Commuting time to work and behaviour-related health: a fixed-effect analysis

Association between commuting time and work-related low back pain with respect to sports and leisure activities in Korean workers

Long commuting times can induce work-related low back pain (LBP), which can be exacerbated by reduced sports and leisure activities. However, there is a lack of empirical research on commuting time and work-related LBP in Korea. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between commuting time and work-related LBP as well as the effect of sports and leisure activities on Korean workers. We utilized data from the sixth Korean Working Conditions Survey to analyze the relationship between commuting time and work-related LBP using multivariable logistic regression. The total number of included workers was 28,202. Workers without sports and leisure activities, and long commuting times (40-59, 60-79, and ≥80 min) showed significantly higher odds ratios for work-related LBP (1.29 [95% Confidence intervals=1.12-1.49], 1.42 [1.22-1.65], and 1.96 [1.68-2.28], respectively). However, in workers with sports and leisure activities, the results were significant only for commuting times of 60-79 and ≥80 min (1.41 [1.13-1.75], 1.60 [1.28-1.99], respectively). Long commuting times were associated with work-related LBP, and engagement in sports and leisure activities was found to play a role in mitigating the impact among Korean wage workers.

Commuting and Acceptance of Worksite Physical Activity Opportunities: Insights From a French University Hospital

BACKGROUND

Recent research suggests a need for worksite programs that promote structured physical activity (PA) among hospital staff. The objectives of this study were to assess the hospital employees' acceptance of PA opportunities that could be implemented at the worksite, and the association between worksite PA and commuting and other sociocognitive factors.

METHOD

Acceptance of seven PA opportunities from the WHO guidelines was correlated with commuting and socio-cognitive factors through an online survey conducted among the workforce of the University Hospital of Angers, France (N = 6874) between April 25 and May 22, 2022.

RESULTS

Only three PA opportunities in the seven proposed reached high approval rates among at least 50% of the 1,427 participants, namely, provide cycle facilities onsite, create a fitness room onsite, and establish partnerships with private associations or sports clubs, albeit rates decreased significantly with commuting distance for the first and the last proposals. The number of approved PA opportunities was positively related to the perceived negative influence of commuting on well-being and self-rated concerns with current PA level. It was negatively related to older age, long commuting, and flexible rest days.

CONCLUSION

Based on these results, we recommend raising PA awareness and self-efficacy before implementing an easily accessible fitness center for employees. Providing cycle facilities and a more walkable environment in the hospital setting while encouraging active traveling between home and work for short commuters could additionally increase the level of physical activity on an equitable and sustainable basis.

Relationship between sleep disturbance and burnout among Chinese urban teachers: Moderating roles of resilience

BACKGROUND

Sleep disturbance and burnout are prevalent among primary and secondary school teachers. Nevertheless, little is known about the relationship between sleep disturbance and burnout, and the mechanisms connecting this link. Our study aimed to explore the relationship between sleep disturbance and burnout among urban teachers, as well as to investigate this influencing mechanism further with resilience as a moderator.

METHODS

14,218 primary and secondary school teachers provided valid data. We assessed demographic information, sleep disturbance, burnout, and resilience. Multivariable logistic regression, Spearman correlation, and moderation analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between sleep disturbance and burnout and the moderating role of resilience.

RESULTS

Of the participants, the prevalence of sleep disturbance and sleep deprivation among teachers was 20.0% and 31.7%, respectively. Additionally, 58.4% of teachers reported moderate or severe burnout, and 15.3% had both sleep disturbance and burnout. Sleep disturbance was significant and positively related to burnout. Resilience was found to moderate the association between sleep disturbance and burnout.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggested strong associations between sleep disturbance and burnout. Interventions in improving resilience may protect teachers with sleep disturbance from burnout.

