title: Irregular working hours and fatigue of cabin crew.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Beyond workload and specific environmental factors, flight attendants can be exposed to irregular working hours, conflicting with their circadian rhythms and having a negative impact in sleep, fatigue, health, social and family life, and performance which is critical to both safety and security in flight operations.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study focuses on the irregular schedules of cabin crew as a trigger of fatigue symptoms in a wet lease Portuguese airline. The aim was to analyze: what are the requirements of the cabin crew work; whether the schedules being observed and effective resting timeouts are triggering factors of fatigue; and the existence of fatigue symptoms in the cabin crew.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire has been adapted and applied to a sample of 73 cabin crew-members (representing 61.9% of the population), 39 females and 34 males, with an average age of 27.68 ± 4.27 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our data indicate the presence of fatigue and corresponding health symptoms among the airline cabin crew, despite of the sample favorable characteristics. Senior workers and women are more affected.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Countermeasures are required. Recommendations can be made regarding the fatigue risk management, including work organization, education and awareness training programmes and specific countermeasures.
authors.affiliation: Associação Portuguesa de Psicanálise e Psicoterapia Psicanalítica, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.affiliation: Universidade Lisboa, Faculdade Motricidade Humana, CIAUD, SA Ergonomia, Cruz Quebrada Dafundo, Portugal.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carvalhais
authors.affiliation: Universidade Lisboa, Faculdade Motricidade Humana, CIPER, Mathematics Unit, Cruz Quebrada Dafundo, Portugal.
authors.forename: Júlia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Teles
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D000367:Age Factors; D000401:Aircraft; D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Aviation; health; seniority; working time