Morbidity ranking of U.S. workers employed in 206 occupations: the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) 1986-1994

Personal Health of Spine Surgeons Can Impact Perceptions, Decision-Making and Healthcare Delivery During the COVID-19 Pandemic - A Worldwide Study

OBJECTIVE

To determine if personal health of spine surgeons worldwide influences perceptions, healthcare delivery, and decision-making during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was performed by distributing a multidimensional survey to spine surgeons worldwide. Questions addressed demographics, impacts and perceptions of COVID-19, and the presence of surgeon comorbidities, which included cancer, cardiac disease, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, respiratory illness, renal disease, and current tobacco use. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify specific comorbidities that influenced various impact measures.

RESULTS

Across 7 global regions, 36.8% out of 902 respondents reported a comorbidity, of which hypertension (21.9%) and obesity (15.6%) were the most common. Multivariate analysis noted tobacco users were more likely to continue performing elective surgery during the pandemic (odds ratio [OR], 2.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.46-4.72; p = 0.001) and were less likely to utilize telecommunication (OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.31-0.86; p = 0.011), whereas those with hypertension were less likely to warn their patients should the surgeon become infected with COVID-19 (OR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.37-0.91; p = 0.017). Clinicians with multiple comorbidities were more likely to cite personal health as a current stressor (OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.07-1.63; p = 0.009) and perceived their hospital's management unfavorably (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.60-0.91; p = 0.005).

CONCLUSION

This is the first study to have mapped global variations of personal health of spine surgeons, key in the development for future wellness and patient management initiatives. This study underscored that spine surgeons worldwide are not immune to comorbidities, and their personal health influences various perceptions, healthcare delivery, and decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Work stress and metabolic syndrome in radiologists: first evidence

PURPOSE

Scientific data have amply demonstrated that work stress increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, less attention has been given to the association between stress and metabolic syndrome. In this study, our aim was to investigate the relationship between work stress and metabolic syndrome in a population of radiologists.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Radiologists and radiotherapists taking part in scientific conferences were invited to compile a questionnaire to evaluate work stress and the main parameters for diagnosing metabolic syndrome (obesity, hypertension, elevated cholesterol level, elevated triglycerides, and hyperglycemia).

RESULTS

Most of the doctors taking part in the survey (n = 383, 58.6 %) were found to have at least one pathological component; 47 subjects (7.1 %) had metabolic syndrome. All the variables indicating work stress, whether derived from Karasek's demand/control model or from the effort/reward model devised by Siegrist, were significant predictors of metabolic syndrome components. Radiologists with elevated levels of stress had a significantly higher risk of being affected by metabolic syndrome than colleagues with lower stress levels, whether stress was defined as "job strain", i.e., elevated work load and reduced discretionary power (OR 4.89, 95 % CI 2.51-9.55), or as "effort reward imbalance", i.e., mismatch between effort and reward for the work performed (OR 4.66, 95 % CI 2.17-10.02).

CONCLUSIONS

Should the results of this cross-sectional study be confirmed by a subsequent longitudinal survey, they would indicate the need for prompt organizational intervention to reduce occupational stress in radiologists.

Differences in health complaints among Taiwanese workers in different occupational categories

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of and differences in certain health complaints, including physical symptoms and psychological distress, among workers in different occupational categories and to explore the associations between occupational category and each complaint.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 1,628 workers representing seven occupational categories from ten companies in different industries submitted completed questionnaires. The self-administered questionnaire contained three parts: personal data, physical symptoms and psychological distress. Physical symptoms were measured using nine questions developed by a panel of ten general practitioners; the questions included nine common physical symptoms across main organ systems. Psychological distress was measured using the Chinese Health Questionnaire.

RESULTS

Muscle pain (44.7%) and dizziness (30.1%) were the most common symptoms reported by participants, and 16.6% of participants suffered from psychological distress. Significant differences in physical symptoms and psychological distress were found among workers in different occupational categories (Χ(2)=53.59, p<0.001). Compared with service workers, office workers and managers had higher prevalence rates of physical symptoms; office workers also showed a higher prevalence of psychological distress.

CONCLUSIONS

The study merits attention in terms of prevention of health problems in the workplace by focusing on a set of physical symptoms and psychological distress (not merely morbidity). Occupational category should be taken into consideration when planning workplace health promotion. Our findings highlight the need for health promotion programs that specifically target office workers and managers.

The Influence of Age-Related Cues on Health and Longevity

Environmental cues that signal aging may directly and indirectly prime diminished capacity. Similarly, the absence of these cues may prime improved health. The authors investigated the effects of age cues on health and longevity in five very different settings. The findings include the following: First, women who think they look younger after having their hair colored/cut show a decrease in blood pressure and appear younger in photographs (in which their hair is cropped out) to independent raters. Second, clothing is an age-related cue. Uniforms eliminate these age-related cues: Those who wear work uniforms have lower morbidity than do those who earn the same amount of money and do not wear work uniforms. Third, baldness cues old age. Men who bald prematurely see an older self and therefore age faster: Prematurely bald men have an excess risk of getting prostate cancer and coronary heart disease than do men who do not prematurely bald. Fourth, women who bear children later in life are surrounded by younger age-related cues: Older mothers have a longer life expectancy than do women who bear children earlier in life. Last, large spousal age differences result in age-incongruent cues: Younger spouses live shorter lives and older spouses live longer lives than do controls.

Health disparities among America's health care providers: evidence from the Integrated Health Interview Series, 1982 to 2004

OBJECTIVE

To examine whether health status and obesity prevalence differ by race or ethnicity and health care workforce category.

METHODS

Data representing US health care workers aged 20 to 64 between 1982 and 2004 were retrieved from the Integrated Health Interview Series. Trends, as well as disparities, in health status and obesity are examined by workforce category using logistic regression.

RESULTS

Self-reported health status of health care workers has declined over time and the prevalence of obesity is rising. Moreover, there is a clear social gradient across workforce categories, which is widening over time. Within workforce categories, there are significant racial disparities in health status and prevalence of obesity.

CONCLUSIONS

Health of health care workers needs to be taken into account when setting policies intended to increase access to health care and create a healthy diverse workforce.

Employment and occupation effects on depressive symptoms in older Americans: does working past age 65 protect against depression?

OBJECTIVES

This article examines the effects of work status, occupational sector, and occupation type on depressive symptoms in older Americans. We partially controlled for the healthy worker selection effect by including disability as a predictor of both work status and depressive symptoms.

METHODS

We analyzed a nationally representative sample of 23,247 respondents aged 65 to 88 from the National Health Interview Survey pooled over 1997 to 2000. We used structural equation models with latent variables to assess relationships between work/occupation and depressive symptoms.

RESULTS

Older Americans who work had lower levels of depressive symptoms as compared to older nonworkers. Membership in several worker groups, generally higher status occupations, protected against depressive symptoms. After controlling for disability, the difference in level of depressive symptoms for workers versus nonworkers did not persist. However, workers in specific occupational sectors and types reported different levels of depressive symptoms even when we controlled for disability.

DISCUSSION

The mental health benefit of working, among persons aged 65 and older, may be due to the healthy worker effect. However, the particular job sector in which older workers are employed matters. Socioeconomic status and financial versus personal motivations for working are potentially important explanations for differences.