Download Does Current Scientific Evidence Support a Link Between Light at

CE M o du l e
Does Current Scientific Evidence Support a Link
Between Light at Night and Breast Cancer Among
Female Night-Shift Nurses? Review of Evidence and
Implications for Occupational and Environmental
Health Nurses
This issue of Workplace Health &
Safety contains a Continuing Nursing
Education Module on “Does Current
Scientific Evidence Support a Link
Between Light at Night and Breast
Cancer Among Female Night-Shift
Nurses? Review of Evidence and Implications for Occupational and Environmental Health Nurses.” 1.0 contact
hour of continuing nursing education
credit will be awarded by AAOHN upon
successful completion of the posttest
and evaluation.
A certificate will be awarded when
the following requirements are met
by the participant: (1) Participant logs
on to the AAOHN LMS website at
http://lms.aaohn.org and enrolls in the
course ($10 members; $15 non-members); (2) The completed posttest and
course evaluation are entered online
at http://lms.aaohn.org on or before
May 31, 2013; (3) A score of 75% (6
correct answers) is achieved by the
participant.
Upon completion of this lesson,
the occupational health nurse will be
able to:
1. Discuss the epidemiological
link between light at night and breast
cancer risk.
AAOHN is accredited as a provider
of continuing nursing education by the
American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.
AAOHN is additionally approved as
a provider by the California Board of
Registered Nursing (#CEP9283) and
the Louisiana State Board of Nursing
(#LSBN3).
Contact hour credits received for
successful completion of the posttest
and evaluation may be used for relicensure, certification, or re-certification.
doi:10.3928/21650799-20120529-07
282
1. The prevalence of breast cancer
is highest in:
A. Industrialized countries.
B. Developing countries.
C. African countries.
D. Asian countries.
2. Which of the following statements is NOT true about the
research on shift work and breast
cancer?
A. Rotating to night shift is a greater risk when done for 20 or 30
years compared to not rotating
shifts or rotating shifts for fewer
years.
B. Working nights for many years
put nurses at a higher risk for
breast cancer compared to
those who did not work nights.
C. Risk of breast cancer may be
proportional to the number of
consecutive night shifts worked.
D. Only 12-hour night shifts increase the risk for breast cancer.
3. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Melatonin suppression is clearly
linked to light at night (LAN).
B. Melatonin supplementation
should be used by nurses who
work nights to prevent breast
cancer.
C. The role of melatonin as a mediator between LAN and serum
estrogen levels is unclear.
D. Melatonin suppression is only
a risk factor in postmenopausal
women.
4. Additional research is needed
to investigate:
A. The association between shift
work and clock gene polymorphism or gene expression linked
to breast cancer.
B. The relationship between sleep
quantity and quality and breast
cancer.
C. The interaction among sun exposure, vitamin D levels, and breast
cancer among shift workers.
D. All of the above.
5. Potential mechanisms mediating the relations between nightshift work and cancer include:
A. Less time in sunlight, low vitamin
D, and exposure to LAN.
B. Tobacco use, phase shift, and
breastfeeding.
C. Early onset of menstrual cycle,
melatonin suppression, and
sleep disruption.
D. Immune suppression, poor diet,
and multiple pregnancies.
6. Limitations of previous research on LAN and breast cancer
include:
A. Inconsistent definitions of shift
work.
B. Presence of confounding variables.
C. Precise measurements of light.
D. All of the above.
7. Which of the following pieces
of advice should NOT be given to
nurses who work nights, based on
evidence in the literature?
A. Eat a healthy diet.
B. Engage in physical activity outside of work.
C. Discontinue working night shift.
D. Take steps to get sufficient quality and quantity of sleep.
8. On the basis of considerable
epidemiological evidence, the
authors recommend that nurses
avoid LAN to reduce their risk of
breast cancer.
A.True.
B.False.
Copyright © American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc.