Job stress and healthy behavior among male Japanese office workers

Spectroscopic biofeedback on cutaneous carotenoids: A powerful tool for primary prevention in advanced age

Antioxidants exhibit a powerful defense mechanism against aging and chronic disease. The human skin reflects the overall antioxidant status of the body. The cutaneous carotenoid concentration is a biomarker for individual nutritional intake of antioxidants, as it correlates with the overall antioxidant status. The cutaneous carotenoid concentrations of 44 adults were measured using a multiple spatially resolved reflection spectroscopy. During the first phase of the study, measurements of carotenoid concentrations were performed without revealing the antioxidant status, followed by an intervention phase during which the volunteers were informed about their individual values by biofeedback. During the third phase, biofeedback was combined with an additional intake of fruit juices. Across time points, participants showed increasing levels of carotenoid status. Thus, biofeedback leads to an improvement of the carotenoid value of the skin. Providing a biofeedback measurement to monitor the individual antioxidative status may be an easy and cost-effective way of primary prevention.

Health-Related Expectations Regarding Aging among Middle-Aged and Older Japanese: Psychometric Performance and Novel Findings from the ERA-12-J

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Health-related expectations regarding aging is a gerontological construct that is potentially predictive of morbidity and mortality in later life. The Expectations Regarding Ageing scale (ERA-12) is a widely used measure of health-related expectations, although it has not previously been administered in Japanese. The present research aimed to elucidate the psychometric properties of the first Japanese translation of the ERA-12 and evaluate health-related expectations among middle-aged and older Japanese.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Repeated online surveys were conducted with representative quota samples of middle-aged and older adults in Tokyo during 2021 (N = 1600). Primary outcome measures included total and subscale scores on a Japanese translation of the ERA-12 (ERA-12-J) addressing perceptions of physical, mental, and cognitive health. Standard measures were also used to gather information regarding respondent demographic details, general health, and health-related behavior.

RESULTS

The ERA-12-J and associated subscales showed acceptable test-retest reliability (t(1598) = 0.60, p = 0.63), internal consistency (α > 0.80), inter-item correlation (r = 0.21-0.78) and item-total correlation (r = 0.53-0.73). Confirmatory Factor Analysis verified the hypothesized three-factor structure and construct validity on four common indices of fit (GFI = 0.968; CFI = 0.978; AGFI = 0.950; RMSEA = 0.059). ERA-12-J scores among Japanese respondents revealed prevailing negative sentiments concerning physical and cognitive health, with less negative sentiment regarding mental health. Significant and independent differences emerged concerning gender and age cohort, with middle-aged adults and females holding more negative expectations about their future health.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

The ERA-12-J provides a sound basis for the elucidation of health-related expectations about aging in Japan and a useful tool for international comparative studies. Education and workplace intervention may be required in Japan to address age and gender disparities in health-related expectations.

Flexible Work Arrangements and Health in White-Collar Urban Professionals

Although some research has examined health implications of flexible work arrangements, little is known about job flexibility and health in the context of modern working life, characterized by intensification. Grounded on the Job Demand-Resource model, this article explores access to flexible work arrangements and organizational climate on the health and well-being of white-collar, urban professionals in downtown Toronto. A qualitative content analysis of eight semistructured interviews with white-collar, urban professionals between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-two revealed three domains-intensity of work life and demands, coworker and managerial relations, and the boundaries between work and home-where demands outweighed resources to limit workers' ability to practice flexibility. Thus, an emerging trend where workers need to be flexible within flexible work arrangements emerged. Findings point to the need for organizational commitment and activities to address unhealthy behaviors in the context of modern working life.

Trust in the Work Environment and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Findings from the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index

This study examined associations between trust, an important aspect of workplace social capital, with seven cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors (American Heart Association Life’s Simple 7 (LS7)): smoking, obesity, low physical activity, poor diet, diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Data are from the U.S. Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index (2010–2012), a nationally representative telephone survey of U.S. workers (n = 412,884). The independent variable was the response to a work environment (WE) question as to whether their supervisor always creates an open and trusting environment. Regression models were adjusted for demographic characteristics with each of the LS7 CVD risk factors as dependent variables. Twenty-one percent of workers reported that their supervisor did not create an open and trusting environment. Trust was associated with increased adjusted odds of having many of the LS7 CVD risk factors. Among those workers whose supervisor created a mistrustful environment, the odds ratios were greatest (>20%) for having four or more of the LS7 CVD risk factors.

