Association between good work ability and health behaviours among unemployed: A cross-sectional survey

The Effectiveness of Health-Oriented Interventions and Health Promotion for Unemployed People-A Meta-Analysis

Background: Unemployment is known to have negative effects on mental and physical health. Yet, the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving the health of unemployed people is unclear. Methods: We conducted a random-effects meta-analysis of extant intervention studies with at least two measurement points and a control group. A literature search in PubMed, Scopus, and PsycINFO in December 2021 identified 34 eligible primary studies with 36 independent samples. Results: For mental health, the average meta-analytic effect sizes for the comparison of the intervention group and the control group were significant and of small size after the intervention, d = 0.22; 95% CI [0.08, 0.36], as well as at follow-up, d = 0.11; 95% CI [0.07, 0.16]. Effects on self-assessed physical health status were small and marginally significant (p = 0.10) after the intervention: d = 0.09; 95% CI [-0.02, 0.20], and insignificant at follow-up. However, when job search training was not part of the intervention program (i.e., all available resources were used solely for health promotion), the average effect size for physical health was significant after the intervention, d = 0.17; 95% CI [0.07, 0.27]. Furthermore, the effects of physical activity promotion were significant and of small-to-medium size after the intervention, leading to increased levels of activity, d = 0.30; 95% CI [0.13, 0.47]. Conclusions: Population-based health promotion programs are recommended because even measures with small effect sizes can actually improve the health of a large group of unemployed people.

Relationship between occupational and leisure-time physical activity and the need for recovery after work

BACKGROUND

Health benefits of physical activity are very well acknowledged but the role of both occupational physical activity (OPA) and leisure time physical activity (LTPA) in recovery after work is not thoroughly understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between accelerometer-measured OPA and LTPA and the need for recovery after work (NFR) in early childhood education and care (ECEC) professionals.

METHODS

The study participants were 217 female ECEC professionals aged 17-64. Physical activity was recorded with a three-axis accelerometer (ActiGraph GT9X Link, ActiGraph, USA) for seven consecutive days. Separate analyses were conducted for both OPA and LTPA and reported as hours/day based on different intensity levels (light, moderate, vigorous, very vigorous). The NFR was measured with the Need For Recovery (NFR) scale (0%-100%).

RESULTS

Participants' average physical activity for both OPA and LTPA was about 4 h/day, and the mean NFR score was 38.4%. OPA was significantly associated with the NFR but not with LTPA. The relationship remained significant after adjustments for age, body mass index, work ability, mental health status, and sleep difficulties (p < 0.024).

CONCLUSION

According to this study, the OPA level is related to the level of the NFR in female ECEC professionals. Based on the results, it seems that LTPA has no relevance to the NFR. Results suggest that long-lasting OPA, even without strenuous physical activity at work, may predispose individuals to a high NFR.

Smoking and labour market participation: a 5-year prospective cohort study of transitions between work, unemployment and sickness absence

AIM

To examine whether smokers are at higher risk of unemployment and sickness absence and have a lower chance of getting employed compared to never smokers.

METHODS

The study sample in this prospective register-based cohort study consisted of 87,830 men and women between 18 and 60 years of age from the Danish National Health Survey 2010. Assessment of smoking status was obtained at baseline and the participants were followed in the Danish register-based evaluation of marginalisation database from 2010 to 2015. Data were analysed by Cox proportional hazards.

RESULTS

The median age was 44.5 years and 47.3% were men. At baseline, 88.8% were categorised as working, 7.7% as unemployed and 3.5% as being on sickness absence. At the 5-year follow-up, hazard ratios for transitions from work to unemployment were 1.31 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22-1.40; P<0.001) for current smokers (<15/day) and 1.52 (95% CI 1.43-1.62; P<0.001) for current heavy smokers (⩾15/day), compared to never smokers. Hazard ratios for transitions from work to sickness absence were 1.31 (95% CI 1.24-1.38; P<0.001) for current smokers (<15/day) and 1.64 (95% CI 1.56-1.71; P<0.001) for current heavy smokers (⩾15/day). Current heavy smokers (⩾15/day) also had a lower chance of becoming re-employed with a hazard ratio of 0.81 (95% CI 0.75-0.88; P<0.001) compared to never smokers.

Smoking was associated with a higher risk of unemployment and sickness absence, and a lower chance of becoming employed. More focus on smoking prevention and smoking cessation could therefore be implemented in relation to job seeking and sickness absence.

Health status of street children and reasons for being forced to live on the streets in Harar, Eastern Ethiopia. Using mixed methods

INTRODUCTION

In Ethiopia, more than four million children are anticipated to live under particularly difficult circumstances. Street children are subject to violence, a lack of health care, and a lack of education. Which denies them the right to live in a secure environment and exposes them to different health problems. Currently, little is known about the prevalence of Streetism, including health conditions. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess the health status of street children and determinants of Streetism.

