Determination of diabetes risk of nurses working in shifts

This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the diabetes risk of nurses working at a private hospital and the influence of shift working to the diabetes risk. The observational study was conducted at a hospital in Istanbul which is a member of private hospital group. The sample consisted of 682 nurses, aged 18 or older, work at in-patient unit, intense care unit, polyclinics, emergency unit, and operating room. The data were obtained using `general information form? and Type 2 Diabetes Risk evaluation form (Type 2 Diabetes Risk Test-FINDRISK) and the measurement method. The participants are aged 27,2±6,6 (18-52), and have body mass index 22,6 ± 3,3 (15,63 ? 37,18) on average. Total operating time of the participants on average is 6,00±7,220 years while total duration of the shift on average is 5,00±5,366 years. The results reveal that there is a significant relationship (p=0,000<0.05) between duration of shift working and total risk score of diabetes, 61,5 % (n:112) of the participants, those with 0-2 years in shift working have lower total risk score of diabetes, 43,7 % (n:76) of the participants, those with 10 years and more in shift working have higher total risk score of diabetes. The diabetes risk of nurses who work for 3-9 years was OR=2,57 (1,31 ? 5,03) times higher than the nurses working for 0-2 years (p=0,006<0,01). However the study revealed that the diabetes risk of nurses who work for more than 10 years was OR=26,78 (12,58 ? 57,01) times higher than nurses working for 0-2 years (p=0,000<0,01). As a result as the duration of shift working increases the risk of diabetes increases in the moderate and higher degree. The study revealed that the diabetes risk of the nurses working for more than 10 years was 26,78 times higher than the nurses who work for 0-2 years. It is essential for the nurses who have been working at night shifts to have diabetes-related healthcare screening annually and to participate in at diabetes protection programs.