Mental Stress from Animal Experiments: a Survey with Korean Researchers

Animal experiments have been widely conducted in the life sciences for more than a century, and have long been a subject of ethical and societal controversy due to the deliberate infliction of harm upon sentient animals. However, the harmful use of animals may also negatively impact the mental health of researchers themselves. We sought to evaluate the anxiety level of researchers engaged in animal use to analyse the mental stress from animal testing. The State Anxiety Scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was used to evaluate how researchers feel when they conduct animal, as opposed to non-animal, based experiments (95 non-animal and 98 animal testing researchers). The Trait Anxiety Scale of STAI was employed to measure proneness to anxiety, namely the base trait of the researchers. Additionally, the information on sex, age, education, income, and total working periods was collected. While the Trait Anxiety scores were comparable (41.5 ± 10.9 versus 42.9 ± 10.1, p = 0.3682, t-test), the State Anxiety scores were statistically significantly higher for animal users than non-animal users (45.1 ± 10.7 versus 41.3 ± 9.4, p = 0.011). This trend was consistent for both male and female. Notably, younger animal testers (≤ 30 years of age) with less work experience (≤ 2 years) and lower income level (≤ 27,000 USD) exhibited higher anxiety scores, whereas these factors did not affect the anxiety level of non-animal users. The present study demonstrated that participation in animal experiments can negatively impact the mental health of researchers.

Associations among inflammation, mental health, and quality of life in adults with metabolic syndrome

BACKGROUND

Metabolic syndrome (MetS), a pro-inflammatory state, has become increasingly common worldwide and is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. Recently, studies on the relationships among inflammation, mental health, quality of life, and other diseases have been conducted.

METHODS

We investigated the relationship between serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels, as an indicator of inflammation, and the quality of life and psychiatric symptoms of Korean adults with MetS. The analysis used data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a cross-sectional survey of Korean civilians conducted from January to December 2015. Data from 1600 participants were analyzed in this study. Quality of life was assessed using the EuroQol 5-dimension (EQ-5D) instrument.

RESULTS

Serum hs-CRP levels showed a significant inverse correlation with the EQ-5D index of the overall quality of life. High serum hs-CRP levels were positively associated with mobility problems and suicidal ideation in adults with MetS (multivariate-adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.66, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-2.66, p = 0.036; and multivariate-adjusted OR 2.48, 95% CI 1.23-4.99, p = 0.011).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that the elevated inflammatory status in MetS is associated with decreased quality of life and mental health problems. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm the impact of inflammation on the quality of life and mental health of adults with MetS.

Association between Emotional Symptoms and Job Demands in an Asian Electronics Factory

Various work-related issues including mental health have been described for the electronic industry. Although East Asian countries play important roles in the electronics industry, the association between job demands and emotional symptoms has been rarely examined. The present study recruited 603 workers from either office or clean room environments in an electronics factory in Taiwan. Their personal factors, work-related factors, and emotional symptoms were assessed by a self-administered questionnaire. The symptoms of depression and hostility were reported in 24.88% and 24.38% of the subjects, respectively, while 14.93% reported both. A multivariate analysis showed that, overall, women workers were more likely to have emotional symptoms than male workers (odds ration (OR) = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.02-2.18). Among clean room workers, working under high pressure (OR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.05-3.21), conflicting demands (OR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.30-3.57), and social isolation at work (OR = 2.99, 95% CI = 1.23-7.30) were associated with emotional symptoms. The findings suggest that in the Asian electronics industry, for women, working under high pressure, conflicting demands, and social isolation at work are risk factors for emotional symptoms, especially for clean room workers. Further large-scale, longitudinal studies are necessary to confirm and prevent the mental health problems in this fast-evolving, highly competitive industry.

Factors Associated With Changes in Fruit Intake During Young Adulthood: A Classification and Regression Tree Analysis of Longitudinal Data

OBJECTIVE

To examine whether distinct participant groupings for changes in fruit intake (FI) levels between ages 23 and 31 years are identifiable based on both time-varying and time-invariant sociodemographic and behavioral variables.

METHODS

Data were derived from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth-1997, US. Change in FI frequency constituted the dependent variable. For 21 variables, changes and averages in 2007-2011 were calculated. Classification and regression tree analysis was conducted using Generalized, Unbiased, Interaction Detection, and Estimation software.

RESULTS

Analysis isolated 5 variables (changes in smoking, drinking alcohol, and television viewing, plus 5-year mean of income-to-poverty ratio and computer use) and associated cutoff values to identify 7 groups of participants with differing degrees of FI change.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Multiple groupings existed within upper social strata; a majority maintained healthy behaviors whereas some adopted substance use stress-coping mechanisms. Some low-income individuals demonstrated a capacity to adopt healthy behaviors. Dietary interventions could identify behavioral clustering, with emphasis on drinking, smoking, and screen time.