Evaluation of a Health Education Intervention to Improve Parental Knowledge and Attitudes About Chronic Stress and Depression Among Head Start Families

Background. Chronic stress and depression disproportionately affect families experiencing poverty, and likely contribute to disparities in early childhood developmental outcomes. Developing strategies to address chronic stress and depression may help mitigate these disparities. Early Head Start (EHS) and Head Start (HS) programs provide an important platform to address the disproportionate burden of stress and mental health issues experienced by EHS/HS families. However, few low-literacy, broad, scalable interventions improve parents' knowledge and attitudes around these topics. Objectives. We examined parents' knowledge and attitudes regarding stress and depression before and after a train-the-trainer (TTT) intervention delivered to 28 EHS/HS agencies across the United States. Methods. Following a TTT workshop, 18 agencies chose to deliver the stress training to 1,089 parents and 5 chose to deliver the depression training to 670 parents. Participating parents completed paper assessments at baseline and 3 months following the training. Paired T-tests and chi-square analyses tested whether responses significantly improved over time. Results. At baseline, 37.2% of parents reported feeling stressed most of the time and 13.4% reported feeling depressed most of the time. Following the trainings and reinforcement activities, parents' knowledge, attitudes and self-reported behaviors significantly improved, including willingness to seek help for depression, avoidance of negative health-risk behaviors and utilization of healthy stress management practices. At follow up, 18.6% of parents reported feeling stressed most of the time and 11% reported feeling depressed. Conclusion. Findings suggest this low-literacy TTT approach is potentially a promising health promotion intervention with broad dissemination potential.

Mediating Effect of Work-Family Conflict on the Relationship Between Long Commuting Time and Workers' Anxiety and Insomnia

Background

Our study aimed to investigate the mediating role of work-family conflict (WFC) on the relationship between long commutes and workers' anxiety and insomnia.

Methods

Our study measured the two dimensions of WFC, time-related, and strain-related, which were considered multiple mediators. The mediating effect of WFC on anxiety and insomnia was investigated by decomposing the total effect into a direct effect (long commuting time → anxiety or insomnia) and an indirect effect (long commuting time → WFC → anxiety or insomnia). The combined indirect effect (joint indirect effect) of strain-related WFC and time-related WFC was estimated. The effects were presented as odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results

The direct effect of 120 min or longer of commuting time was 1.39 (95% CI: 1.17-1.65) times increase in the odds of anxiety and 1.64 (95% CI: 1.41-1.90) times increase in the odds of insomnia than those whose commuting time was less than 60 min. In the case of indirect effects, those whose commuting time was 120 min or longer had 1.13 times higher odds of anxiety (95% CI: 1.07-1.18) and 1.12 times higher odds of insomnia (95% CI: 1.07-1.17) via WFC. The joint indirect effects accounted for 26.4% and 18.5% of the total effect on anxiety and insomnia, respectively. The longer the commuting time, the stronger both direct and indirect effects.

Conclusions

Our findings highlight the mediating effect of WFC on the relationship between long commuting times and workers' anxiety and insomnia.

Distance to sports facilities and low frequency of exercise and obesity: a cross-sectional study

Background

Little research has investigated the associations between proximity to physical activity facilities and behavior-related health and the majority have focused on proximity from home address. We add to the literature by examining proximity of these facilities to work and home address and including a wide range of physical activity facilities. We assess the associations for proximity of physical activity facilities from home and work address with self-reported frequency of exercise and obesity.

Methods

Our analytical sample of 7358 participants was from the 2018 wave of the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health. We used logistic binomial regression adjusting for age, sex, education, civil status, individual socioeconomic status, neighborhood socioeconomic status, number of children under 12 years of age, work strain, and chronic disease.

Results

Longer distance from home to paid outdoor and paid indoor physical activity facilities was associated with low frequency of exercise (fully adjusted Relative Risk for both 1.01, 95% CI 1.01–1.02). Associations of any or free outdoor facility with low frequency of exercise were not robust. Findings also indicated associations between long distance from workplace to any and paid outdoor facility and low frequency of exercise. Results for obesity were in the similar direction, however, these were not statistically significant.

