Association of Chronotype and Shiftwork with COVID-19 Infection

Stuart F Quan; Matthew D Weaver; Mark É Czeisler; Laura K Barger; Lauren A Booker; Mark E Howard; Melinda L Jackson; Rashon I Lane; Christine F McDonald; Anna Ridgers; Rebecca Robbins; Prerna Varma; Shantha M W Rajaratnam; Charles A Czeisler

doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000003103

Association of Chronotype and Shiftwork with COVID-19 Infection

J Occup Environ Med. 2024 Apr 10. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000003103. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Stuart F Quan, Matthew D Weaver, Mark É Czeisler, Laura K Barger, Lauren A Booker, Mark E Howard, Melinda L Jackson, Rashon I Lane¹, Christine F McDonald, Anna Ridgers, Rebecca Robbins, Prerna Varma², Shantha M W Rajaratnam, Charles A Czeisler

Affiliations

¹ Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
² School of Psychological Sciences, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

PMID: 38595269
DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000003103

Abstract

Objective: This study assesses whether chronotype is related to COVID-19 infection and whether there is an interaction with shift work.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey of 19,821 U.S. adults.

Results: COVID-19 infection occurred in 40% of participants, 32.6% morning and 17.2% evening chronotypes. After adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic factors, shift/remote work, sleep duration and comorbidities, morning chronotype was associated with a higher (aOR: 1.15, 95% CI 1.10-1.21) and evening chronotype with a lower (aOR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.78-0.87) prevalence of COVID-19 infection in comparison to an intermediate chronotype. Working exclusively night shifts was not associated with higher prevalence of COVID-19. Morning chronotype and working some evening shifts was associated with the highest prevalence of previous COVID-19 infection (aOR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.28-2.74).

Conclusion: Morning chronotype and working a mixture of shifts increase risk of COVID-19 infection.