The exposome project for health and occupational research night shift cohort (EPHOR-NIGHT): abstract

Objective The EPHOR night shift study (EPHOR-NIGHT) provides population-based mechanistic evidence that will help prevent negative health effects of night shift work. The study was initiated to examine how the working-life exposome among night shift workers affects key body functions and biological pathways, and examine these mechanisms in relation to the development of cardiometabolic, mental health, and cognitive outcomes. Material and Methods Day and night shift workers from the transportation and health sector were sampled from four countries (Denmark, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands). We employed a baseline questionnaire, repeated app-based daily questionnaires, exposure sensors, and biological samples to measure exposures and outcomes among participants. For mental health, we used the validated 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (depression) and the validated 10- item Perceived Stress Scale (perceived stress). For immune marker levels, we measured several cytokines, chemokines and growth factors in plasma samples using the Luminex Cytokine Human Magnetic 30-Plex Panel. For the gut microbiome, stool samples were collected for 16S rRNA sequencing. Results The study includes 966 participants (850 women, 116 men) mostly in the health sector (96%). This presentation will summarize the design, sample characteristics and data types that have been collected in EPHOR-NIGHT. We will present a summary of findings on outcomes including mental health (higher levels of depression and anxiety among night shift workers compared to day shift workers), immune marker levels (lower levels of several immune markers among night shift workers) and gut microbiome findings (less diversity among night shift workers). Conclusions The baseline data collection and laboratory analyses are complete and the cohort is currently undergoing the first 2-year follow-up, developing translational activities and outreach to study participants. Findings from EPHOR-NIGHT will provide much needed additional mechanistic evidence linking night shift work to adverse health outcomes.
Abstract from: 30th Epidemiology in Occupational Health Conference (EPICOH 2025), Hosted by Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, 6–9 OCTOBER 2025, Utrecht, the Netherlands