Job Strain and Casual Blood Pressure Distribution: Looking beyond the Adjusted Mean and Taking Gender, Age, and Use of Antihypertensives into Account. Results from ELSA-Brasil

Methodological issues are pointed to as the main sources of inconsistencies in studies about the association between job strain and blood pressure (BP)/hypertension. Our aim was to analyze the relationship between job strain and the whole BP distribution, as well as potential differences by gender, age, and use of antihypertensives. Additionally, we addressed issues relating to the operationalization of the exposure and outcome variables that influence the study of their inter-relations. We evaluated the baseline date of 12,038 participants enrolled in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil) (2008–2010), a multicenter cohort study of 35–74-year-old civil servants. Job strain was assessed by the Demand-Control-Support Questionnaire. The distribution of casual BP by categories of job strain was compared by a combination of exploratory techniques. Participants were classified into three subgroups (normotensives, medicated hypertensives, and unmedicated hypertensives), and analyses were stratified by gender and age. The relationship between job strain and casual BP varied along the whole outcome distribution. Hypertensive participants had greater differences in casual BP by job strain category, especially medicated hypertensives. Differences in casual BP were also greater for systolic than for diastolic BP and for older participants. No differences were encountered by gender. The exclusion of participants susceptible to misclassification for the exposure and outcome variables increased the differences observed between the categories of low and high job strain. In conclusion, the relationship between job strain and casual BP varied along the whole outcome distribution and by use of antihypertensive drugs, age, and BP parameter evaluated. Misclassification for exposure and outcome variables should be considered in analyses of this topic.

Is there an occupational status gradient in the development of periodontal disease in Japanese workers? A 5-year prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Development of periodontal disease (PD) may be affected by socioeconomic status. This study examined the relationship between occupational status and PD in a 5-year prospective cohort of Japanese workers.

METHODS

In total, 19,633 participants had initial examinations at the Aichi Health Promotion Foundation, of whom 8210 participants aged 20 years or older did not have PD. Follow-up examinations were conducted for 3757 participants, accounting for 45.8% of baseline participants. Ultimately, 3390 participants were analyzed according to the criterion of job classification at baseline, which was based on the International Standard Classification of Occupations, 1987. Oral examinations were performed using the Community Periodontal Index (CPI). The CPI scores were coded as follows: healthy (score of 0); bleeding after probing (1); dental calculus (2); shallow pockets (3); and deep pockets (4). Participants with one or more sextants with a score >2 were diagnosed with PD. Poisson regression analysis was performed to adjust for age and other potential confounders.

RESULTS

Overall, 31.6% of men and 23.8% of women had developed PD (CPI scores of 3 or 4). The adjusted relative risk (RR) for PD (CPI scores of 3 or 4) in men was not significant. On the other hand, the adjusted RRs for PD (CPI score of 4) in men were 2.52-, 2.39-, and 2.74-fold higher for skilled workers, sales persons, and drivers, respectively, than for professionals. In contrast, we found no gradient in women.

CONCLUSIONS

We found a gradient related to the risk of developing PD according to occupational status among men in a Japanese worker population.

Modification Effects of Changes in Job Demands on Associations Between Changes in Testosterone Levels and Andropause Symptoms: 2-Year Follow-up Study in Male Middle-Aged Japanese Workers

PURPOSE

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to ascertain if changes in job demands modify associations between changes in testosterone levels and andropause symptoms in male Japanese workers.

METHOD

A baseline survey including job demands and the Aging Males' Symptoms scale, lifestyle factors, and blood levels of testosterone was conducted in 2007. Among 192 men (mean age ± SD 52.2 ± 7.6 years) who completed all relevant questionnaires and provided blood at baseline, 104 men (50.9 ± 7.2 years) were followed up in 2009. Changes of variables in 2 years were calculated (data of follow-up minus those of baseline).

RESULTS

Testosterone levels were increased significantly, whereas job demands and somatic symptoms were reduced significantly, at follow-up. Changes in testosterone levels were negatively associated with changes in total andropause symptoms, psychological symptoms, and sexual symptoms (standardized β = -0.27, -0.24, and, -0.29, p < 0.05, respectively), after adjustment for confounders. Changes in job demands were positively associated with changes in somatic symptoms (standardized β = 0.21, p < 0.05). Significant interactions of changes in testosterone levels and job demands were noted for changes in psychological symptoms (standardized β = 0.26, p < 0.05). For men with a 1-SD reduction in job demands, negative associations between changes in testosterone levels and psychological symptoms were intensified, but not for men with a 1-SD increase in job demands.

