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Shahidi FV, Liao Q, Landsman V, Mustard C, Robson LS, Biswas A, Smith PM. Is precarious employment an occupational hazard? Evidence from Ontario, Canada. Occup Environ Med 2024; 81:381-387. [PMID: 39095092 DOI: 10.1136/oemed-2024-109535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 07/19/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To examine the association between precarious employment and risk of occupational injury or illness in Ontario, Canada. METHODS We combined accepted lost-time compensation claims from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board with labour force statistics to estimate injury and illness rates between January 2016 and December 2019. Precarious employment was imputed using a job exposure matrix and operationalised in terms of temporary employment, low wages, irregular hours, involuntary part-time employment and a multidimensional measure of 'low', 'medium', 'high' and 'very high' probabilities of exposure to precarious employment. Negative binomial regression models examined exposure to precarious employment in relation to risk of occupational injury or illness. RESULTS After adjusting for age, sex and year, all indicators of precarious employment were associated with increased risk of injury or illness. Workers with 'high' and 'very' high' exposure to precarious employment presented a nearly threefold risk of injury or illness (rate ratio (RR): 2.81, 95% CI 2.73 to 2.89; RR: 2.82, 95% CI 2.74 to 2.90). Further adjustment for physical demands and workplace hazards attenuated associations, though a statistically and substantively significant exposure-outcome relationship persisted for workers with 'high' and 'very high' exposures to precarious employment (RR: 1.65, 95% CI 1.58 to 1.72; RR: 2.00, 95% CI 1.92 to 2.08). CONCLUSIONS Workers exposed to precarious employment are more likely to sustain a lost-time injury or illness in Ontario, Canada. Workplace health and safety strategies should consider the role of precarious employment as an occupational hazard and a marker of work injury risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faraz Vahid Shahidi
- Institute for Work and Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Qing Liao
- Institute for Work and Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Victoria Landsman
- Institute for Work and Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Cameron Mustard
- Institute for Work and Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lynda S Robson
- Institute for Work and Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- School of Occupational and Public Health, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Aviroop Biswas
- Institute for Work and Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Peter M Smith
- Institute for Work and Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Howe AS, Tan J, Yuen B, Saini H, Saade-Cleves N, Obeidat D, Shahzad M, Chattu VK, Fatemi AB, Nowrouzi-Kia B. Physical and Psychosocial Correlates of Occupational Physical Injury in the Global Construction Industry: A Scoping Review. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH INSIGHTS 2024; 18:11786302241270371. [PMID: 39188508 PMCID: PMC11345736 DOI: 10.1177/11786302241270371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 08/28/2024]
Abstract
Purpose The construction industry is a diverse sector with exposure to multiple psychosocial and environmental workplace hazards that increase the risk of injury. This scoping review aims to consolidate the existing literature on the physical and psychosocial determinants influencing the risk of occupational physical injuries among construction workers globally. Methods A scoping review was conducted using the PRISMA extension checklist guided. Literature searches were performed between June and October 2023 in electronic academic databases. Results A total of 77 studies were identified, encompassing various geographical regions, including North America (n = 29), Africa (n = 18), Europe (n = 12), Asia (n = 9), the Middle East (n = 5), and Oceania (n = 4). The review identified physical and psychosocial factors in 3 domains influencing occupational physical injuries: workplace physical environment (eg, exposure to physical hazards, availability and utilization of personal protective equipment, company size, and job type), workplace culture (eg, psychosocial stressors, gender-related barriers, migrant and ethnic disparities, educational background), and physical wellbeing, health and aging (eg, age, obesity, sleep quality, marital stats, and physical health status). Notably, workers from social minority groups (eg, women, ethnic and migrant workers) of young (<25 years old) or older ages (45-55 years old) employed in smaller construction companies are vulnerable to increased injury risk and exposure to physical and psychosocial hazards in the workplace. Conclusion The review emphasizes a global paucity of research examining the implications of physical and psychosocial factors on injury risk within the construction industry. Future research should prioritize investigating the impact of psychosocial hazards on younger and older workers to detect age-related differences in injury rate, treatment access, and work-related health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron S Howe
- Restore Lab, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jeremy Tan
- Restore Lab, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Beatrice Yuen
- Restore Lab, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Harseerat Saini
- Restore Lab, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Natalia Saade-Cleves
- Restore Lab, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Donia Obeidat
- Restore Lab, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Rehabilitation Science, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
| | - Maryam Shahzad
- Restore Lab, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Vijay Kumar Chattu
- Restore Lab, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Center for Global Health Research, Saveetha Medical College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, India
- Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences, Wardha, India
| | - Ali-Bani Fatemi
- Restore Lab, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Behdin Nowrouzi-Kia
- Restore Lab, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Kim JH, Yoon J, Kim SJ, Kim JY, Kim SS. People-Oriented Culture and Its Association With Burnout, Depressive Symptoms, and Sleep Problems During COVID-19 Pandemic Among EMS Providers in Korea. J Occup Environ Med 2024; 66:e359-e364. [PMID: 38769075 DOI: 10.1097/jom.0000000000003154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study examined how perceived people-oriented culture (POC) was associated with burnout, depressive symptoms, and sleep problems during the COVID-19 pandemic among emergency medical service (EMS) providers in Korea. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 693 EMS providers in 2021. RESULTS Overall, prevalence of personal burnout, work-related burnout, and citizen-related burnout were 61.5%, 60.0%, and 60.6%, respectively. Prevalence of depressive symptoms was 25.1%. Prevalence of poor sleep quality, unrestful sleep, and sleep disturbance were 46.5%, 58.2%, and 52.2%, respectively. Compared to high POC group, higher prevalence of depressive symptoms was observed among medium (prevalence ratio: 1.57, 95% CI: 1.06, 2.32) and low (prevalence ratio: 2.70, 95% CI: 1.92, 3.79) POC group. Similar trends were observed in the analysis of burnout and sleep problems. CONCLUSIONS Our findings underscore that low POC could play a critical role in worsening burnout, depressive symptoms, and sleep problems among EMS providers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Hwan Kim
- From the Institute of Health and Environment, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea (J.H.K., J.Y.K., S.S.K.), Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea (J.Y.); National Traffic Injury Rehabilitation Research Institute, National Traffic Injury Rehabilitation Hospital, Yangpyeong, Republic of Korea (J.Y.); Department of Paramedicine, College of Health Sciences, Eulji University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea (S.J.K.); and Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea (S.S.K.)
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Sabbath EL, Pan Y, McTernan ML, Peters SE, Lovett SM, Stelson EA, Wagner GR, Hopcia K, Boden LI. Adding injury to insult: Unfair treatment at work and occupational injury among hospital patient-care workers. Am J Ind Med 2024; 67:667-676. [PMID: 38738969 DOI: 10.1002/ajim.23616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2024] [Revised: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hospital patient-care workers have high occupational injury rates. While physical hazards within hospital work environments are established determinants of injury, social exposures may also contribute. This study examined how reports of unfair treatment at work, a dimension of work-related experiences of discrimination, were associated with injury among hospital-based patient-care workers. METHODS We used data from the Boston Hospital Workers Health Study, a longitudinal cohort of nurses and nursing assistants at two Boston-area hospitals. In 2018, we conducted a worker survey asking about three types of unfair treatment at work and occupational injuries during the past year. We used mixed-effects logistic regression models to evaluate associations between specific types, total load, and high-frequency exposure of unfair treatment with injury, adjusting for age, gender, race and ethnicity, job title, and unit type. RESULTS Among 1001 respondents, 21% reported being humiliated in front of others at work, 28% reported being watched more closely than other workers, and 47% reported having to work twice as hard as others for the same treatment. For each type of unfair treatment, we observed a monotonic relationship with occupational injury wherein increasing frequency of exposure was associated with increased odds of injury. We also observed monotonic relationships between total load and high-frequency exposure to unfair treatment and odds of injury. CONCLUSIONS Work-related unfair treatment is associated with injury among hospital workers. Programs and policies that focus on preventing unfair treatment may lessen injury burden in hospital workers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika L Sabbath
- Boston College School of Social Work, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Yixin Pan
- Academic Research Services, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Melissa L McTernan
- Academic Research Services, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Susan E Peters
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sharonda M Lovett
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Elisabeth A Stelson
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Gregory R Wagner
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Karen Hopcia
- Occupational Health Services, Mass General Brigham, Somerville, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Leslie I Boden
- Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Angerer P, Gündel H, Kröger C, Rothermund E. [Rationale, models, and impact of workplace-based psychotherapeutic services]. Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz 2024; 67:743-750. [PMID: 38806746 PMCID: PMC11231002 DOI: 10.1007/s00103-024-03892-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
Mental illnesses and behavioral disorders are very common among the working population, affecting up to a third of employees each year, and are associated with great suffering, the risk of chronicity, and the loss of employment. Economically, mental illnesses cause high costs. In order to mitigate these consequences and increase the chances of recovery, rapid diagnosis, early and appropriate treatment where necessary, and-over and above the usual psychotherapy approach-attention to the work-related causes are of crucial importance.Psychotherapeutic Consultation at the Workplace (PT-A) attempts to meet these requirements. It offers psychotherapeutic help at short notice and close to the workplace for employees suffering from mental stress; provides (depending on the problem) counseling, diagnostics, prevention, and short-term or bridging therapy; and supports reintegration after a longer period of mental illness. It is helpful to cooperate closely with the company medical service, which consults the PT‑A, refers employees to it, provides information on the company situation, and can support reintegration if necessary. Funding is often provided by the company but can also be provided by health insurance companies in integrated care models.This article begins by describing the history and principles of PT‑A and the role of work stress in the development of psychological and psychosomatic disorders. The implementation of PT‑A is then outlined using two examples. Finally, the current study "Early Intervention at the Workplace" ("Frühe Intervention am Arbeitsplatz" [friaa]), to which several articles in this special issue refer, is briefly presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Angerer
- Institut für Arbeits‑, Sozial- und Umweltmedizin, Centre for Health and Society, Medizinische Fakultät und Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Moorenstraße 5, 40225, Düsseldorf, Deutschland.
| | - Harald Gündel
- Klinik für Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Ulm, Ulm, Deutschland
| | - Christoph Kröger
- Abteilung Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie, Institut für Psychologie, Universität Hildesheim, Hildesheim, Deutschland
| | - Eva Rothermund
- Klinik für Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Ulm, Ulm, Deutschland
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Peters SE, López Gómez MA, Hendersen G, Martínez Maldonado M, Dennerlein J. Feasibility of a Capacity Building Organizational Intervention for Worker Safety and Well-being in the Transportation Industry: Pivoting to Address the COVID-19 Pandemic and Social and Political Unrest in Chile. J Occup Environ Med 2024; 66:e272-e284. [PMID: 38595081 DOI: 10.1097/jom.0000000000003112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study developed, implemented, and evaluated the feasibility of executing an organizational capacity building intervention to improve bus driver safety and well-being in a Chilean transportation company. Method: Through an implementation science lens and using a pre-experimental mixed methods study design, we assessed the feasibility of implementing a participatory organizational intervention designed to build organizational capacity. Result: We identified contextual factors that influenced the intervention mechanisms and intervention implementation and describe how the company adapted the approach for unexpected external factors during the COVID-19 pandemic and social and political unrest experienced in Chile. Conclusions: The intervention enabled the organization to create an agile organizational infrastructure that provided the organization's leadership with new ways to be nimbler and more responsive to workers' safety and well-being needs and was robust in responding to strong external forces that were undermining worker safety and well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan E Peters
- From the Center for Work, Health, and Well-being, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts (S.E.P., J.D.); Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts (S.E.P.); Sociology Department, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada (M.-A.L.G.); Center for Demographic Studies (CED), CED-CERCA, Barcelona, Spain (M.-A.L.G.); College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of New England, Biddeford, Maine (G.H.); Subgerencia de Innovación e Investigación, Mutual de Seguridad CChC, Santiago, Chile (M.M.M.); and Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts (J.D.)
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Lee KF, Nakphong MK, Young MEDT. The legacy of immigration policies and employment exclusion: Assessing the relationship between employment exclusions and immigrant health. SSM Popul Health 2024; 26:101676. [PMID: 38711566 PMCID: PMC11070755 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2024.101676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Restrictive federal and state immigration policies create conditions of employment exclusion that may negatively influence the health of immigrants. In particular, these policy effects are reflected in labor market and workplace experiences that determine the types of work and employment opportunities that immigrants are able to access and pursue. This study examines the relationship between both cumulative and individual measures of employment exclusion and self-rated health and psychological distress among Asian and Latino immigrants in California, and whether this relationship is modified by legal status. We used data from the Research on Immigrant Health and State Policy (RIGHTS) study (n = 2010). We used both multivariable logistic regression and linear regression models for our analyses. For cumulative models, labor market exclusion was associated with poor health (OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.46). Workplace exclusion was also associated with poor self-rated health (OR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.15, 1.82) and increased psychological distress (β = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.31, 1.07). For individual measures of employment exclusion, settling for a job - a labor market exclusion - and working in a dangerous job and experiencing wage theft - workplace exclusions - were associated with poor health and increased psychological distress. There was no evidence that the association between employment exclusions and health varied by legal status. These findings demonstrate that the combined effect of employment exclusions is detrimental to immigrant health. To improve population health, public health researchers should continue to interrogate the policy conditions at the federal, state, and local level that exclude immigrants from employment opportunities and workplace protections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin F. Lee
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Division of Equity and Social Justice, County of Santa Clara, San Jose, CA, USA
| | - Michelle K. Nakphong
- Division of Prevention Science, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Maria-Elena De Trinidad Young
- Department of Public Health, School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts, University of California, Merced, CA, USA
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Zhang B, Yin X, Guo Y, Tong R. What occupational risk factors significantly affect miners' health: Findings from meta-analysis and association rule mining. JOURNAL OF SAFETY RESEARCH 2024; 89:197-209. [PMID: 38858044 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsr.2024.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The workplace's health hazard remains a significant concern to workers in the mining industry, where miners are continually exposed to various kinds of exposure sources. METHOD First, the determinants of miners' health were systematically extracted from 259 publications, comprising chemical, physical, ergonomic, and psychosocial stressors, vulnerability factors, and common health outcomes. Then, 16 meta-analyses were performed to ascertain the epidemiological evidence for associations between four stressors and three health outcomes. The seven top contributing factors affecting miners' health were identified through 166 available prospective studies. Finally, based on the classic and domestic measurement scales, a cross-sectional survey of 559 Chinese miners was conducted to determine the core psychosocial predictors. In addition to the traditional mechanisms, complex interactive networks among the antecedents and consequences and the reversed effects of consequences were also obtained, where 379 strong association rules were yielded via the Apriori algorithm. RESULTS The results showed that occupational dust, NO2, heavy metals, heat, vibration, awkward posture, and job stress are significant risk factors associated with individuals' health conditions. Psychological capital, coping style, job demand, social support, organizational support, justice, and culture are core psychosocial predictors of miners. CONCLUSIONS This study presents a case for identifying the most significant occupational risk factors related to individuals' health, which could be extended and applied to other industries, as working populations around the world are suffering from various chemical, physical, ergonomic, and psychosocial stressors. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Identifying the significant occupational risk factors affecting workers' health conditions is essential for comprehensive occupational health risk assessment and management. Therefore, this study could be important for health management in mines and other industries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boling Zhang
- School of Emergency Management and Safety Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology - Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Xuechen Yin
- School of Emergency Management and Safety Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology - Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Yu Guo
- School of Emergency Management and Safety Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology - Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Ruipeng Tong
- School of Emergency Management and Safety Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology - Beijing, Beijing 100083, China.
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Sverdlik A, Kothiwal K, Kadungure A, Agarwal S, Machemedze R, Verma S, Loewenson R. Understanding the interplay of occupational, public health, and climate-related risks for informal workers: A new framework with findings from Zimbabwe and India. Soc Sci Med 2024; 348:116750. [PMID: 38531215 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
Globally, there are 2 billion 'informal' workers, who lack access to social protection while facing profound health risks and socioeconomic exclusions. The informal economy has generated most jobs in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), but few studies have explored informal workers' complex health vulnerabilities, including in the face of climate change. This paper will discuss recent action-research in Indore (India), Harare, and Masvingo (Zimbabwe) with informal workers like vendors, waste-pickers, and urban farmers. We conducted qualitative interviews (N = 110 in India), focus group discussions (N = 207 in Zimbabwe), and a quantitative survey (N = 418 in Zimbabwe). Many informal workers live in informal settlements ('slums'), and we highlight the interrelated health risks at their homes and workplaces. We explore how climate-related threats-including heatwaves, drought, and floods-negatively affect informal workers' health and livelihoods. These challenges often have gender-inequitable impacts. We also analyse workers' individual and collective responses. We propose a comprehensive framework to reveal the drivers of health in the informal economy, and we complement this holistic approach with a new research agenda. Our framework highlights the socioeconomic, environmental, and political determinants of informal workers' health. We argue that informal workers may face difficult trade-offs, due to competing priorities in the face of climate change and other risks. Future interventions will need to recognise informal workers' array of risks and co-develop multifaceted solutions, thereby helping to avoid such impossible choices. We recommend holistic initiatives to foster health and climate resilience, as well as participatory action-research partnerships and qualitative, intersectional data-collection with informal workers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Sverdlik
- Global Development Institute (GDI), University of Manchester, 1.075 Arthur Lewis Building, Oxford Road, M13 9PL, United Kingdom.
| | - Kanupriya Kothiwal
- Urban Health Resource Centre (UHRC), A 2/159, Basement, Safdarjang Enclave, Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Artwell Kadungure
- Training and Research Support Centre (TARSC), 47 Van Praagh Avenue, Milton Park, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Siddharth Agarwal
- Urban Health Resource Centre (UHRC), A 2/159, Basement, Safdarjang Enclave, Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Rangarirai Machemedze
- Training and Research Support Centre (TARSC), 47 Van Praagh Avenue, Milton Park, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Shabnam Verma
- Urban Health Resource Centre (UHRC), A 2/159, Basement, Safdarjang Enclave, Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Rene Loewenson
- Training and Research Support Centre (TARSC), 47 Van Praagh Avenue, Milton Park, Harare, Zimbabwe
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Kolla G, Khorasheh T, Dodd Z, Greig S, Altenberg J, Perreault Y, Bayoumi AM, Kenny KS. "Everybody is impacted. Everybody's hurting": Grief, loss and the emotional impacts of overdose on harm reduction workers. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY 2024; 127:104419. [PMID: 38599035 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 03/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The emotional impacts of witnessing and responding to overdose and overdose-related deaths have been largely overlooked during the drug toxicity overdose crisis in North America. Scarce research has analyzed these impacts on the health and well-being of harm reduction workers, and the broader determinants of harm reduction work. Our study investigates the experiences and impacts of witnessing and responding to frequent and escalating rates of overdose on harm reduction workers in Toronto, Canada. METHODS Using semi-structured interviews, 11 harm reduction workers recruited from harm reduction programs with supervised consumption services in Toronto, Canada, explored experiences with and reactions to overdose in both their professional and personal lives. They also provided insights on supports necessary to help people cope with overdose-related loss. We used thematic analysis to develop an initial coding framework, subsequent iterations of codes and emergent themes. RESULTS Results revealed that harm reductions workers experienced physical, emotional, and social effects from overdose-related loss and grief. While some effects were due to the toll of overdose response and grief from overdose-related losses, they were exacerbated by the lack of political response to the scale of the drug toxicity overdose crisis and the broader socio-economic-political environment of chronic underfunding for harm reduction services. Harm reduction workers described the lack of appropriate workplace supports for trauma from repeated overdose response and overdose-related loss, alongside non-standard work arrangements that resulted in a lack of adequate compensation or access to benefits. CONCLUSIONS Our study highlights opportunities for organizational practices that better support harm reduction workers, including formal emotional supports and community-based supportive care services. Improvement to the socio-economic-political determinants of work such as adequate compensation and access to full benefit packages are also needed in the harm reduction sector for all workers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gillian Kolla
- MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 1W8, Canada; Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, V8N 5M8, Canada; Division of Population Health and Applied Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3V6, Canada.
| | - Triti Khorasheh
- MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 1W8, Canada
| | - Zoe Dodd
- MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 1W8, Canada
| | - Sarah Greig
- South Riverdale Community Health Centre, Toronto, Ontario, M4M 3P3, Canada
| | - Jason Altenberg
- South Riverdale Community Health Centre, Toronto, Ontario, M4M 3P3, Canada
| | | | - Ahmed M Bayoumi
- MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 1W8, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8, Canada; Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 3M6, Canada
| | - Kathleen S Kenny
- Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3E 0W3, Canada
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Sabeti S, Morris N, Shoghli O. Mixed-method usability investigation of ARROWS: augmented reality for roadway work zone safety. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND ERGONOMICS 2024; 30:292-303. [PMID: 38097505 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2023.2295660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
This article explores the usability and user experience challenges of ARROWS, a novel augmented reality (AR) and wearable technology (WT) safety system for roadway work zones, an area with limited existing usability research. We utilized a mixed-method approach with two complementary experiments in indoor and outdoor settings, using the Wizard of Oz methodology and a high-fidelity prototype. We focused on identifying usability challenges, factors contributing to user experience and the distinct needs of highway workers, documenting results using the system usability scale (SUS), the rating scale mental effort (RSME) and a trust score. Participants rated the usability of ARROWS above average in both settings, while making a reasonable level of mental effort. The findings also indicate a significant correlation between perceived trust and usability, highlighting the importance of trust in user experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sepehr Sabeti
- William States Lee College of Engineering, UNC Charlotte, USA
| | - Nichole Morris
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, USA
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12
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Apostolopoulos Y, Sönmez S, Thiese MS, Gallos LK. The indispensable whole of work and population health: How the working life exposome can advance empirical research, policy, and action. Scand J Work Environ Health 2024; 50:83-95. [PMID: 37952240 PMCID: PMC10927210 DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.4130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The thesis of this paper is that health and safety challenges of working people can only be fully understood by examining them as wholes with interacting parts. This paper unravels this indispensable whole by introducing the working life exposome and elucidating how associated epistemologies and methodologies can enhance empirical research. METHODS Network and population health scientists have initiated an ongoing discourse on the state of empirical work-health-safety-well-being research. RESULTS Empirical research has not fully captured the totality and complexity of multiple and interacting work and nonwork factors defining the health of working people over their life course. We challenge the prevailing paradigm by proposing to expand it from narrow work-related exposures and associated monocausal frameworks to the holistic study of work and population health grounded in complexity and exposome sciences. Health challenges of working people are determined by, embedded in, and/or operate as complex systems comprised of multilayered and interdependent components. One can identify many potentially causal factors as sufficient and component causes where removal of one or more of these can impact disease progression. We, therefore, cannot effectively study them by an a priori determination of a set of components and/or properties to be examined separately and then recombine partial approaches, attempting to form a picture of the whole. Instead, we must examine these challenges as wholes from the start, with an emphasis on interactions among their multifactorial components and their emergent properties. Despite various challenges, working-life-exposome-grounded frameworks and associated innovations have the potential to accomplish that. CONCLUSIONS This emerging paradigm shift can move empirical work-health-safety-well-being research to cutting-edge science and enable more impactful policies and actions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sevil Sönmez
- University of Central Florida College of Business, Orlando, Florida, USA.
| | - Matthew S Thiese
- Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Utah School of Medicine and Weber State University, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Lazaros K Gallos
- DIMACS, Center for Discrete Mathematics & Theoretical Computer Science, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
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13
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Friedrich J, Rupp M, Feng YS, Sudeck G. Occupational health literacy and work ability: a moderation analysis including interpersonal and organizational factors in healthy organizations. Front Public Health 2024; 12:1243138. [PMID: 38384890 PMCID: PMC10879437 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1243138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Healthy organizations approach to occupational safety and health should holistically include individual, interpersonal, and organizational levels. There is an empirical research gap in considering different levels in organizations for health promotion in the context of maximizing work ability. This study aims to investigate the association of (1) occupational health literacy (on an individual level), (2) health-oriented leadership (interpersonal level), (3) participation possibilities in health, and (4) values of health in companies (both organizational levels) on work ability. Additionally, we examined the potentially moderating role of health-oriented leadership, participation possibilities in health, and values of health between occupational health literacy and work ability. Methods Cross-sectional data were obtained from 828 employers and employees in small and medium-sized enterprises. Self-report measures included occupational health literacy, health-oriented leadership, work ability, participation possibilities in health at work, and values of health in the company. Occupational health literacy comprises two factors: a knowledge-/skill-based approach to occupational health and a willingness/responsibility for occupational health. Participation possibilities in health are measured regarding participatory opportunities and co-creation of health at work. Values of health in the company capture the importance of health in the workplace and the scope for improving employees' health. Data were analyzed using latent regression and latent moderation analyses controlling for age, gender, and educational level. Results Occupational health literacy (knowledge-/skill-based), health-oriented leadership, participation possibilities in health, and values of health in companies showed positive associations with work ability. Health-oriented leadership on an interpersonal level was found to moderate the positive relationship between (knowledge-/skill-based) occupational health literacy and work ability. Participation possibilities in health on an organizational level acted as a moderator on the relationship between both occupational health literacy factors and work ability. Discussion Individual, interpersonal, and organizational factors play important roles in maintaining work ability in healthy organizations. This study highlights the importance of promoting occupational health literacy among employees and leaders, creating a healthy workplace through health-oriented leadership, and providing participatory opportunities for co-creation in health promotion at work. Future research should further explore these factors' roles in different industries and contexts and how they may be addressed effectively in tailored workplace interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Friedrich
- Institute of Sports Science, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute of Occupational Medicine, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität, Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Maylin Rupp
- Institute of Occupational Medicine, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität, Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - You-Shan Feng
- Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Applied Biometry, University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Gorden Sudeck
- Institute of Sports Science, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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14
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Schwatka NV, Burden M, Dyrbye LN. An Organizational Leadership Development Approach to Support Health Worker Mental Health. Am J Public Health 2024; 114:142-147. [PMID: 38354347 PMCID: PMC10916722 DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2023.307407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Natalie V Schwatka
- Natalie V. Schwatka is with the Center for Health, Work & Environment, Department of Environmental & Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora. Marisha Burden is with the Division of Hospital Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora. Liselotte N. Dyrbye is the senior associate dean of faculty and chief well-being officer, professor of medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora
| | - Marisha Burden
- Natalie V. Schwatka is with the Center for Health, Work & Environment, Department of Environmental & Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora. Marisha Burden is with the Division of Hospital Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora. Liselotte N. Dyrbye is the senior associate dean of faculty and chief well-being officer, professor of medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora
| | - Liselotte N Dyrbye
- Natalie V. Schwatka is with the Center for Health, Work & Environment, Department of Environmental & Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora. Marisha Burden is with the Division of Hospital Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora. Liselotte N. Dyrbye is the senior associate dean of faculty and chief well-being officer, professor of medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora
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15
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Carlson AS, Stegall MS, Sirotiak Z, Herrmann F, Thomas EBK. Just as Essential: The Mental Health of Educators During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Disaster Med Public Health Prep 2024; 18:e6. [PMID: 38234124 PMCID: PMC10904175 DOI: 10.1017/dmp.2023.231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic deleteriously impacted physical and mental health. In the summer of 2020, return-to-learn plans were enacted, including virtual, hybrid, and in-person plans, impacting educators and students. We examined (1) how return-to-learn plan was related to depressive and social anxiety symptoms among educators and (2) how psychological flexibility related to symptoms. METHODS Educators (N = 853) completed a survey via Qualtrics that assessed internalizing symptoms, psychological flexibility, and occupational characteristics. Two one-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs) examined between-group differences in return-to-learn plans across depression and social anxiety. Two hierarchical linear regressions examined the relation between psychological flexibility components and depressive and social anxiety symptoms. RESULTS Median T-scores were well above the national normative means for General Depression (median T-score: 81) and Social Anxiety (median T-score: 67). There were no significant differences between reopening plans in general depression nor social anxiety T-scores. Psychological flexibility accounted for 33% of the variance in depressive symptoms and 24% of the variance in social anxiety symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Results indicated high levels of psychiatric symptoms among educators during COVID-19, and psychological flexibility was associated with lower symptoms. Addressing educator mental health is of utmost importance in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Manny S Stegall
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Zoe Sirotiak
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Felipe Herrmann
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Emily B K Thomas
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
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Soundararajan S, Viramgami A, Sheth A, Beerappa R, Kalahasthi R, Sampathraju R, Venugopal D, Sarkar K, Balachandar R. Assessing Health Seeking Behaviors and Economic Consequences of Morbidity in Indian Construction Workers: A Multicenter Study. Indian J Occup Environ Med 2024; 28:49-55. [PMID: 38783884 PMCID: PMC11111138 DOI: 10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_63_23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Construction laborers succumb to poor health due to the inherent workplace health hazards and poor socio-economic living conditions. With rising healthcare expenses, the increased risk of poor health may aggravate their economic status, pushing them deeper into poverty. Settings and Design The current cross-sectional multicenter study comprehensively investigated the determinants of health, health-seeking behavior, and poor economic impact regarding catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) among construction laborers. Methods and Material We collected details on illnesses among self and family members of the construction laborers that required healthcare visits during the previous year and their approximate expenses. Among the 1110 participants with complete data, 37% reported illness requiring a healthcare visit either for self or a family member. Results Regression models to ascertain demographic and living condition determinants of perceived illness revealed an increased risk of illness when the kitchen is shared with the living space (OR = 1.87) and use unhygienic smoky cooking fuels (OR = 1.87). More than 25% of those who reported illness incurred CHE. Conclusion We conclude that the frequency of perceived illness and the economic impact, i.e., CHE is relatively higher among the construction laborers. Our results demonstrate that poor living conditions add to the burden of morbidity in construction workers and families. Providing healthcare coverage for this population and engaging and educating them about affordable healthcare are necessary future steps to prevent the worsening of the economic situation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soundarya Soundararajan
- Division of Health Sciences, ICMR-National Institute of Occupational Health, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
| | - Ankit Viramgami
- Division of Health Sciences, ICMR-National Institute of Occupational Health, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
| | - Ankit Sheth
- Division of Health Sciences, ICMR-National Institute of Occupational Health, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
| | - Ravichandran Beerappa
- Division of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology, ICMR – Regional Occupational Health Center – South, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Ravibabu Kalahasthi
- Division of Biochemistry, ICMR – Regional Occupational Health Center – South, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Raghavan Sampathraju
- Division of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology, ICMR – Regional Occupational Health Center – South, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Dhananjayan Venugopal
- Division of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology, ICMR – Regional Occupational Health Center – South, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Kamalesh Sarkar
- Division of Health Sciences, ICMR-National Institute of Occupational Health, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
| | - Rakesh Balachandar
- Division of Health Sciences, ICMR-National Institute of Occupational Health, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
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17
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Madden SK, Ahuja KDK, Blewitt C, Hill B, Hills AP, Skouteris H. Understanding the pathway between work and health outcomes for women during the preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum periods through the framing of maternal obesity. Obes Rev 2023; 24:e13637. [PMID: 37655832 PMCID: PMC10909566 DOI: 10.1111/obr.13637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
The link between work and health outcomes for preconception, pregnant, and postpartum (PPP) working women is complex. Further, innovation and enhanced understanding are required to address the work-related determinants of maternal obesity. However, workplace health promotion is not typically systems-based nor attuned to the specific needs and context of individual PPP women. We propose that to improve health outcomes for PPP women, we must understand the pathways between paid work and health for the individual woman by taking a systems-thinking approach. In this paper, we (a) outline the rationale for why the oversimplification or "dilution" of individual context may occur; (b) present a systems-informed pathway model (the "Context-Exposure-Response" Model) and overview of potential work-related impacts on health and wellbeing outcomes for PPP women using maternal obesity to provide context examples; (c) further investigate the role of motivational factors from a systems perspective; and (d) briefly examine the implications for policy, practice, and intervention design. It is anticipated that this research may act as a starting point to assist program developers, researchers, and policymakers to adopt a systems-focused perspective while contributing to the health improvement and obesity prevention of PPP women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seonad K. Madden
- School of Health Sciences, College of Health and MedicineUniversity of TasmaniaLauncestonTasmaniaAustralia
- Health and Social Care Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive MedicineMonash UniversityMelbourneVictoriaAustralia
| | - Kiran D. K. Ahuja
- School of Health Sciences, College of Health and MedicineUniversity of TasmaniaLauncestonTasmaniaAustralia
| | - Claire Blewitt
- Health and Social Care Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive MedicineMonash UniversityMelbourneVictoriaAustralia
| | - Briony Hill
- Health and Social Care Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive MedicineMonash UniversityMelbourneVictoriaAustralia
| | - Andrew P. Hills
- School of Health Sciences, College of Health and MedicineUniversity of TasmaniaLauncestonTasmaniaAustralia
| | - Helen Skouteris
- Health and Social Care Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive MedicineMonash UniversityMelbourneVictoriaAustralia
- Warwick Business SchoolUniversity of WarwickCoventryUK
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18
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Stelson EA, Dash D, McCorkell L, Wilson C, Assaf G, Re'em Y, Wei H. Return-to-work with long COVID: An Episodic Disability and Total Worker Health® analysis. Soc Sci Med 2023; 338:116336. [PMID: 37918226 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2023] [Revised: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
A growing number of working individuals have developed long COVID (LC) after COVID-19 infection. Economic analyses indicate that workers' LC symptoms contribute to workforce shortages. However, factors that affect return-to-work from perspectives of people with LC remain largely underexplored. This qualitative study of people with LC conducted by researchers living with LC aimed to identify participants' return-to-work experiences using Total Worker Health® and Episodic Disability frameworks. 10% of participants who participated in a mixed-method global internet survey, had LC symptoms >3 months, and responded in English were randomly selected for thematic analysis using NVivo12. 15% of responses were independently double-coded to identify coding discrepancies. Participants (N = 510) were predominately white and had at least a baccalaureate degree. Four primary work-related themes emerged: 1) strong desire and need to return to work motivated by sense of purpose and financial precarity; 2) diverse and episodic LC symptoms intersect with organization of work and home life; 3) pervasiveness of LC disbelief and stigma at work and in medical settings; and 4) support of medical providers is key to successful return-to-work. Participants described how fluctuation of symptoms, exacerbated by work-related tasks, made returning to work challenging. Participants' ability to work was often predicated on job accommodations and support. Non-work factors were also essential, especially being able to receive an LC medical diagnosis (key to accessing leave and accommodations) and help at home to manage non-work activities. Many participants described barriers accessing these supports, illuminating stigma and disbelief in LC as a medical condition. Qualitative findings indicate needs for workplace accommodations tailored to fluctuating symptoms, continuously re-evaluated by workers and supervisors together. Reductions in medical barriers to access work accommodations is also critical since many medical providers remain unaware of LC, and workers may lack a positive COVID test result.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth A Stelson
- Harvard University, T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Dept. of Social and Behavioral Sciences, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Patient Led Research Collaborative, Calabasas, CA, USA.
| | - Devanshi Dash
- University of Szeged, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, Szeged, Hungary.
| | | | - Cali Wilson
- Patient Led Research Collaborative, Calabasas, CA, USA.
| | - Gina Assaf
- Patient Led Research Collaborative, Calabasas, CA, USA.
| | - Yochai Re'em
- Patient Led Research Collaborative, Calabasas, CA, USA.
| | - Hannah Wei
- Patient Led Research Collaborative, Calabasas, CA, USA.
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19
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Frank J, Mustard C, Smith P, Siddiqi A, Cheng Y, Burdorf A, Rugulies R. Work as a social determinant of health in high-income countries: past, present, and future. Lancet 2023; 402:1357-1367. [PMID: 37838441 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(23)00871-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/16/2023]
Abstract
This paper, the first in a three-part Series on work and health, provides a narrative review of research into work as a social determinant of health over the past 25 years, the key emerging challenges in this field, and the implications of these challenges for future research. By use of a conceptual framework for work as a social determinant of health, we identified six emerging challenges: (1) the influence of technology on the nature of work in high-income countries, culminating in the sudden shift to telework during the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) the intersectionality of work with gender, sexual orientation, age, race, ethnicity, migrant status, and socioeconomic status as codeterminants of health disparities; (3) the arrival in many Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries of large migrant labour workforces, who are often subject to adverse working conditions and social exclusion; (4) the development of precarious employment as a feature of many national labour markets; (5) the phenomenon of working long and irregular hours with potential health consequences; and (6) the looming threat of climate change's effects on work. We conclude that profound changes in the nature and availability of work over the past few decades have led to widespread new psychosocial and physical exposures that are associated with adverse health outcomes and contribute to increasing disparities in health. These new exposures at work will require novel and creative methods of data collection for monitoring of their potential health impacts to protect the workforce, and for new research into better means of occupational health promotion and protection. There is also an urgent need for a better integration of occupational health within public health, medicine, the life sciences, and the social sciences, with the work environment explicitly conceptualised as a major social determinant of health.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Frank
- Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; Institute for Work & Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Cameron Mustard
- Institute for Work & Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Peter Smith
- Institute for Work & Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Arjumand Siddiqi
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Yawen Cheng
- Institute of Health Policy and Management, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Alex Burdorf
- Department of Public Health, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Reiner Rugulies
- National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark; Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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20
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Buchbinder M, Jenkins T, Staley J, Berlinger N, Buchbinder L, Goldberg L. Multidimensional stressors and protective factors shaping physicians' work environments and work-related well-being in two large US cities during COVID-19. Am J Ind Med 2023; 66:854-865. [PMID: 37488786 PMCID: PMC10793871 DOI: 10.1002/ajim.23520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Clinician burnout and poor work-related well-being reached a critical inflection point during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article applies a novel conceptual model informed by the Total Worker Health® approach to identify and describe multilevel stressors and protective factors that affected frontline physicians' work environments and work-related well-being. METHODS We conducted a qualitative study of hospital-based physicians from multiple hospital types in Los Angeles and Miami who cared for COVID-19 patients. Semistructured interviews lasting 60-90 min were conducted over Zoom. Interview transcripts were thematically coded using Dedoose qualitative software. RESULTS The final sample of 66 physicians worked in 20 hospitals. Stressors in the social, political, and economic environment included dealing with the politicization of COVID-19, including vaccine hesitancy; state and federal governmental COVID-19 policies and messaging; and shifting CDC guidance. Employment and labor pattern stressors included the national nursing shortage, different policies for paid time off, furloughs, reduced pay, and layoffs. Organizational-level stressors included institutional policies, staffing constraints and high patient volume (i.e., increased number of cases and longer lengths of stay), and perceived poor leadership. At the individual worker level, stressors included concerns about viral transmission to family, strained personal relationships, and work-life fit, particularly for those with young children. Respondents identified promising protective factors at multiple levels, including responsive state leadership, job security, concrete opportunities to provide input into institutional policy, strong leadership and communication, and feeling cared for by one's institution. CONCLUSION Findings support a multi-level strategy that acknowledges internal organizational and external factors shaping clinicians' work-related well-being, consistent with the Total Worker Health® approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara Buchbinder
- Department of Social Medicine and Center for Bioethics, School of Medicine, UNC-Chapel Hill
| | | | - John Staley
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering and NC Occupational Safety and Health Education and Research Center, Gillings School of Public Health, UNC-Chapel Hill
| | | | - Liza Buchbinder
- Center for Social Medicine and Humanities and Semel Institute, UCLA
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21
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Smith PM. Commentary: methodological approaches to understanding mechanisms and 'what if' questions in occupational health research. Occup Environ Med 2023; 80:524-525. [PMID: 37550015 DOI: 10.1136/oemed-2023-109085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Peter M Smith
- Institute for Work & Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
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22
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Amoadu M, Ansah EW, Sarfo JO. Influence of psychosocial safety climate on occupational health and safety: a scoping review. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:1344. [PMID: 37438724 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-16246-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Creating a healthy, decent and safe workplace and designing quality jobs are ways to eliminate precarious work in organisations and industries. This review aimed at mapping evidence on how psychosocial safety climate (PSC) influence health, safety and performance of workers. METHODS A literature search was conducted in four main databases (PubMed, Scopus, Central and Web of Science) and other online sources like Google Scholar. A reference list of eligible studies was also checked for additional papers. Only full-text peer-reviewed papers published in English were eligible for this review. RESULTS A search in the databases produced 13,711 records, and through a rigorous screening process, 93 papers were included in this review. PSC is found to directly affect job demands, job insecurity, effort-reward imbalance, work-family conflict, job resources, job control and quality leadership. Moreover, PSC directly affects social relations at work, including workplace abuse, violence, discrimination and harassment. Again, PSC has a direct effect on health, safety and performance outcomes because it moderates the impact of excessive job demands on workers' health and safety. Finally, PSC boosts job resources' effect on improving workers' well-being, safety and performance. CONCLUSION Managers' efforts directed towards designing quality jobs, prioritising the well-being of workers, and fostering a bottom-up communication through robust organisational policies, practices, and procedures may help create a high organisational PSC that, in turn, promotes a healthy and decent work environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mustapha Amoadu
- Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.
| | - Edward Wilson Ansah
- Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
| | - Jacob Owusu Sarfo
- Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
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23
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Fisher E, Flynn MA, Pratap P, Vietas JA. Occupational Safety and Health Equity Impacts of Artificial Intelligence: A Scoping Review. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:6221. [PMID: 37444068 PMCID: PMC10340692 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20136221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to either reduce or exacerbate occupational safety and health (OSH) inequities in the workplace, and its impact will be mediated by numerous factors. This paper anticipates challenges to ensuring that the OSH benefits of technological advances are equitably distributed among social groups, industries, job arrangements, and geographical regions. A scoping review was completed to summarize the recent literature on AI's role in promoting OSH equity. The scoping review was designed around three concepts: artificial intelligence, OSH, and health equity. Scoping results revealed 113 articles relevant for inclusion. The ways in which AI presents barriers and facilitators to OSH equity are outlined along with priority focus areas and best practices in reducing OSH disparities and knowledge gaps. The scoping review uncovered priority focus areas. In conclusion, AI's role in OSH equity is vastly understudied. An urgent need exists for multidisciplinary research that addresses where and how AI is being adopted and evaluated and how its use is affecting OSH across industries, wage categories, and sociodemographic groups. OSH professionals can play a significant role in identifying strategies that ensure the benefits of AI in promoting workforce health and wellbeing are equitably distributed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Fisher
- Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA; (E.F.); (P.P.)
| | - Michael A. Flynn
- Division of Science Integration, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA;
| | - Preethi Pratap
- Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA; (E.F.); (P.P.)
| | - Jay A. Vietas
- Division of Science Integration, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA;
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Korshøj M, Poulsen VR, Sköld MB, Autrup SK, Oldenburg B, Mortensen OS. An integrated approach to health, wellbeing, and productivity at work: a design of a stepped wedge worksite intervention study. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:1057. [PMID: 37268907 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-16014-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite an intensive focus on workers' health during recent decades, the prevalence of work-related diseases remains unchanged in Denmark and internationally. Therefore, USA and Australian researchers have initiated new paradigms for integration of health promotion, prevention of work-related disease, and organization of work. Inspired by the Australian WorkHealth Improvement Network program (WIN), this paper describes the background, design, intervention methodologies, and evaluation methods of an Integrated Approach to Health, Wellbeing, and Productivity at Work (ITASPA) intervention aiming to prevent work-related injuries and diseases and promote the health, safety, and wellbeing of the worker. METHODS Using a stepped wedge design, worksites will be enrolled at baseline and offered the intervention starting at different times. Data will be collected at baseline, before the off-set of the intervention, and after each implementation period. The effect evaluation will be based on a mixed-methods approach. The qualitative data are based on semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The quantitative data consists of questionnaires, anthropometrics, and resting blood pressure and will be analyzed based on the intention-to-treat principle in linear mixed models with random slope and intercept. DISCUSSION Integrated interventions are shown to increase overall health and safety at worksites more effectively and rapidly than more narrowly focused programs. Still, previous integrated interventions are lacking successful implementation. In ITASPA, the effects of the intervention is tested in a strong scientific mixed-methods design. Thus, the ITASPA project contributes to the knowledge about what characterizes a best practice for the implementation of integrated worksite interventions. TRIAL REGISTRATION ITASPA is retrospectively registered in Clinicaltrials.gov on May 19, 2023 (NCT05866978).
