Background: Stable circadian rhythm is important for proper functioning of the physiologicalrnactivities of the body. Shift work, including night work, has been hypothesized to increase thernrisk of chronic diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD), metabolic syndromernand diabetes. Recent reviews of evidence relating to these relationships support the hypothesis.rnHowever, few studies have attempted to establish the role of shift-work in determining chronicrndiseases risk factors in a developing country setting. Therefore, the present study attempted tornaddress this knowledge gap by assessing the magnitude and determinant factors of chronicrndisease risk factors among shift workers and day workers.rnObjective: To determine and compare the levels of risk factors for selected chronic nonrncommunicable diseases (obesity and hypertension) among shift and day time workers in WonjirnShoa sugar factory workers, Ethiopia.rnMethod: A comparative cross sectional study was conducted from October, 2011 â€“ December,rn2011 in Wonji Shoa sugary factory, East shoa, Oromia Region. The study participants were 836rnfactory workers (418 shift workers and 418 day time workers) who have worked at least for fivernyears. Data was collected using a pretested structured questionnaire, and weight, height, waistrncircumference and blood pressure was measured using standardized weighing scale, measuringrnboard and digital sphygmomanometer respectively. Data was entered using Epi- info version 3.4rnand analyzed by SPSS version 16. A descriptive statistics, bivarate and multivariate analysis wasrndone as appropriate.rnResult: Overall the prevalence overweight/obesity among the factory workers was 34.1% (95%rnCI=30.9%, 37.3%); 15.7% among shift workers versus 18.4% among daytime workers. Shiftrnworkers were 39% more likely to be overweight/obese compared with day time workersrnalthough the difference was not statistically significant [AOR (95% CI) = 1.39 (0.93, 2.09)].rnOverall the prevalence of obesity among the factory workers was 4.2% (3.1% among shiftrnworkers versus 5.3% among daytime workers; (95% CI=2.8%, 5.6%). But, the difference wasrnnot statistically significant [AOR (95% CI) = 1.0 (0.44, 2.26)].rnXrnThe prevalence of hypertension was 36.4% (95% CI=33.1%, 39.7%), 21.3% among shiftrnworkers versus 15.1% among daytime workers; shift workers being significantly more likely tornbe hypertensive compared with their day time counterparts [AOR (95% CI) = 1.48 (1.02, 2.14)].rnShift workers were also significantly more likely to be smokers (13.1% versus 6.5%; P-value