Andréa Aparecida da Luz

Exposure to bright light during evening class hours increases alertness among working college students

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of exposure to bright light on sleepiness during evening hours among college students. METHODS Twenty-seven healthy college students, all males, with ages ranging from 21 to 24years, working during the day and studying in the evening, participated in this study. During the 3week study, the students wore actigraphs and recorded levels of sleepiness. In a crossover design, on the second and third weeks, the students were exposed to bright light (BL) at either 19:00 or 21:00h. Salivary melatonin samples were collected before and after BL exposure. ANOVA test for repeated measurements were performed. RESULTS After BL exposure, sleepiness levels were reduced at 20:30 and 22:00h (F=2.2; p<0.05). ANOVA showed statistical differences between time (F=4.84; p=0.04) and between day and time of BL exposure (F=4.24; p=0.05). The results showed effects of melatonin onset at 20:00 and 21:30h and sleepiness levels (F=7.67; p=0.02) and perception of sleepiness and intervention time (F=6.52; p=0.01). CONCLUSION Controlled exposure to BL during evening hours increased alertness among college students. The effects of BL on sleepiness varied according to the time of melatonin onset.

Harassment at work? Empowerment and autonomy as coping strategies of young workers

There is a considerable number of researches about workplace violence, but few relate young workers and work harassment. This study aimed to investigate the reported perceptions of young apprentices and trainees about moral harassment at work and related coping strategies. Forty adolescent workers (22 men and 18 women) between 15 and 20 years old who received training by a non-governmental organization in São Paulo, Brazil, participated in the study. Data collection included individual and collective interviews. It was used an in-depth semi structured interview protocol. The discourses were analyzed using the hermeneutic-dialectic frame. Results showed that young workers reported little or no knowledge of strategies to cope with moral harassment at work, showing vulnerability to the effects of aggression. Effective coping strategies at work should embrace two important concepts of health promotion: empowerment and autonomy.

Sleep patterns and sleepiness of working college students

The double journey (work and study) may result or aggravate health problems, including sleep disturbances, as observed in previous studies with high school students. The aim of this study is to analyze the sleep-wake cycle and perceived sleepiness of working college students during weekdays. Twenty-three healthy college male students, 21-24 years old, working during the day and attending classes in the evening, participated in this study. During five consecutive days, the students filled out daily activities logs and wore actigraphs. Mean sleeping time was lower than 6 hours per night. No significant differences were observed in the sleep-wake cycle during the weekdays. The observed lack of changes in the sleepwake cycle of these college students might occur as participants were not on a free schedule, but exposed to social constraints, as was the regular attendance to evening college and day work activities. Sleepiness worsened over the evening school hours. Those results show the burden carried by College students who perform double activities - work and study.

Sleep patterns and sleepiness among young students: A longitudinal study before and after admission as trainees and apprentices

In developing countries, youngsters start to work during the high school years. Several studies have shown the difficulties associated with double shift, i.e. to work and study concomitantly, and its negative health consequences. Work and study time, as social synchronizers, have significant effects on the sleep-wake cycle (SWC). The purpose of this study was to evaluate sleep patterns and sleepiness in young students before and after entering the workforce as apprentices or trainees. Participants were 40 adolescents (26 males), 15–18 years old (mean = 15.8 years old) engaged in a first-job program at a non-governmental organization (NGO) while attending evening high school in the outskirts of the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The participants wore actigraphs (Ambulatory Monitoring, Inc.) and registered subjective sleepiness on KSS (Karolinska Sleepiness Scale) along 7 consecutive days, before and after admission to the job. Descriptive analyses were performed, and the variables were tested by means of the t-test and repeated measures ANOVA taking factors day of the week and time of the day into consideration. The participants’ sleep duration on weekdays exhibited significant difference before and after starting work (F = 4.55; p = 0.04); the mean sleep duration was 492 min (SD = 44 min) before admission to the job to decrease to 405 min (SD = 58 min) after starting work. The mid-sleep time exhibited significant difference on weekdays before and after starting work (04:57 h; SD = 45 min versus 03:30 h; SD = 54 min; F = 4.91; p = 0.03). Finally, also sleepiness on weekdays (F = 6.41; p = 0.04) and at the waking time (F = 10.75; p < 0.01) exhibited significant difference before and after admission to the job. This article emphasizes the fact that social synchronizers like working during the day and studying in the evening changed the participants’ SWC and were associated with sleep restriction. Brazilian governmental incentives notwithstanding, simultaneous performance of several activities by young workers should be considered as an occupational health hazard. Employment policies targeting young workers should take the dual shift – study and work – and its effects on the sleep-wake cycle into account.

Effects of working full-time and studying in the evening hours among young apprentices and trainees

Objective: This research aims to assess apprentices’ and trainees’ work conditions, psychosocial factors at work, as well as health symptoms after joining the labor force. Background: Despite the fact that there are over 3.5 million young working students in Brazil, this increasing rate brings with it difficult working conditions such as work pressure, heavy workloads, and lack of safety training. Method: This study was carried out in a nongovernmental organization (NGO) with 40 young members of a first job program in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. They filled out a comprehensive questionnaire focused on sociodemographic variables, working conditions, and health symptoms. Individual and collective semi-structured interviews were conducted. Empirical data analysis was performed using analysis of content. Results: The majority of participants mentioned difficulties in dealing with the pressure and their share of responsibilities at work. Body pains, headaches, sleep deprivation during the workweek, and frequent colds were mentioned. Lack of appropriate task and safety training contributed to the occurrence of work injuries. Conclusion: Having a full-time job during the day coupled with evening high school attendance may jeopardize these people’s health and future. Application: This study can make a contribution to the revision and implementation of work training programs for adolescents. It can also help in the creation of more sensible policies regarding youth employment.

Quality of diet of working college students

Considering the scarcity of studies with young workers and the role of diet in the prevention of chronic diseases, the objective of the study was to assess the quality of diet of working college students. The present study investigated 43 university students, aged between 18 and 25 years old who had systematically being involved in a working activity in the past 6 months, paid or unpaid, at least 6 hours daily, five days a week. Dietary intake measured by seven dietary records covering every day of the week was used to calculate the Brazilian Healthy Eating Index Revised (B-HEIR). It was observed a low B-HEIR score (53.43,±7.81) indicating a risk of a poor quality of diet, with high intake of sodium and sugar and low consumption of fruits and whole grains. This poor quality of diet can result in an inadequate nutritional status that may increase the risk of obesity and chronic diseases.