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Affiliation(s)
- Mette Korshøj
- Department of Occupational and Social Medicine, Hospital Holbæk, Gl. Ringstedvej 4B, 4300, Holbæk, Denmark
| | - Vivian Rueskov Poulsen
- Department of Occupational and Social Medicine, Hospital Holbæk, Gl. Ringstedvej 4B, 4300, Holbæk, Denmark.
| | - Margrethe Bordado Sköld
- Department of Occupational and Social Medicine, Hospital Holbæk, Gl. Ringstedvej 4B, 4300, Holbæk, Denmark
| | - Sanna Koch Autrup
- Department of Occupational and Social Medicine, Hospital Holbæk, Gl. Ringstedvej 4B, 4300, Holbæk, Denmark
| | - Brian Oldenburg
- Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Ole Steen Mortensen
- Department of Occupational and Social Medicine, Hospital Holbæk, Gl. Ringstedvej 4B, 4300, Holbæk, Denmark
- Section of Social Medicine, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Lemke MK, Hege A, Crizzle AM. An Agenda for Advancing Research and Prevention at the Nexus of Work Organization, Occupational Stress, and Mental Health and Well-Being. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:6010. [PMID: 37297614 PMCID: PMC10252625 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20116010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Work characteristics and worker well-being are inextricably connected. In particular, the characteristics of work organization shape and perpetuate occupational stress, which contributes to worker mental health and well-being outcomes. Consequently, the importance of understanding and addressing connections between work organization, occupational stress, and mental health and well-being-the focus of this Special Issue-increasingly demand attention from those affected by these issues. Thus, focusing on these issues in the long-haul truck driver (LHTD) sector as an illustrative example, the purpose of this commentary is as follows: (1) to outline current research approaches and the extant knowledge base regarding the connections between work organization, occupational stress, and mental health; (2) to provide an overview of current intervention strategies and public policy solutions associated with the current knowledge base to protect and promote worker mental health and well-being; and (3) to propose a two-pronged agenda for advancing research and prevention for workers during the 21st century. It is anticipated that this commentary, and this Special Issue more broadly, will both echo numerous other calls for building knowledge and engaging in this area and motivate further research within complementary current and novel research frameworks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael K. Lemke
- Department of Social Sciences, University of Houston-Downtown, Houston, TX 77002, USA
| | - Adam Hege
- Department of Public Health and Exercise Science, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608, USA;
| | - Alexander M. Crizzle
- School of Public Health, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 2Z4, Canada;
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Peters SE, Gundersen DA, Katz JN, Sorensen G, Wagner GR. Thriving from Work Questionnaire: Dimensionality, reliability, and validity of the long and short form questionnaires. Am J Ind Med 2023; 66:281-296. [PMID: 36748853 DOI: 10.1002/ajim.23465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Thriving from Work is defined as the state of positive mental, physical, and social functioning in which workers' experiences of their work and working conditions enable them to thrive in their overall lives, contributing to their ability to achieve their full potential at work, at home, and in the community. The purpose of this study was to develop a psychometrically-sound questionnaire measuring the positive contribution that work can have on one's well-being both at, and outside of, their work. METHODS We used both a qualitative and quantitative approach of item reduction, domain mapping dimensionality testing, development of "long-" and "short-" versions of the questionnaire, reliability, and construct and criterion validity testing. This was established in two independent online samples of US based workers (n = 1550, n = 500). RESULTS We developed a bi-factor model 30-item long-form and a uni-factorial 8-item short-version. The long-form measures both the latent construct of Thriving from Work and six domains (psychological/emotional; work-life integration; social; experience of work; basic needs; health). Both long- and short- forms were found to have high empirical reliability (0.93 and 0.87 respectively). The short-form captures 94% of variance of the long-form. Construct and criterion validity were supported. Test-retest reliability was high. CONCLUSIONS The Thriving from Work Questionnaire appears to be a valid and reliable measure of work-related well-being in United States workers. Further testing is needed to refine and test the instrument in specific industries, unique worker populations, and across geographic regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan E Peters
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Daniel A Gundersen
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Survey and Qualitative Methods Core, Division of Population Sciences, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jeffrey N Katz
- Departments of Orthopedic Surgery and Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Glorian Sorensen
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Gregory R Wagner
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Rajah N, Webb EJD, Hulme C, Kingsbury SR, West R, Martin A. How does arthritis affect employment? Longitudinal evidence on 18,000 British adults with arthritis compared to matched controls. Soc Sci Med 2023; 321:115606. [PMID: 36732169 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION One in ten working age people in the UK live with arthritis or a similar condition affecting their joints. This impacts their quality of life, including through their work. But little is known about how arthritis affects labour market outcomes and the types of people most likely to be affected. METHODS Data from three population-representative household panel surveys (BHPS, ELSA, UKHLS) collected in 2001-2019 was harmonised. Propensity score matching was used to match 18,014 UK adults aged 18-80 who have arthritis with comparable adults without arthritis. The relationship between arthritis and employment, and earnings and work hours conditional on employment, were assessed using multilevel regression modelling. Heterogeneity in these relationships were assessed by age, gender, degree-level education status, NS-SEC job classification and employer type. RESULTS On average, arthritis was associated with a 3 percentage point reduction in the probability of employment. The effect size varied over people's life course and was larger amongst females, people without a degree, and those in routine or intermediate occupations (when compared to those in professional occupations) or working for small private companies (when compared to large private companies and non-private employers). Our models predict, for instance, that arthritis is associated with an 11 percentage point reduction in the probability of employment among 50-year-old women without a degree. This contrasts with a 5 percentage point reduction among 50-year-old men without a degree. If employed, men with a degree earned less if they had arthritis, whereas others (including women with a degree and men without a degree) had similar earnings regardless of their arthritis status. Those in professional occupations with arthritis also earnt less, especially if they were women aged over 40, with indications that this was driven by reduced work hours. CONCLUSION Policy interventions to support people with arthritis who wish to remain in work might be designed with people in routine work in mind, and targeted at those working in smaller private firms. More research on the cost-effectiveness of those interventions is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nasir Rajah
- Academic Unit of Health Economics, Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, UK; Centre for Longitudinal Studies, University College London, UK
| | - Edward J D Webb
- Academic Unit of Health Economics, Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, UK
| | - Claire Hulme
- Health Economics Group, Institute of Health Research, University of Exeter Medical School, UK
| | - Sarah R Kingsbury
- Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, UK
| | - Robert West
- Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, UK
| | - Adam Martin
- Academic Unit of Health Economics, Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, UK.
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Haile GA. Precarious employment and workplace health outcomes in Britain. Soc Sci Med 2023; 320:115694. [PMID: 36706539 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE The world of work is changing rapidly, and precarious employment is becoming more prevalent in Britain and elsewhere, particularly since the 2008 financial crisis. This is despite the evidence linking employment precarity to adverse health outcomes, and the policy discourses advocating for high-quality jobs. OBJECTIVE I seek to establish empirically the extent and nature of the potential link between employment precarity and health outcomes, which is done chiefly at the workplace level. The research can be vital from the perspective of informing policy, given that the workplace represents the level where key policy levers operate. METHODS I use nationally representative data from the British Workplace Employment Relations Survey. Four workplace health outcomes (WHOs; viz., injuries, illnesses, job satisfaction, and job anxiety) have been used to examine if organizations with precarious employment arrangements are likely to experience adverse health outcomes. I use alternative econometric approaches to compare organizations that reported to have three types of precarious employment arrangements, viz., shift working, annualised hours, and zero-hours contracts (ZHCs), vis-à-vis their counterparts without such arrangements. RESULTS The results obtained reveal that workplaces with precarious employment arrangements are significantly unhealthier, and those with the most insecure form of precarious employment perform particularly worst in this respect. CONCLUSIONS Precarious employment may become ever more prevalent as organizations contend with economic fallouts from shocks such as Brexit or Covid-19. This may lead to sub-standard health outcomes. The positive influence of trade unions on working conditions has largely been decimated and the workforce in Britain is ageing. These combinations may pose significant challenges to public health including mental health crises. Public policy ought to help minimise adverse health outcomes linked to employment precarity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Getinet Astatike Haile
- Department of Industrial Economics, Nottingham University Business School, University of Nottingham, Jubilee Campus, Wollaton Road, Nottingham, NG8 1BB, UK; IZA-Institute of Labor Economics, Bonn, Germany.
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Ceryes CA, Agnew J, Wirtz AL, Barnett DJ, Neff RA. Exploring U.S. Food System Workers' Intentions to Work While Ill during the Early COVID-19 Pandemic: A National Survey. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:1638. [PMID: 36674406 PMCID: PMC9865134 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20021638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
With "stay at home" orders in effect during early COVID-19, many United States (U.S.) food system workers attended in-person work to maintain national food supply chain operations. Anecdotally, many encountered barriers to staying home despite symptomatic COVID-19 illness. We conducted a national, cross-sectional, online survey between 31 July and 2 October 2020 among 2535 respondents. Using multivariable regression and free-text analyses, we investigated factors associated with workers' intentions to attend work while ill (i.e., presenteeism intentions) during the early COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, 8.8% of respondents intended to attend work with COVID-19 disease symptoms. Almost half (41.1%) reported low or very low household food security. Workers reporting a higher workplace safety climate score were half as likely to report presenteeism intentions (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.52, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.37, 0.75) relative to those reporting lower scores. Workers reporting low (aOR 2.06, 95% CI 1.35, 3.13) or very low (aOR 2.31, 95% CI 1.50, 3.13) household food security levels had twice the odds of reporting presenteeism intentions relative to those reporting high/marginal food security. Workplace culture and safety climate could enable employees to feel like they can take leave when sick during a pandemic, which is critical to maintaining individual and workplace health. We stress the need for strategies which address vulnerabilities and empower food workers to make health-protective decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin A. Ceryes
- Department of Health Sciences, Towson University, Towson, MD 21252, USA
| | - Jacqueline Agnew
- Department of Environmental Health & Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Andrea L. Wirtz
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Daniel J. Barnett
- Department of Environmental Health & Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Roni A. Neff
- Department of Environmental Health & Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, 111 Market St., Ste. 840, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA
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Ho MH, Wu MS, Yen HY. Effects of virtual reality natural experiences on factory workers' psychological and physiological stress. Front Psychol 2023; 14:993143. [PMID: 36949920 PMCID: PMC10025299 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.993143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Manufacturing facilities and factories are stressful work environments. Interventions to improve factory workers' stress is necessary to promote occupational health. This study aimed to examine the effects of virtual reality natural experiences on furniture factory employees' psychological and physiological stress. Methods A single-blinded, non-randomised quasi-experimental study was conducted between July and December 2021. Factory workers were recruited from two factories, and all participants at a given factory were assigned to either an experimental group or a comparison group. The intervention was conducted in a clean conference room once a week for 12 weeks during the worker's break time. The experimental group received virtual reality natural experiences consisting of 30-minute nature-based 360° videos which were played in a headset. The generalised estimating equations were performed for the statistical analyses. Results In total, 35 participants completed the intervention. As to psychological stress, the experimental group showed improvements in distress, depression, and anxiety, and a positive affect after the intervention compared to the comparison group. As to physiological stress, the experimental group showed improvements in indicators of heart rate variability compared to the comparison group, including standard deviations of all normal-to-normal intervals, low-frequency power, and high-frequency power. Discussion Virtual reality is an innovative platform to bring the natural environment into an indoor environment to create similar health effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mu-Hsing Ho
- School of Nursing, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Meng-Shin Wu
- School of Gerontology and Long-Term Care, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Yen Yen
- School of Gerontology and Long-Term Care, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- *Correspondence: Hsin-Yen Yen, ;
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Girard A, Carrier JD, Poitras ME, Cormier C, Lesage A, Berbiche D, T. Vaillancourt V. The Psychological Health and Work-Family Balance of Ambulatory Care Nurses in the COVID-19 era: A Cross-Sectional Survey. SCIENCE OF NURSING AND HEALTH PRACTICES 2022. [DOI: 10.7202/1095198ar] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted nurses’ psychological health and work-family balance, including in ambulatory care settings. The results presented in this article are part of a study aiming to describe and contextualize the psychological health and changes in nurses’ follow-up practices in Quebec (Canada) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Objective: Explore and describe factors that influenced ambulatory care nurses’ psychological health and work-family balance during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: Exploratory mixed data cross-sectional study using the SurveyMonkey platform. We collected data from July 2020 to September 2020. The target population comprised all practicing nurses in Quebec whose clinical activities included the follow-up of ambulatory patients, 200 of whom completed the survey.
Results: Multiple linear regression models indicated that anxiety (GAD-7 scores) and depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 scores) were associated with younger age, living alone, worries about transmitting COVID-19, and feeling that one’s work was not coherent with one’s values. Work-family balance was considered more difficult than before the pandemic by 54.5 % of participants. Factors perceived as influencing work-family balance were either related to work conditions (e.g., schedule and time at work, access to work from home, redeployment to another work setting), to family-related responsibilities/tasks or were specific to the pandemic.
Discussion and conclusion: Apart from age, the feeling that one’s work was not coherent with their values was the only variable correlated with both GAD-7 and PHQ-9 in multivariate models. Further research should investigate the relationships between sense of coherence, psychological health, and work conditions like schedule flexibility and access to work from home.
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Roche N, Darzins S, Oakman J, Stuckey R. Worker Experiences of the Work Health and Safety Impacts of Exposure to Dying and Death in Clinical Settings: A Qualitative Scoping Review. OMEGA-JOURNAL OF DEATH AND DYING 2022:302228221117902. [PMID: 36476137 DOI: 10.1177/00302228221117902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2023]
Abstract
Workers employed in clinical healthcare settings often encounter dying and death of patients as a part of their role. This scoping review aimed to explore the physical and psychosocial OHS impacts on health workers exposed to death within their occupational role and their inherent coping strategies. Six electronic databases PsycINFO (Ovid), Medline (Ovid), AMED (EBSCO), CINAHL (EBSCO), and Proquest Social Sciences were searched for peer reviewed research articles published between March 1971 and April 2022. PRISMA-ScR guidelines were followed. Three authors independently assessed articles for inclusion. Fifty-three studies with focus settings in hospitals, hospice, general practice and residential care were identified. Five main themes were developed and organized using and ergonomic systems approach: Cultural Environment, Workplace, Job Demands, Impacts and Coping. The findings demonstrate that caring for dying patients, the dead and their families in clinical settings impacts workers emotionally, physically, behaviorally and spiritually.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Roche
- Centre for Ergonomics and Human Factors, School of Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Susan Darzins
- School of Allied Health, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Jodi Oakman
- Centre for Ergonomics and Human Factors, School of Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Rwth Stuckey
- Centre for Ergonomics and Human Factors, School of Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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Stelson EA, Sabbath-Clayton LL, Sorensen G, Kubzansky LD, Berkman LF, Sabbath EL. Residential addiction treatment providers: Identifying the role of social context in worker health and turnover. Soc Sci Med 2022; 314:115462. [PMID: 36327634 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Increased lethality and availability of addictive substances has strained US addiction treatment services, further exacerbating workforce shortages in these settings. The emotional and physical health toll of providing treatment may contribute to shortages. This community-initiated qualitative study aimed to identify conditions that affect provider health and turnover in residential addiction treatment from a Total Worker Health® perspective. Providers (direct service, supervisors, leaders) working in nonprofit residential treatment facilities in Massachusetts were recruited by role and geography to participate in interviews and focus groups. NVivo12 facilitated coding and analysis. 25% of transcripts were double coded to assess interrater reliability and coding consistency (mean Kappa = 0.82). Providers (N = 49) participated in 33 interviews and 4 focus groups. Many participants reported personal addiction histories. Analysis revealed how socio-contextual factors originating outside of residential facilities were dominant influences on "downstream" working conditions, worker health, staff turnover, and by extension, client care. Four primary socio-contextual themes surfaced:1) Changes in type and potency of substances and client need not reliably accompanied by shifts in treatment practices; 2) challenges balancing state requirements and state-provided resources; 3) influence of structural discrimination and addiction stigma on pay and professional advancement; and 4) geographic location of facilities shape work and quality of life. Results were used to develop a conceptual model for residential addiction treatment to illustrate pathways by which ecological factors interact to affect provider health and turnover. Findings indicate that protecting health and wellbeing of providers-many of whom are in addiction recovery themselves- is integral to improving addiction treatment. From this workforce's perspective, recent changes in socio-contextual factors have intensified already challenging working conditions (job demands, pay, advancement), negatively impacting worker health, turnover, and client care. Any interventions to improve treatment outcomes or working conditions in nonprofit addiction facilities must consider larger socio-contextual factors influencing these organizations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth A Stelson
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Dept. of Social and Behavioral Sciences, 677 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | | | - Glorian Sorensen
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Dept. of Social and Behavioral Sciences, 677 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Laura D Kubzansky
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Dept. of Social and Behavioral Sciences, 677 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Lisa F Berkman
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Dept. of Social and Behavioral Sciences, 677 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Erika L Sabbath
- Boston College School of Social Work, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
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Alam MU, Sharior F, Shoaib DM, Hasan M, Tabassum KF, Ferdous S, Hasan M, Rahman M, Tidwell JB, Zaqout M, Farah M, Rahman MA, Ahmed A, Ahmed T. Hygiene knowledge and practices and determinants of occupational safety among waste and sanitation workers in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic. HYGIENE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ADVANCES 2022; 4:100022. [PMID: 37520077 PMCID: PMC9439861 DOI: 10.1016/j.heha.2022.100022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Waste and sanitation workers provide essential services to society. In most low-and middle-income countries, they are often mistreated and lack access to necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) and hygiene facilities that ensure occupational safety in workplaces. COVID-19 has also imposed serious health risks upon these worker groups. This study explores factors associated with poor occupational health and safety based on a conceptual framework. We conducted 499 surveys with five categories of waste and sanitation workers across ten cities in Bangladesh. We performed descriptive analysis and used Firth's logistic regression model following the conceptual framework. The analysis revealed consistent distinctions between workers considered to be in "safe" versus "unsafe" working conditions. The result showed that workers had not been adequately trained, not provided with proper equipment, and many had an informal status that prevented access to hygiene facilities. The workers who received occupational training, knew how to prevent COVID-19 by wearing a face mask, hand washing, and maintaining social distance, maintained protective measures, and practiced proper disposing of PPEs were more likely to be in safe condition. Initiatives to improve the situation of the waste workers who work in unsafe work conditions are still inadequate. Therefore, we recommend supplying proper protective equipment, ensuring a regular supply of gender-specific PPEs, and providing functional facilities necessary to practice personal hygiene and occupational safety, such as handwashing stations, changing rooms, and disposal facilities of used PPEs at the workplace. We also urge increased institutional management procedures, infrastructure that facilitates hygiene practices, and social policies to reduce occupational hazards for the waste workers in Bangladesh during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahbub-Ul Alam
- Environmental Interventions Unit, Infectious Disease Division, International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
- School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- School of Population and Global Health, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Fazle Sharior
- Environmental Interventions Unit, Infectious Disease Division, International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Dewan Muhammad Shoaib
- Environmental Interventions Unit, Infectious Disease Division, International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Mehedi Hasan
- Environmental Interventions Unit, Infectious Disease Division, International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Kazy Farhat Tabassum
- Environmental Interventions Unit, Infectious Disease Division, International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Sharika Ferdous
- Environmental Interventions Unit, Infectious Disease Division, International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Moushumi Hasan
- Environmental Interventions Unit, Infectious Disease Division, International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Mahbubur Rahman
- Environmental Interventions Unit, Infectious Disease Division, International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - James B Tidwell
- Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- World Vision, Inc., Washington, DC 20002, USA
| | - Mariam Zaqout
- School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Makfie Farah
- ITN-BUET: Centre for Water Supply and Waste Management, BUET, Dhaka 1000
| | - Md Azizur Rahman
- ITN-BUET: Centre for Water Supply and Waste Management, BUET, Dhaka 1000
| | - Alauddin Ahmed
- ITN-BUET: Centre for Water Supply and Waste Management, BUET, Dhaka 1000
| | - Tanvir Ahmed
- ITN-BUET: Centre for Water Supply and Waste Management, BUET, Dhaka 1000
- Department of Civil Engineering, BUET, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
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Jiménez-Mérida R, Romero-Saldaña M, de-Pedro-Jiménez D, Alcaide-Leyva JM, Cantón-Habas V, Álvarez-Fernández C, Vaquero-Abellán M. Lifestyle, Type of Work, and Temporary Disability: An Incidence Study of the Working Population. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph192214932. [PMID: 36429652 PMCID: PMC9691195 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192214932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
The objective of the study was to identify lifestyles associated with loss of health among workers. A retrospective longitudinal incidence study was carried out over a three-year period (2015, 2016, and 2017) among the working population. A total of 240 workers were analysed using information from occupational health assessments. The outcome variable was loss of health due to common illness or workplace injury, quantified by the number of days each episode lasted. Predictor variables were age, gender, type of work, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, physical activity (IPAQ), and adherence to the Mediterranean diet (AMD). An adjusted multiple linear regression was performed, determining the goodness of fit of the final model using the coefficient of determination adjusted r2. During the study, 104 men (58.8%) and 25 women (39.7%) suffered an episode of illness or workplace injury (p < 0.05). The overall incidence was 17.9% people/year 95% CI [15, 21.3]. 4.6% of the workers were sedentary or engaged in light physical activity, and 59.2% maintained an adequate AMD. Workers who engaged in high levels of physical activity had an average of 36.3 days of temporary disability compared to 64.4 days for workers with low-moderate levels of physical activity (p < 0.01).
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocío Jiménez-Mérida
- Departamento de Enfermería, Farmacología y Fisioterapia, Facultad de Medicina y Enfermería, Universidad de Córdoba, 14014 Córdoba, Spain
| | - Manuel Romero-Saldaña
- Grupo Asociado de Investigación GA16 Estilos de Vida, Tecnología y Salud, Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Córdoba (IMIBIC), Departamento de Enfermería, Farmacología y Fisioterapia, Facultad de Medicina y Enfermería, Universidad de Córdoba, 14014 Córdoba, Spain
- Correspondence: z92@
| | | | - José Manuel Alcaide-Leyva
- Departamento de Enfermería, Farmacología y Fisioterapia, Facultad de Medicina y Enfermería, Universidad de Córdoba, 14014 Córdoba, Spain
| | - Vanesa Cantón-Habas
- Departamento de Enfermería, Farmacología y Fisioterapia, Facultad de Medicina y Enfermería, Universidad de Córdoba, 14014 Córdoba, Spain
| | | | - Manuel Vaquero-Abellán
- Departamento de Enfermería, Farmacología y Fisioterapia, Facultad de Medicina y Enfermería, Universidad de Córdoba, 14014 Córdoba, Spain
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Factors contributing to occupational injuries among workers in the construction, manufacturing, and mining industries in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Public Health Policy 2022; 43:487-502. [DOI: 10.1057/s41271-022-00378-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Gallagher K, Niu Y, Swain J, Rosen C, Lens J. A Conceptual Model for the Impact of Occupational Standing on Enterprise Outcomes Using an Inductive Content Analysis of California Lawsuits. IISE Trans Occup Ergon Hum Factors 2022; 10:213-226. [PMID: 36562741 DOI: 10.1080/24725838.2022.2161672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONSIn this paper, we provide a framework for practitioners when (re)designing tasks that historically have required standing in the workplace. While the goal is not to remove standing from all jobs, practitioners must work with management to align health and safety outcomes related to standing at work with the enterprise's main outcomes. Practitioners should also be made aware that in many of these jobs, standing has been required because, in the enterprise's judgment, it improves performance and customer service. Understanding common beliefs about customer interactions and job performance in the workplace will be vital to implementing changes that have previously been difficult to navigate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlin Gallagher
- Department of Health, Health, Human Performance, and Recreation, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Yuanlu Niu
- Human Resources and Workforce Development, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Jonathan Swain
- Department of Health, Health, Human Performance, and Recreation, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Chris Rosen
- Management, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Joshua Lens
- Department of Health, Health, Human Performance, and Recreation, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
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Henke RM. Supporting Workforce Mental Health During the Pandemic. Am J Health Promot 2022; 36:1213-1215. [PMID: 36003010 DOI: 10.1177/08901171221112488a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Henke RM. Knowing Well, Being Well: well-being born of understanding: Supporting Workforce Mental Health During the Pandemic. Am J Health Promot 2022; 36:1213-1244. [PMID: 36003017 PMCID: PMC9523433 DOI: 10.1177/08901171221112488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Fujishiro K, Ahonen EQ, Winkler M. Investigating Employment Quality for Population Health and Health Equity: A Perspective of Power. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:9991. [PMID: 36011625 PMCID: PMC9408001 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19169991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Employment quality (EQ) has gained increasing attention as a determinant of health, but the debate among occupational health researchers over the measurement of EQ poses a challenge to advancing the literature. This is especially problematic when the concept is used across social, cultural, and national borders, as EQ is shaped by power dynamics within sociopolitical and economic contexts that are specific to each society. Investigating EQ in context could help develop a clearer understanding as to why EQ is configured in certain ways, how best EQ could be measured, how EQ impacts health, and ultimately how EQ could be improved. In this paper, we propose that attention to social context-and in particular power-may help advance the research on EQ and health. We present an allegory, or a visual description, that articulates the power balance in the employer-worker relation as well as in the sociopolitical context in which the employer-worker relation takes place. We end by proposing specific approaches for occupational health researchers to incorporate a perspective of power in EQ research that may clarify the concept and measurement of EQ. A clearer recognition of EQ as a product of power in social context aligns with the research approach of addressing work as a social structural determinant of health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaori Fujishiro
- Division of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
| | - Emily Q. Ahonen
- Division of Occupational and Environmental Health, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA
| | - Megan Winkler
- Department of Behavioral, Social and Health Education Sciences, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
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Jetha A, Nasir K, Van Eerd D, Gignac MAM, Martin Ginis KA, Tompa E. Inclusion of young people with disabilities in the future of work: forecasting workplace, labour market and community-based strategies through an online and accessible Delphi survey protocol. BMJ Open 2022; 12:e055452. [PMID: 35798517 PMCID: PMC9263911 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-055452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The future of work is expected to transform the nature of work, create unique employment barriers for young people living with disabilities and disrupt pathways to better health. We present a Delphi survey protocol through which we aim to obtain future-oriented strategies that can improve the accessibility and inclusion of young people with disabilities in the future of work. METHODS AND ANALYSIS The Delphi survey will be conducted primarily online, over two rounds and in a format that is accessible to people living with disabilities. A diverse sample of subject matter experts (eg, policy makers, employment service providers, labour market experts) and participants with lived experience of a disability will be recruited using a purposive sampling strategy. All participants will be asked to complete both rounds of the Delphi survey. In the first round, open-ended questions will be asked about workplace, community-based or policy supports that can foster the inclusion of young people with disabilities in the labour market and that can also address specific future of work trends which span sociopolitical, economic, environmental and technological domains. In the second round of the survey, we will aim to build consensus; participants will be provided with a summary of specific strategies that correspond to the different future of work trends emerging from round one and will be asked to rank-order strategies according to their importance. Following the completion of the second round, consensus-based and future-focused recommendations will be generated that can support young people with disabilities in the world of work over the coming decades. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION The study protocol has been cleared by the University of Toronto's research ethics board (#40727). The study will identify future-focused support strategies that will be shared with people living with disabilities, policy makers and disability employment service providers through an integrated knowledge transfer and exchange approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arif Jetha
- Institute for Work and Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kay Nasir
- Institute for Work and Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Monique A M Gignac
- Institute for Work and Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kathleen A Martin Ginis
- Department of Medicine, Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
- School of Health and Exercise Sciences, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Emile Tompa
- Institute for Work and Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Economics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Haar J, O'Kane C. A post-lockdown study of burnout risk amongst New Zealand essential workers. Soc Sci Med 2022; 306:115157. [PMID: 35738197 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE Job burnout is an essential topic for researchers and a pressing issue for employers and employees. However, the most popular tool has become widely critiqued, and a new measure of burnout - the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT) - is used here. The BAT is helpful because it provides a cut-off threshold score representing high burnout risk. This study provides one of the first BAT studies post Covid-19 pandemic and focuses on comparing high burnout risk rates between essential and non-essential workers after the first lockdown in New Zealand (May 2020). METHODS AND RESULTS Using representative data from 955 employees across a wide range of occupations, sectors, and industries, we calculate an overall burnout risk of 11.1%, with essential workers higher (14%) than non-essential workers (9%). The odds ratios of burnout risk and having high levels of mental health complaints were 10-20 times higher for burnout risk workers. For essential workers, they were significantly higher for high job depression risk (35 times). Building on these results, to develop a deeper understanding of the factors contributing to burnout risk, we report on a qualitative analysis of comments (n = 213) provided by essential workers on their lockdown work experiences. CONCLUSIONS Findings provide evidence that while a range of (1) health-related concerns (i.e., increased risk of getting and spreading covid) and (2) employee- and employer-specific pressures related to challenging lockdown work practices contribute to essential worker burnout risk, an unwavering sense of pride and purpose in the value of their essential work serves to reduce this risk. We discuss the implications, highlighting the unique issues facing essential workers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jarrod Haar
- Department of Management, Auckland University of Technology, Private Bag 92006, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand.
| | - Conor O'Kane
- Department of Management, Otago University, Otago, New Zealand.
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Stevens SK, Houge BJ, Poterucha JM, Preston HR, Werneburg BL, Welch TJ, Siddiqui MA. Implementing SAFER Responses to Misconduct and Responding to Biased Patient Requests ASAP. J Patient Exp 2022; 9:23743735221102672. [PMID: 35694012 PMCID: PMC9185000 DOI: 10.1177/23743735221102672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: In response to encounters involving misconduct,
discrimination, and harassment toward healthcare workers, the Experience
Training, Education, and Coaching (XTEC) team was tasked with empowering staff
members to respond to biased requests and misconduct appropriately and
consistently. The aim of this article is to discuss communication strategies for
how to respond to patient bias and misconduct. Methods: XTEC
developed a training program with two focused communication strategies: (1)
SAFER, a stepped approach to respond to patient and visitor misconduct and (2)
ASAP, an approach for responding to patient bias which we describe as requests
related to race, religion, ethnicity, gender, and other personal attributes of
staff. Intervention: SAFER ASAP workshops were delivered to 2154
health care professionals through 109 face-to-face training over a 15-month
period between January 2019 and March 2020. All trainings were discussion- and
scenario-based, ranging in duration from 60 to 90 min. Participants were given
pre- and post-training test case scenarios, in which respondents wrote responses
to a challenging behavior to assess skill attainment post-training.
Results:Seventy-one percent demonstrated higher levels of
response ability post-training, and 92% of respondents indicated they would
likely recommend this training to others. Conclusions: SAFER ASAP
is an effective communication training program for responding to patient and
visitor bias and misconduct.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheila K Stevens
- Mayo Clinic Experience Training, Education & Coaching, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Benjamin J Houge
- Mayo Clinic Experience Training, Education & Coaching, Rochester, MN, USA
| | | | - Heather R Preston
- Mayo Clinic Experience Training, Education & Coaching, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Brooke L Werneburg
- Mayo Clinic Experience Training, Education & Coaching, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Thomas J Welch
- Mayo Clinic Department of Quality and Affordability, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Mustaqeem A Siddiqui
- Mayo Clinic Experience Training, Education & Coaching, Rochester, MN, USA
- Division of Hematology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester MN, USA
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Mindfulness buffers the deleterious effects of workaholism for work-family conflict. Soc Sci Med 2022; 306:115118. [PMID: 35696778 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 06/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Workaholism logically corresponds to the experience of work-family conflict (WFC) which is associated with a wide variety of negative employee outcomes. Finding ways to mitigate the occurrence of workaholism and/or lessen its deleterious effects on the work-family interface is practically important. Mindfulness research may hold some promise in this regard. OBJECTIVE We explore the potential that mindfulness - through its association with accuracy and salience of present moment experience and disengagement from automatic thoughts and debilitating behavior - may buffer the effects of workaholic tendencies on the experience of WFC. METHODS We use a two-study design (total n = 1022) to examine the role of dispositional mindfulness and mindfulness practice on the workaholism-WFC relationship. RESULTS Results suggest that (1) trait mindfulness buffers the workaholism-WFC relationship (Study 1; n = 307), and that (2) mindfulness practice and mindfulness training similarly buffer this relationship (Study 2; n = 715). CONCLUSION Mindfulness effectively serves as a buffer in the relationship between workaholism and WFC.
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Oliveira Neto GCD, Tucci HNP, Godinho Filho M, Lucato WC, da Silva D. Moderating effect of OHS actions based on WHO recommendations to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 in multinational companies. PROCESS SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION : TRANSACTIONS OF THE INSTITUTION OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERS, PART B 2022; 159:652-661. [PMID: 35035117 PMCID: PMC8744406 DOI: 10.1016/j.psep.2022.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the moderating effect of Occupational Health and Safety actions based on the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations to mitigate the negative effect of COVID-19 on the operational, logistical, marketing (OLMP), and health and safety performance (OHSP) of workers in multinational industries. The development of surveys in companies was the method adopted, which had confirmatory evaluations through Structural Equations Modelling (SEM). As a result, it was confirmed that this is one of the few scientific studies that expectedly validates that the COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted operational, logistical, market, and Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) performance. This is also one of the few research projects to assess the moderating effect of OHS practices based on WHO to mitigate the effects of COVID-19. According to our findings, those practices were able to reduce by at least 50% the effect of the COVID-19 crisis on operational, logistical, and marketing performance. However, they minimize by only 1.8% the negative effects of health and safety performance for the worker, generating absenteeism increasingly due to physical and mental problems. This number could be higher if the social distance could be provided in public transportation and if employees were more aware of the risks of COVID-19 contamination during their social activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geraldo Cardoso de Oliveira Neto
- Industrial Engineering Post-Graduation Program, Universidade Nove de Julho (UNINOVE), Vergueiro Street, 235/249 - 12 Floor, zip code: 01504-001 Liberdade, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Henrricco Nieves Pujol Tucci
- Industrial Engineering Post-Graduation Program, Universidade Nove de Julho (UNINOVE), Vergueiro Street, 235/249 - 12 Floor, zip code: 01504-001 Liberdade, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Moacir Godinho Filho
- Production Engineering Program, Federal University of São Carlos. Production Engineering Program, Federal University of São Carlos, Via Washington Luis, Km 235 Monjolinho, zip code: 13565-905 Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Wagner Cezar Lucato
- Industrial Engineering Post-Graduation Program, Universidade Nove de Julho (UNINOVE), Vergueiro Street, 235/249 - 12 Floor, zip code: 01504-001 Liberdade, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Dirceu da Silva
- Department of Cultural Practices of the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Av. Bertrand Russell, 801, Cidade Universitária, Campinas, CEP: 13083-865 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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Scott E, Hirabayashi L, Graham J, Krupa N, Jenkins P. Not Quite Out of the Woods: Overall Health and Chronic Disease Risk Factors among Maine Logging Workers. J Occup Environ Med 2022; 64:236-242. [PMID: 35244088 PMCID: PMC8887842 DOI: 10.1097/jom.0000000000002403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This research reports on the health status, including chronic disease risk factors, among Maine loggers. METHODS Loggers completed a survey and health screenings were held across Maine, collecting data on a variety of health endpoints. RESULTS Seventy-five loggers participated. The majority were men (97.1%) with a median age of 46, and a mean BMI of 30.6 kg/m2 (SD 4.9). Nearly half of those screened (45.9%) had blood pressure at the level of stage II hypertension. Loggers with at least a single joint abnormality were 38.4%. The health screening cohort was similar to the non-health screening cohort for many attributes. CONCLUSIONS Future research should focus on tailored interventions to improve cardiovascular and musculoskeletal risk factors among loggers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika Scott
- Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety in Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing (NEC), Bassett Medical Center, Cooperstown, NY (Dr Scott, Hirabayashi, Graham), Bassett Research Institute, Bassett Medical Center, Cooperstown, NY (Ms Krupa, Dr Jenkins)
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Peters SE, Dennerlein JT, Wagner GR, Sorensen G. Work and worker health in the post-pandemic world: a public health perspective. THE LANCET PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 7:e188-e194. [PMID: 35122760 PMCID: PMC8809900 DOI: 10.1016/s2468-2667(21)00259-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of work in shaping population health and wellbeing. This Viewpoint applies a multilevel systems framework to assist in understanding the diverse and complex interactions of forces affecting worker health and wellbeing, and how trending changes in employment and working conditions have been accelerated by the pandemic. Government agencies concerned with population health and wellbeing, and economic activity must expand their capacity to monitor, evaluate, and respond to these trends. In addition, integrated enterprise and workplace-based approaches that consider the interactions among these multidimensional drivers will build organisation and worker resilience to navigate the continual changes in work and worker safety, health, and wellbeing in a post-pandemic world.
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Dennerlein JT, Eyllon M, Garverich S, Weinstein D, Manjourides J, Vallas SP, Lincoln AK. Associations Between Work-Related Factors and Psychological Distress Among Construction Workers. J Occup Environ Med 2021; 63:1052-1057. [PMID: 34238907 PMCID: PMC8642263 DOI: 10.1097/jom.0000000000002311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Identify work-related factors associated with the mental health and well-being of construction workers. METHODS We completed eight key informant interviews, six worker focus groups, and a survey, informed by the interviews and focus groups, of 259 construction workers on five construction sites. Negative binomial regressions examined associations between psychological distress and work-related factors including safety climate, work-to-family conflict, psychological demands, social support, harassment, and job security. RESULTS Three themes emerged from the interviews and focus groups, job demands and structure, social support and workplace relations, and job precarity. From the survey higher psychological demands, higher work-to-family conflict, lower supervisor support, higher discrimination, and higher likelihood of losing a job were associated with higher psychological distress. When combined into a single model job demands and work-to-family conflict remained significant. CONCLUSIONS Work-related factors were associated with high levels of distress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack T Dennerlein
- Department of Physical Therapy, Movement, and Rehabilitation Science, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts
- Center for Work, Health, and Well-being, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Mara Eyllon
- Behavioral Health Department, Practice Research Network, Reliant Medical Group, Worcester, Massachusetts
- Department of Health Sciences, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts
- Institute for Health Equity and Social Justice Research, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Suzanne Garverich
- Institute for Health Equity and Social Justice Research, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Daniel Weinstein
- Department of Physical Therapy, Movement, and Rehabilitation Science, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Justin Manjourides
- Center for Work, Health, and Well-being, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Health Sciences, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Steven P Vallas
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Alisa K Lincoln
- Department of Health Sciences, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts
- Institute for Health Equity and Social Justice Research, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts
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49
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Development of Comfort and Safety Performance of Passenger Seats in Large City Buses. ENERGIES 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/en14227471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
A bus seat needs to be designed ergonomically for better seating comfort. The present study is intended to develop a cost-effective ergonomic bus seat design based on seat comfort and safety demands. As part of the proposed seat design procedure, seating comfort analysis, identifying preferred design features, and developing a seat design are included. An analysis of the bus seat back and seat pan profiles was conducted. Based on the results of the comfort analysis, the authors identified the preferred design features of bus seats during the design identification process. An improved bus seat prototype was developed based on selected design features in the design development stage. Seating comfort analyses were used to compare the achieved seat with the reference seat. The seat design developed in the present study may be applicable for various types of bus public transport.
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Siegel A, Hoge AC, Ehmann AT, Martus P, Rieger MA. Attitudes of Company Executives toward a Comprehensive Workplace Health Management-Results of an Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study in Germany. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph182111475. [PMID: 34769990 PMCID: PMC8583484 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182111475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Workplace health management (WHM) in Germany aims at maintaining and increasing the health and well-being of employees. Little is known about company executives’ attitudes toward WHM. To gain more insight, we conducted a large-scale survey in companies in the German county of Reutlingen in 2017. We sent a standardized questionnaire to 906 companies, containing inter alia 26 self-constructed declarative statements depicting company executives’ opinions on various WHM aspects; 222 questionnaires could be evaluated. By exploratory factor analysis we assigned the 26 items to six factors reflecting different attitudes toward WHM. Factor values were standardized to a scale from 0 to 10. The attitude ‘positive view of general health services in the company’, for example, achieved by far the lowest mean agreement (3.3 points). For the attitude ‘general skepticism toward WHM’, agreement and disagreement were balanced (5.0 points). Using multiple regression analyses, we searched for variables that could partially explain respondents’ agreement with attitudes. In conclusion, a general WHM skepticism was widespread, but not dominant. The idea that general health services should be offered in companies was predominantly rejected. Older respondents and respondents from smaller companies and craft enterprises were more skeptical than average about WHM and its possible extensions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Achim Siegel
- Institute of Occupational and Social Medicine and Health Services Research, University Hospital Tübingen, Wilhelmstr. 27, 72074 Tübingen, Germany; (A.C.H.); (A.T.E.); (M.A.R.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-7071-29-86812
| | - Aileen C. Hoge
- Institute of Occupational and Social Medicine and Health Services Research, University Hospital Tübingen, Wilhelmstr. 27, 72074 Tübingen, Germany; (A.C.H.); (A.T.E.); (M.A.R.)
| | - Anna T. Ehmann
- Institute of Occupational and Social Medicine and Health Services Research, University Hospital Tübingen, Wilhelmstr. 27, 72074 Tübingen, Germany; (A.C.H.); (A.T.E.); (M.A.R.)
| | - Peter Martus
- Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Applied Biometry, University Hospital Tübingen, Silcherstr. 5, 72076 Tübingen, Germany;
| | - Monika A. Rieger
- Institute of Occupational and Social Medicine and Health Services Research, University Hospital Tübingen, Wilhelmstr. 27, 72074 Tübingen, Germany; (A.C.H.); (A.T.E.); (M.A.R.)
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