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Sleep disturbance and the older worker: findings from the Health and Employment after Fifty study

Sleep disturbance and the older worker: findings from the Health and Employment after Fifty study
Sleep disturbance and the older worker: findings from the Health and Employment after Fifty study
Objectives: The aim of this study was to characterize the descriptive epidemiology of insomnia in midlife and explore the relative importance of different occupational risk factors for insomnia among older workers.

Methods: A questionnaire was mailed to all adults aged 50–64 years registered with 24 English general practices. Insomnia was defined as having at least one of four problems with sleep severely in the past three months. Subjects were also asked about employment conditions, feelings concerning work, and their health. Associations were assessed by logistic regression and population attributable fractions (PAF) calculated.

Results: Analysis was based on 8067 respondents (5470 in paid work), 18.8% of whom reported insomnia. It was more common among women, smokers, obese individuals, those living alone, and those in financial hardship, and less prevalent among the educated, those in South-East England, and those with friendships and leisure-time pursuits. Occupational risk factors included unemployment, shift working, lack of control and support at work, job insecurity, job dissatisfaction and several of its determinants (lacking a sense of achievement, feeling unappreciated, having difficult work colleagues, feeling unfairly criticized). Population burden of insomnia was associated more strongly with difficulties in coping with work demands, job insecurity, difficult colleagues, and lack of friendships at work [population attributable fraction (PAF) 15–33%] than shift work and lack of autonomy or support (PAF 5–7%). It was strongly associated with seven measures of poorer self-assessed health.

Conclusions: Employment policies aimed at tackling insomnia among older workers may benefit from focusing particularly on job–person fit, job security and relationships in the workplace.
0355-3140
1-10
Palmer, Keith
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D'angelo, Stefania
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Harris, Clare
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Linaker, Catherine
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Aihie Sayer, Avan
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Gale, Catharine
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Evandrou, Maria
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van Staa, Tjeerd
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Cooper, Cyrus
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Coggon, D.
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Palmer, Keith
0cfe63f0-1d33-40ff-ae8c-6c33601df850
D'angelo, Stefania
13375ecd-1117-4b6e-99c0-32239f52eed6
Harris, Clare
3e4bd946-3f09-45a1-8725-d35e80dd7971
Linaker, Catherine
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Aihie Sayer, Avan
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Gale, Catharine
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Evandrou, Maria
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van Staa, Tjeerd
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Cooper, Cyrus
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Coggon, D.
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Palmer, Keith, D'angelo, Stefania, Harris, Clare, Linaker, Catherine, Aihie Sayer, Avan, Gale, Catharine, Evandrou, Maria, van Staa, Tjeerd, Cooper, Cyrus and Coggon, D. (2017) Sleep disturbance and the older worker: findings from the Health and Employment after Fifty study. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 1-10. (doi:10.5271/sjweh.3618). (PMID:28052164)

Record type: Article

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to characterize the descriptive epidemiology of insomnia in midlife and explore the relative importance of different occupational risk factors for insomnia among older workers.

Methods: A questionnaire was mailed to all adults aged 50–64 years registered with 24 English general practices. Insomnia was defined as having at least one of four problems with sleep severely in the past three months. Subjects were also asked about employment conditions, feelings concerning work, and their health. Associations were assessed by logistic regression and population attributable fractions (PAF) calculated.

Results: Analysis was based on 8067 respondents (5470 in paid work), 18.8% of whom reported insomnia. It was more common among women, smokers, obese individuals, those living alone, and those in financial hardship, and less prevalent among the educated, those in South-East England, and those with friendships and leisure-time pursuits. Occupational risk factors included unemployment, shift working, lack of control and support at work, job insecurity, job dissatisfaction and several of its determinants (lacking a sense of achievement, feeling unappreciated, having difficult work colleagues, feeling unfairly criticized). Population burden of insomnia was associated more strongly with difficulties in coping with work demands, job insecurity, difficult colleagues, and lack of friendships at work [population attributable fraction (PAF) 15–33%] than shift work and lack of autonomy or support (PAF 5–7%). It was strongly associated with seven measures of poorer self-assessed health.

Conclusions: Employment policies aimed at tackling insomnia among older workers may benefit from focusing particularly on job–person fit, job security and relationships in the workplace.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 4 January 2017
e-pub ahead of print date: 4 January 2017
Organisations: MRC Life-Course Epidemiology Unit

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 404534
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/404534
ISSN: 0355-3140
PURE UUID: 6059af86-bcaa-4aa1-be3d-4e8e83003428
ORCID for Stefania D'angelo: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-7267-1837
ORCID for Clare Harris: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8037-566X
ORCID for Catherine Linaker: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-1091-9283
ORCID for Catharine Gale: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-3361-8638
ORCID for Maria Evandrou: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2115-9358
ORCID for Cyrus Cooper: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3510-0709
ORCID for D. Coggon: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-1930-3987

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 11 Jan 2017 12:23
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 05:09

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Contributors

Author: Keith Palmer
Author: Stefania D'angelo ORCID iD
Author: Clare Harris ORCID iD
Author: Avan Aihie Sayer
Author: Catharine Gale ORCID iD
Author: Maria Evandrou ORCID iD
Author: Tjeerd van Staa
Author: Cyrus Cooper ORCID iD
Author: D. Coggon ORCID iD

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