CONCLUSION

Andropause symptoms may be affected by changes in testosterone levels and job demands. Change in job demands may modify associations between changes in testosterone levels and andropause symptoms.

Work Stress and Metabolic Syndrome in Police Officers. A Prospective Study

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this longitudinal study was to evaluate the association between occupational stress and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in a rapid response police unit.

METHOD

Work-related stress was continuously monitored during the 5-year period with both the Demand-Control-Support (DCS) and the Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) models. Blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose were measured at baseline in January 2009, and in January 2014. 234 out of 290 police officers (81%) completed the follow-up.

RESULTS

The majority of police officers had high stress levels. At follow-up, police officers in the highest quartile of stress had significantly higher mean levels of triglycerides, and lower levels of HDL-cholesterol than their colleagues in the lowest quartile. Police officers with high stress had an increased adjusted risk of developing MetS (aOR = 2.68; CI95% = 1.08-6.70), and hypertriglyceridemia (aOR = 7.86; CI95 = 1.29-48.04). Demand and Effort were significant predictors of MetS.

CONCLUSION

Our study supports the hypothesis that work-related stress induces MetS, particularly through its effects on blood lipids. Future longitudinal studies with continuous monitoring of stress levels will definitively confirm this hypothesis.

Inverse association of des-acyl ghrelin with worksite blood pressure in overweight/obese male workers

BACKGROUND

Job strain, defined as a combination of high job demands and low job control, has been reported to elevate blood pressure (BP) during work. Meanwhile, a recent experimental study showed that ghrelin blunted the BP response to such mental stress. In the present study, we examined the hypothesis that des-acyl ghrelin may have some beneficial effects on worksite BP through modulating the BP response to work-related mental stress, i.e., job strain.

METHODS

Subjects were 34 overweight/obese male day-shift workers (mean age 41.7 ± 6.7 years). No subjects had received any anti-hypertensive medication. A 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring was recorded every 30 min on a regular working day. The average BP was calculated for Work BP, Morning BP, and Home BP. Job strain was assessed using the short version of the Japanese Job Content Questionnaire.

RESULTS

Des-acyl ghrelin showed significant inverse correlations with almost all BPs except Morning SBP, Morning DBP, and Home DBP. In multiple regression analysis, des-acyl ghrelin inversely correlated with Work SBP after adjusting for confounding factors. Des-acyl ghrelin was also negatively associated with BP changes from Sleep to Morning, Sleep to Work, and Sleep to Home.

CONCLUSIONS

Des-acyl ghrelin was inversely associated with Worksite BP, suggesting a unique beneficial effect of des-acyl ghrelin on Worksite BP in overweight/obese male day-shift workers.

Work-related Stress, Caregiver Role, and Depressive Symptoms among Japanese Workers

Background

In Japan, more than 60% of employees are reported to suffer from anxiety and stress. Consequently, Japanese society has begun to address such important issues as psychogenic disability and job-related suicide. Furthermore, given the aging of society and the surge in the number of elderly people requiring care, it is necessary to adequately and proactively support employees who care for their elderly relatives. The purpose of the present study was to investigate caregiver burden in caring for elderly relatives and work-related stress factors associated with mental health among employees.

Methods

We studied 722 men and women aged 18–83 years in a cross-sectional study. The K10 questionnaire was used to examine mental health status.

Results

The proportion of participants with a high K10 score was 15% (n = 106). Having little conversation with their supervisor and/or coworkers significantly increased the risk of depression [odds ratio (OR) 1.8], as did high job overload (OR 2.7) and job dissatisfaction (OR 3.8), compared with employees who frequently conversed with their supervisor and/or coworkers. Caring for elderly relatives as a prominent characteristic of an employee was a significant risk factor for depression (OR 2.1).

Conclusion

The present study demonstrated that employees who were caring for elderly relatives were significantly associated with an increased risk of depression. To prevent depressive disorders, it may be important to focus on reducing the work-caregiving role conflict, as well as enhancing employees' job control and better rewarding their efforts in the workplace.