METHODS

Mixed methods (sequential) were employed from February 1 to 28, 2021. Quantitative cross-sectional study design and phenomenological qualitative designs were applied. Overall, 220 street children were involved in the study. The most common reason that forced the children to resort to a street way of life is to look for a job and quarreled with parents. The data were collected using interviews methods. Chi-square test and multiple binary logistic regression were applied to examine the variations among variables with the health status of street children. Qualitative data were analyzed using the thematic analysis technique.

RESULTS

The study included a total of 220 street children. As to the quantitative study, the majority of study participants (92.73%) drank alcohol regularly. Depression (39.22%) and peer pressure (43.14%) were the most common initiation causes of drinking alcohol. According to a qualitative study report, "Street children are mostly affected by the communicable disease" and… They are addicted to substances like benzene" which had a profound effect on their health." Furthermore, the study discovered a statistically significant association between respondents' health status and sociodemographic characteristics (age and educational status), job presence, and drug use.

CONCLUSION

This study identified the factors that drove street children to live on the streets, such as the inability to find work and disagreements with their parents. The majority of the street children were affected by preventable and treatable diseases. Unfortunately, almost all street children reported drinking alcohol, which exposed them to a variety of health problems. In general, the study discovered that street children require immediate attention. Decision-makers and academicians should collaborate to develop a plan for these children's health and social interventions.

Impact of Work Value Perception on Workers' Physical and Mental Health: Evidence from China

Research on the effect of work value perception on workers’ health, especially in emerging economies, is scarce. This study, therefore, explored how work value perception affects the physical and mental health of workers in China. We also examined the mediating role of life satisfaction in the relationship between work value perception and health. Taking a random sample of 16,890 individuals in China, we used ordered probit regression and instrumental variable ordered probit regression to test the links between work value perception and workers’ health based on existence, relatedness, and growth (ERG) theory. The results showed that work value perception significantly affected both the physical and mental health of workers; the results remained robust after solving the endogeneity problem. The subsample regression results showed that work value perception significantly affected the physical and mental health of female, male, married, unmarried, religious, and nonreligious workers. Furthermore, life satisfaction mediated the effect of work value perception on workers’ health. These results shed light on the relationship between work value perception and health and thus have implications for improving workers’ physical and mental health. This study can provide a reference for both governmental and corporate policymakers in emerging economies.

Impact of Work Value Awareness on Self-Rated Physical Health of Rural-to-Urban Migrant Workers in China

We used data based on the China Labor-Force Dynamics Survey 2016 to examine the relationship between the work value awareness and the physical health of rural-to-urban migrant workers. The work value awareness was characterized by five dimensions: awareness of the emotional value, social value, respect value, ability value and interest value. Physical health was measured by a self-rated health assessment. The results from an IV-ordered probit model show that the awareness of work value has a statistically significant impact on the self-rated physical health of rural-to-urban migrant workers. The results also show that the impacts of work value awareness on rural-to-urban migrant workers’ physical health are heterogeneous to genders and ages. Mental health plays a mediating role between the awareness of work value and the physical health of rural-to-urban migrant workers. It is beneficial for rural-to-urban migrant workers to improve awareness of the value of work to enhance their physical health. The findings of this paper have policy implications for improving the health and welfare of Chinese rural-to-urban migrant workers as well as temporary migrants to cities in many developing countries.

Semantic Clustering During Verbal List Learning Is Associated With Employment Status in a Community Sample

The ability to learn and remember verbal information is highly relevant to many work roles and environments, but we know little about the underlying cognitive mechanisms of those associations. This study examined the hypothesis that unemployment is associated with decreased spontaneous use of higher-order encoding strategies deployed during list learning and recall. Participants were 120 employed and 59 unemployed community-dwelling adults who completed the California Verbal Learning Test-Second Edition (CVLT-II) as part of a broader neuropsychological assessment. Standardized measures of semantic, serial, and subjective clustering were generated from the CVLT-II. After adjusting for data-driven covariates, a significant interaction emerged between employment status and clustering strategy, whereby participants in the employed group exhibited significantly higher scores on semantic clustering, but not serial or subjective clustering, than the unemployed group. The semantic clustering slope score was higher among the employed group and was positively associated with executive functions and declarative memory. These findings suggest that higher-order semantic organizational strategies during supraspan list learning may be relevant to maintaining gainful employment (e.g., mentally organizing work-related instructions and task lists). Future studies might examine semantic clustering in relation to employment changes and work performance, as well as the potential benefit of metacognitive interventions for learning and employment success.

Factors associated with quality of life and work ability among Finnish municipal employees: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

Quality of life (QoL) and work ability are elementary parts in defining the well-being of an employed person. The aim of this study was to demonstrate factors associated with QoL and self-reported work ability among public sector employees, while taking into account several confounding factors, including sleep quality, occupational stress and psychological symptoms.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Finland among 710 employees (89% women, mean age 49 (SD=10) years) from 10 municipal work units in 2015. Information about the participants was collected by physical examination, self-administered questionnaire and from medical history. QoL was assessed with the EUROHIS-Quality of Life 8-item index and work ability with the Work Ability Score (WAS).

RESULTS

The EUROHIS-QOL mean score among all participants was 4.07 (95% CI 4.03 to 4.11). QoL was positively associated with good sleep quality, cohabiting, university-level education and lower body mass index (BMI), and negatively associated with occupational stress, depression and/or anxiety and disease burden. Work ability was reported good or excellent by 80% of the participants and the WAS mean score among all participants was 8.31 (95% CI 8.21 to 8.41). Work ability was positively associated with good sleep quality, younger age, lower BMI and university-level education, and negatively associated with occupational stress and disease burden.

CONCLUSIONS

Occupational stress and self-reported sleep quality were strongly associated with both QoL and work ability among Finnish public sector employees. These findings highlight the need for screening and handling of work stress and sleep problems in occupational and primary healthcare.

Improving employment opportunities of the unemployed by health and work ability promotion in Finland

The study explored the impact of self-rated health (SRH) and work ability on employment, and examined the effects of meaningfulness, social networks and physical activity on health and work ability with a population-based cross-sectional survey data (n = 12 729) of full-time employed and unemployed workers. SRH, perceived work ability and levels of perceived meaningfulness, social networks and physical activity were all significantly better among employed workers compared to unemployed people. The results showed that work ability mediated the effect of health on employment and predicted employment. Meaningfulness, social networks and physical activity had direct positive effects on health and work ability, and also on employment. The results indicated that good health is a substantial element of good work ability, which in turn is needed to maintain or to get a job. Our findings suggested that perceiving one's life as meaningful, having a strong social network and being physically active are important predictors of good health as well as of good work ability. These could be contributing factors to re-employment among unemployed people.

How Is the Self-Perceived Work Ability Affected by the Duration of Unemployment, Heart Rate Variability and the Amount of Physical Activity in Older Long-Term Unemployed Persons?

BACKGROUND

This study investigated whether work ability is associated with the duration of unemployment, heart rate variability (HRV), and the level of physical activity.

METHODS

Thirty-four unemployed persons (mean 55.7 ± standard deviation 33.3 years, 22 female, 12 male, unemployed: range 1-22.5 years) participated in the cross-sectional study. The Work Ability Index (WAI) and International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) were applied. Short-term (five minutes) resting HRV (Low Frequency (LF), High Frequency (HF), Total Power (TP)) was collected.

RESULTS

Work ability was positively associated with the HRV: LF (r = 0.383; p = 0.025), HF (r = 0.412; p = 0.015) and TP (r = 0.361; p = 0.036). The WAI showed a positive linear correlation with the amount of total physical activity (r = 0.461; p = 0.006) as well as with the amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity (r = 0.413; p = 0.015). No association between the WAI and the duration of unemployment occurred.

CONCLUSIONS

the relation between self-perceived work ability, health-associated parameters, the HRV and the level of physical activity points out the relevance of health-care exercise and the need of stress-reducing interventions to improve perceived work ability. Our results point out the need for the further and more holistic development of healthcare for the unemployed.

Lifestyle and work ability in a general working population in Norway: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between multiple lifestyle-related risk factors (unhealthy diet, low leisure-time physical activity, overweight/obesity and smoking) and self-rated work ability in a general working population.

SETTING

Population-based cross-sectional study, in Telemark County, Norway, 2013.

PARTICIPANTS

A random sample of 50 000 subjects was invited to answer a self-administered questionnaire and 16 099 responded. Complete data on lifestyle and work ability were obtained for 10 355 participants aged 18-50 years all engaged in paid work during the preceding 12 months.

OUTCOME MEASURE

Work ability was assessed using the Work Ability Score (WAS)-the first question in the Work Ability Index. To study the association between multiple lifestyle risk factors and work ability, a lifestyle risk index was constructed and relationships examined using multiple logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Low work ability was more likely among subjects with an unhealthy diet (ORadj 1.3, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.5), inactive persons (ORadj 1.4, 95% CI 1.2 to 1.6), obese respondents (ORadj 1.5, 95% CI 1.3 to 1.7) and former and current smokers (ORadj 1.2, 95% CI 1.1 to 1.4 and 1.3, 95% CI 1.2 to 1.5, respectively). An additive relationship was observed between the lifestyle risk index and the likelihood of decreased work ability (moderate-risk score: ORadj 1.3; 95% CI 1.1 to 1.6; high-risk score: ORadj 1.9; 95% CI 1.6 to 2.2; very high risk score: ORadj 2.4; 95% CI 1.9 to 3.0). The overall population attributable fraction (PAF) of low work ability based on the overall risk index was 38%, while the PAFs of physical activity, smoking, body mass index and diet were 16%, 11%, 11% and 6%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Lifestyle risk factors were associated with low work ability. An additive relationship was observed. The findings are considered relevant to occupational intervention programmes aimed at prevention and improvement of decreased work ability.