Conclusion

Increased distance of paid outdoor and paid indoor physical activity facilities from home and of paid outdoor facilities from work was associated with low frequency of exercise. Longitudinal and larger studies are needed to confirm our findings, particularly regarding obesity.

Commuting demands and appraisals: A systematic review and meta-analysis of strain and wellbeing outcomes

Research on commuting to work and its potential consequences for employee strain and wellbeing has accumulated across various disciplines. However, this has led to a narrow research scope with wide methodological variability. An integration of this literature is needed to understand the breadth of the commuting experience and interpret heterogeneous findings. Extending the transactional stress model, we propose that commuting is a demand that can have both negative and positive effects on outcomes through commuting appraisals. We present a systematic review (k = 109 studies) and meta-analysis (k = 39 studies) of these relationships. Our systematic review finds partial support for our hypotheses, and our meta-analysis suggests that objective commuting demands are positively associated with strain outcomes (r ̅_xy = .089; especially perceived stress, r ̅_xy = .153), but unrelated to wellbeing outcomes. Subjective commuting appraisals are unrelated to strain or wellbeing outcomes. We conclude with recommendations for methodological improvements and implications for research and practice.

Plain language summary

Commuting is a nearly ubiquitous part of contemporary employment. Over the last several decades, empirical research on commuting has accumulated across various disciplines. Our systematic review and meta-analysis take stock of relationships regarding commuting demands, appraisals of commuting, and strainand wellbeing-related outcomes. The results of the qualitative review indicate that there are both positive and negative implications of commuting. Commuting demands are related to favorable and unfavorable appraisals, and commuting demands are also related to both strain and wellbeing outcomes. However, the result of our quantitative meta-analysis suggests that time spent commuting is positively associated with strain outcomes, but unrelated to wellbeing outcomes. Subjective commuting appraisals are unrelated to strain and wellbeing outcomes. We outline implications for future research (e.g., commuting’s role in boundary management), highlight methodological challenges (e.g., variability in reporting), and provide recommendations for practice (e.g., offer resources that mitigate consequences of commuting).

Walking for transportation in large Latin American cities: walking-only trips and total walking events and their sociodemographic correlates

Walking for transportation is a common and accessible means of achieving recommended physical activity levels, while providing important social and environmental co-benefits. Even though walking in rapidly growing urban areas has become especially challenging given the increasing dependence on motorised transportation, walking remains a major mode of transportation in Latin American cities. In this paper we aimed to quantify self-reported walking for transportation in Mexico City, Bogota, Santiago de Chile, Sao Paulo, and Buenos Aires, by identifying both walking trips that are conducted entirely on foot and walking events involved in trips mainly conducted on other means of transportation (e.g. private vehicle, public transit) among individuals ≥5-years old. We show how walking-only trips account for approximately 30% trips in the analysed cities, and we evidence how the pedestrian dimension of mobility is largely underestimated if walking that is incidental to other transportation modes is not accounted for: when considering all walking events, we observed an increase between 73% and 217% in daily walking time. As a result, we estimated that between 19% and 25% of residents in these cities meet the WHO physical activity guidelines solely from walking for transportation. The results of the study also suggest that the promotion of public transportation in large Latin American cities can especially help certain population groups achieve the daily recommended levels of physical activity, while among low-income groups accessibility and safety seem to be the key challenges to be addressed.

A three-wave longitudinal study on the relation between commuting strain and somatic symptoms in university students: exploring the role of learning-family conflicts

Background

We examine the role of learning-family conflicts for the relation between commuting strain and health in a sample of medical university students. The first goal of the study was to investigate the mediating role of learning-family conflicts. The second goal was to extend the temporal view on relations between study variables. Therefore, we differentiated long-term systematic change among variables over a period of two-years from a dynamic perspective with repeated commuting events on the individual level of analyses.

