title: Shiftwork and Diurnal Salivary Cortisol Patterns Among Police Officers.
abstract: To investigate associations between shiftwork and diurnal salivary cortisol among 319 police officers (77.7% men).
  
  
  
  Information on shiftwork was obtained from the City of Buffalo, NY electronic payroll records. Saliva was collected using Salivettes at seven time points and analyzed for free cortisol concentrations (nmol/L) using a chemiluminescence immunoassay. Mean slopes and areas under the curve were compared across shift schedule using analysis of variance (ANOVA)/analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).
  
  
  
  Officers working primarily on the night shift had a significantly shallower slope. Mean slope (nmol/L/minutes) of the cortisol curve varied significantly across shifts (day: -0.00332 ± 0.00017, afternoon: -0.00313 ± 0.00018, night: -0.00257 ± 0.0002); adjusted P = 0.023.
  
  
  
  Our results suggest that night shiftwork is a workplace factor that may alter the response of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis to the circadian cues responsible for the pattern of the diurnal cortisol curve.
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics and Epidemiology Branch (Drs Charles, Fekedulegn, Burchfiel, Hartley, and Andrew); Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Health Professions, State University of New York at Buffalo (Dr Violanti); Toxicology and Molecular Biology Branch (Dr Miller), Health Effects Laboratory Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Morgantown, West Virginia.
authors.forename: Luenda E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Charles
authors.forename: Desta
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fekedulegn
authors.forename: Cecil M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Burchfiel
authors.forename: Tara A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Hartley
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Andrew
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Violanti
authors.forename: Diane B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009518:New York; D016272:Occupational Health; D016495:Police; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry*; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone