Objective This study aimed to examine the association between rotating night shift work and subclinical athero­sclerosis among Chinese steelworkers.

Methods We evaluated 3582 steelworkers who participated in the legally required health examination in 2017. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) was measured using ultrasonography. Different exposure metrics of night shifts collected by face-to-face personal interviews were used to examine the relationship between night shift work and the mean CIMT.

Results The mean CIMT values were 0.66 (standard deviation 0.22) mm in the study population. Current shift workers shown higher mean CIMT compared to day workers. There were no significant associations between the current shift status, the duration of night shifts, the cumulative number of night shifts, the average frequency of night shifts, and the mean CIMT after all confounding factors adjusted both in male and female.

Conclusions Rotating night shift work is not associated with subclinical atherosclerosis among steelworkers. Further large-scale prospective longitudinal studies are warranted to confirm our findings.

Key terms atherosclerosis; cardiovascular disease; carotid intima-media thickness; China; cross-sectional survey; night work; shift work; shift worker; steelworker