Psychological Responses to Sound Stimuli Evaluated by Alpha Wave Fluctuations

Evaluation of psychological stress or state of mind remains an important problem. The anterior asymmetry and emotion model (AAE model) is a conventional and widely used method to sort baseline affective styles (approach or withdrawal) based on asymmetry of the activity in prefrontal cortices. Another method is to use alpha wave fluctuations at the frontal poles, as proposed by Yoshida. This method estimates state of mind as one point on a comfort level surface with pleasant-unpleasant and excited-calm axes that are normal to each other. The aim of this paper is to investigate the validity of the Yoshida method through the psychological responses to sound stimuli. Twenty-two healthy graduate students listened to two kinds of sound clips (scary and soothing) to induce negative and positive emotional states. The results showed that there are significant differences between the responses to scary and soothing sound stimuli in both unpleasant and excited mood states. Compared with baseline, increases in unpleasant and excited mood states were found in response to scary stimuli. However, no significant changes from the baseline state were observed in response to the soothing sound stimulus. These results suggest that the fluctuation of alpha waves recorded at both frontal poles is a valid index for the evaluation of psychological state of mind, especially for negative stimulation. Future study plans include investigating a possible relationship between the AAE model and the Yoshida method.

Health behaviors and occupational stress of Brazilian civil servants living in an urban center

BACKGROUND

Occupational stress and unhealthy lifestyles are common characteristics of urban workers. The association between health behaviors and job stress of urban Brazilian civil servants was studied.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study included 893 workers. Health markers, the dependent variables, were: Fruit/vegetable (FV) and alcohol (A) intake, physical activity (PA), including at work (PAW), smoking (S), BMI ≥ 25 Kg/m(2). Occupational stress, assessed by Job Stress Scale-Brazilian version, classified employees into: High-strain, Low-strain, Active, and Passive. Prevalence rates and multivariate Poisson models were adopted.

RESULTS

On average, employees (mean age = 40.2 years; 69.1% female) reported healthy lifestyle factors: FV (56%); PA (59.7%); S (13.3%); however, 49.4% were overweight. Compared to low-strain, high-strain workers reported higher PAW; passive workers lesser PA and higher PAW. After adjusting for socio-demographics and work characteristics, the occupational stress dimensions were no longer associated to health behaviors.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results do not support the hypothesis of an effect for occupational stress on urban employees' health behaviors.

Effects of paternal occupation exposure to formaldehyde on reproductive outcomes

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether paternal occupational exposure to formaldehyde (FA) affects the reproductive outcomes.

METHODS

Data were collected from 302 male workers occupationally exposed to FA and 305 referent controls through interview questionnaires. Formaldehyde exposure level was measured and calculated for every subject. Different reproductive outcomes were compared for two groups by logistic regression analyses.

RESULTS

A significant increased risk of prolonged time to pregnancy (P = 0.034; odds ratio, 2.828; 95% confidence interval, 1.081 to 7.406) and significant elevated risk of spontaneous abortion (P = 0.021; odds ratio, 1.916; 95% confidence interval, 1.103 to 3.329) were observed in wives of male workers occupationally exposed to FA after correction for confounding factors. Moreover, reproductive toxicity due to FA exposure is dose dependent.

CONCLUSIONS

This epidemiological study adds some evidence for the hypothesis that paternal FA occupation exposure has adverse effects on reproductive outcomes.

A study of the health-related quality of life and work-related stress of white-collar migrant workers

Little is known about the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and work-related stress and its risk factors among white-collar businessmen and management workers that migrate to high-income developing countries. A structural questionnaire survey was administered to 156 white-collar Taiwanese management personnel of representative companies of their industries in Taiwan, who were assigned long-term job positions in China. Questionnaire content included demographics and medical history, self-reported physical and mental conditions, personal lifestyle and behavior, Beck Depression Inventory, and information on HRQoL. White-collar migrant workers reported a high prevalence of alcohol consumption (72.4%) and perceived work-related stress (62.2%), and a lower prevalence of regular exercise (12.2%). Workers with higher levels of perceived work-related stress reported more alcohol consumption, a history of hyperlipidemia, and a higher prevalence of self-reported neck pain, poor sleep, and mild/moderate/severe depression. In our primary multivariate risk model to determine lifestyle and work-related stress variables and HRQoL, perceived work-related stress and a feeling of depression negatively impacted both the Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores of the SF-36 health survey. Hyperlipidemia and self-reported neck pain were associated with significantly lower PCS scores, whereas cardiovascular disease, gastric ulcer, and poor sleep were associated with statistically lower MCS scores. White-collar migrant workers are generally younger with high socioeconomic status. Perceived work-related stress and a feeling of depression indirectly affect HRQoL. Hyperlipidemia, self-reported neck pain, cardiovascular disease, gastric ulcer, and poor sleep also had a significant negative impact on HRQoL.