1. Research Problem and Existing Approaches:
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the aviation
industry, with travel restrictions, lockdowns, and reduced travel demand
affecting airlines' operations worldwide. Cabin crew members, in particular,
have been heavily impacted by these changes, as their work schedules,
working conditions, and overall well-being have been affected. Cabin crews
often work long hours, including night shifts and irregular schedules, which
can have a significant impact on their sleep quality and fatigue levels.
Inadequate sleep and fatigue can increase the risk of accidents and errors,
compromise safety, and negatively affect performance and overall well-being.
Existing studies have primarily focused on examining the impact of shift work
and jetlag on cabin crews' sleep quality and fatigue levels. Shift work and
jetlag are common in the aviation industry and can significantly affect cabin
crews' circadian rhythms, sleep quality, and fatigue levels. However, studies
on the impact of pandemics on cabin crews' sleep quality and fatigue levels
are limited. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the effects of the
COVID-19 pandemic on cabin crews' sleep problems and fatigue levels
during the early pandemic period.
Cabin staff frequently put in longer shifts, including night shifts, and follow
irregular schedules, which can negatively affect their sleep and level of
fatigue. Fatigue and insufficient sleep can affect safety, increase the
likelihood of accidents and mistakes, and have a detrimental impact on
performance and general health. Studies already conducted have mainly
looked at how shift work and jet lag affect the amount and quality of sleep that
cabin personnel experience. Jetlag and shift work are frequent in the aviation
industry and can have a substantial impact on the biological clock, sleep
quality, and degree of fatigue in cabin staff. There haven't been many
research done on how pandemics affect the amount and quality of sleep that
cabin personnel experience. By analyzing how the COVID-19 pandemic
affected the sleep issues and levels of weariness among cabin workers
during the early pandemic era, this research aims to close this gap in
knowledge.
2. General Approach Used:
To address the research problem, the authors used a cross-sectional study
design. The study was conducted on cabin crew members working for a
Turkish airline company during the early COVID-19 pandemic period. The
authors distributed a self-administered online survey to cabin crew members,
which included questions related to their demographics, work schedules,
sleep quality, and fatigue levels. The authors then analyzed the data using
descriptive statistics and logistic regression models to identify factors
associated with poor sleep quality and fatigue levels.
The study found that cabin crews experienced a higher prevalence of poor
sleep quality and fatigue during the early COVID-19 pandemic period.
Specifically, 49.5% of the participants reported poor sleep quality, while
54.5% reported fatigue. The authors also identified several factors associated
with poor sleep quality and fatigue levels, such as younger age, female
gender, and longer working hours. The study's results provide valuable
insights into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cabin crews' sleep
quality and fatigue levels and the factors that may contribute to poor sleep
quality and fatigue.
The analysis uses a cross-sectional study design to address the problem with the
research. The research involved flight attendants employed by a Turkish airline
during the early COVID-19 pandemic. The authors provided members of the cabin
crew with a self-administered online survey that asked them questions about their
demographics, work schedules, sleep quality, and level of fatigue. The authors then
performed a descriptive statistical analysis and logistic regression modeling on the
data to find variables correlated to insufficient sleep quality and levels of fatigue. The
study indicated that cabin workers faced a greater prevalence of poor sleep quality
and fatigue during the early COVID-19 pandemic phase. Particularly, 49.5% of the
participants reported having a bad night's sleep and 54.5% said they were fatigued.
The scientists also discovered a number of factors, including youn, gender, and
number of hours worked, that were associated to insufficient sleep and high levels of
fatigue.
3. Critique of Data, Results, and Methods:
a- Data: The study used a self-administered online survey to collect data from
cabin crew members. While online surveys are convenient and cost-effective,
they may not accurately represent the population of interest. For example,
cabin crew members who do not have internet access or who choose not to
participate in the survey may be underrepresented, which could affect the
study's validity. Additionally, self-reported data may be subject to recall bias,
as participants may not accurately remember their sleep quality or fatigue
levels.
Data from cabin crew members were gathered using a self-administered
online survey utilized in the study. Online polls are cost-effective and
practical, however they could not accurately reflect the target population. For
instance, the study's validity may be impacted if enough cabin crew members
decide not to participate in the poll or are disadvantaged because they lack
internet access. Self-reported statistics may also be biased by participants'
inaccurate memory of their sleep patterns or degrees of fatigue.
- Methods: The authors used a cross-sectional study design, which limits the
study's ability to establish causality between variables. Cross-sectional
studies are useful for identifying associations between variables, but they
cannot determine causality. Additionally, the study did not use objective
measures of sleep quality or fatigue levels, such as actigraphy or
polysomnography, which may provide more accurate data.
As a result of the study's cross-sectional design, the authors were unable to
prove that one variable caused another. Although they cannot establish
causality, cross-sectional studies are useful for discovering associations
between variables. Moreover, actigraphy or polysomnography, which may
yield more reliable results, were not used in the study as objective indicators
of sleep efficiency or degrees of fatigue.
b- Results: The study found that cabin crews experienced a higher
prevalence of poor sleep quality and fatigue during the early COVID-19
pandemic period. The authors also identified several factors associated with
poor sleep quality and fatigue levels, such as younger age, female gender,
and longer working hours. However, the study's results are limited to a
specific time period and may not be generalizable to other pandemic periods
or regions. Additionally, the study did not collect data on pre-pandemic sleep
quality and fatigue levels, making it challenging to compare the results with
previous studies.
According to the study, during the early COVID-19 pandemic era, fatigue and
poor sleep quality were more common among the cabin crew. The authors
also discovered a number of variables, including young, gender, and number
of hours worked, that were associate to insufficient sleep and high levels of
fatigue. The conclusions of the study, however, are restricted to a particular
time frame and might not generalize to other pandemic places or times.
Furthermore, it was difficult to compare the findings with other research since
the study did not gather information on pre-pandemic levels of fatigue and
sleep quality.
4. Potential Future Research:
Future research could use a longitudinal study design to track cabin crews'
sleep quality and fatigue levels over an extended period to determine how
these factors change over time. Additionally, future studies could include
objective measures of sleep quality and fatigue levels to provide more
accurate data.
In the future, studies may follow cabin attendants' sleep patterns and levels of
fatigue over an extended period of time to see how these factors change.
Further research could also examine the impact of pandemic-related
stressors, such as fear of infection, job insecurity, and changes in work
schedules, on cabin crews' sleep quality and fatigue levels.
The effects of pandemic-related stressors, such as infection fear, job
uncertainty, and schedule adjustments, on cabin crews' sleep quality and
degrees of fatigue could also be examined in further study.
The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced new stressors that may impact
cabin crew members' well-being and work performance. Understanding how
these stressors affect cabin crew members' sleep quality and fatigue levels
could help airlines develop interventions to support their employees during
pandemics and other high-stress periods.
Another area of future research could examine the effectiveness of
interventions designed to improve cabin crews' sleep quality and reduce
fatigue levels. Interventions could include training programs on sleep hygiene,
adjustments to work schedules, or workplace accommodations to minimize
the impact of pandemic-related stressors. Evaluating the effectiveness of
these interventions could help airlines develop evidence-based strategies to
support their employees' well-being during pandemics and other high-stress
periods.
Future studies might also look at the efficacy of measures taken to enhance the quality of cabin
crews' sleep and decrease their levels of fatigue. To reduce the impact of pandemic-related
stresses, interventions can include sleep hygiene education programs, changes to work hours, or
workplace modifications.