intervention studies on shift work and aging.
• Analysis of factors influencing the health and well-being of older shift workers.

Main Results:

• Limited evidence exists for age-specific shift work solutions.
• Intervention studies support individual flexibility, rapid forward-rotating shifts, and earlier shift start/end times in three-shift systems.
• Improvements in occupational health care and coping mechanisms are crucial.

Conclusions:

• Age-specific shift scheduling, including flexibility and optimized rotation, can benefit older workers.
• Occupational health services and coping strategies are essential complements to shift schedule adjustments.
• Further research into age-specific interventions is warranted to support the aging shift worker population.