NIGHT SHIFT AND 25-HYDROXY VITAMIN D3 STATUS AMONG HOSPITAL NURSING STAFF

Introduction: Working with night shift system can have a substantial negative influence on the worker’s physical, psychological, and mental health as well as their ability to accomplish their professional duties. Vitamin D insufficiency is a worldwide problem. It has a negative impact on the health of those who are vulnerable. It is hypothesized that night work may affect circulating vitamin D3 levels due to reduced exposure to direct sunlight. Aim of Work: to elucidate the relation between night shift work and 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 status among hospital nursing staff Materials and Methods: It is a cross-sectional comparative study on the nursing staff working in hospitals in Ismailia. The participants’ number was150 individuals (who included night shift, day shift and rotating shift workers), a questionnaire was addressed including: personal data, occupational history, nightshift work characteristics, food description of vitamin D2 intake sources ,Index of exposure to sunlight. The level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in the blood serum was measured. Results: The study showed that 44% of night shift and 38% of rotating shift nursing staff were deficient in 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, 38% of night shift and 46% of day shift nursing staff were insufficient, while only 34% of day shift were sufficient. The results revealed a significant difference in serum vitamin D3 levels between nursing staff groups (p<0.005). The day shift staff median serum vitamin D3 level was 18 (15, 24) ng/ml, while the night shift staff median