Incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus among shift workers: a scoping review.

Objectives The purpose of this scoping review was to map the relationship between the increase in the incidence of T2DM among people who work in shifts and what are the possible shift work-related factors associated with this increase.
Methods A scoping review was conducted, following the proposal of the Joanna Briggs Institute. The Population, Concept, and Context strategy was used to formulate the guiding question. The proposed question was: “What is the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus among shift workers?”
Results After excluding duplicate articles, analyzing titles and abstracts, and excluding articles that did not answer the guiding question, 8 articles remained and were included in this review. Shift work schedules increase the incidence of T2DM, which was associated with the period the shift work was performed, circadian rhythm dysregulation, the length of exposure, ethnicity, occupation, and socioeconomic status. This increase is also associated with decreased frequency of physical activity, increased smoking rates and excessive calorie consumption with subsequent higher rates of overweight and obesity.
Conclusions Therefore, continuous education and health policy programs for shift workers at the workplace and outside of it, are necessary to avoid or at least postpone the incidence of T2DM among these professionals. Future studies are warranted to fulfill the knowledge gaps involving shift work schedules and the incidence of T2DM.