Methods

We applied a multilevel research design and collected survey data from 128 medical students on three points in time (N = 339 measurement points). Participants informed about commuting strain, learning-family conflicts, somatic symptoms, as well as commuting distance and time.

Results

Bayesian multilevel analyses showed that results differed with regard to level of analysis: while learning-family conflicts mediated the relation between commuting strain and somatic symptoms on a systematic aggregation-level perspective of analysis (indirect effect estimate_between = 0.13, SE = .05, 95% CI [0.05; ∞), Evidence Ratio = 250.57), this was not the case on the dynamic event perspective (indirect effect estimate_within = 0.00, SE = 0.00, 95% CI [− 0.01; ∞), Evidence Ratio = 0.84).

Conclusions

We demonstrated that learning-family conflicts explain why commuting may have unfavorable effects on health for medical students. We also showed that it is the long-term commuting experience that is related to health complaints and not the single commuting event. This means that short-term deviations from general levels of commuting strain do not cause somatic symptoms, but general high levels of commuting strain do instead.

The Effect of Commuting Time on Job Stress in Obese Men With Different Exercise Frequency in China

Previous studies have mainly focused on the independent impact of commuting time, exercise, and stress on people. There are few studies regarding the impact of the combined effect of multiple factors on special populations such as obese people. As obesity has become increasingly widespread in China, we studied the impact of commuting time on work stress on Chinese obese men (who exercise regularly vs. who exercise irregularly). We performed a secondary retrospective analysis of the cross-sectional data from the 2014 China Labor Force Dynamics Survey. We found that long commute times and less exercise have a positive effect on the increase in stress, but the effect is less evident for people who exercise regularly. Commuters traveling on foot are more stressed than those traveling by car. This study also found that commuting time had a significant impact on the perceived work stress of obese men who exercised irregularly. But the relationship between commuting time and work stress was different among groups with different commuting styles. For obese men who commuted on foot or motorcycle, commuting time had a significant impact on their job stress. However, for obese men who commuted by bicycle, bus, or car, commuting time had no significant effect on job stress. Additionally, active and passive commuting have different effects on stress. Active commuters tend to be more stressed, while passive commuters do not show a significant impact.

Commuting distance and behavior-related health: A longitudinal study

Health benefits of active commuting and short commuting time are well-documented; however, limited evidence exists on the effects of commuting distance. We examined longitudinal associations between commuting distance and behavior-related health. Participants were from four survey waves of the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018). Analytical sample included 11,023 individuals and 21,769 observations. Random effects method used binomial logistic regression with generalized estimating equations. The outcomes were self-reported physical inactivity, overweight, smoking, problem drinking, and disturbed sleep. Models were adjusted for age, sex, occupational position, civil status, chronic disease, work strain, number of children under 12, and home/workplace neighborhood socioeconomic status. Using continuous measure, long commuting distance was associated with a higher odds of physical inactivity (OR 1.06; 95% CI, 1.04-1.09 per doubling of distance), overweight (OR 1.02; 95% CI, 1.00-1.04), and disturbed sleep (OR 1.03; 95% CI, 1.00-1.05) in fully adjusted models. Using categorized measure, individuals who commuted longer distance had a higher odds of physical inactivity compared to those with the shortest commute (3.1 km - <7.9 km vs. <3.1 km: OR 1.15; 95% CI, 1.04-1.28 and 7.9 km - <20 km vs. <3.1 km: OR 1.18; 95% CI, 1.06-1.32, fully adjusted model). Such dose-response associations were not observed for overweight or disturbed sleep. Our results suggest short commuting distance may be beneficial for behavior-related health.

Home and Workplace Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status and Behavior-related Health: A Within-individual Analysis

Background

The influence of individual and home neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) on health-related behaviors have been widely studied, but the majority of these studies have neglected the possible impact of the workplace neighborhood SES.

Objective

To examine within-individual associations between home and work place neighborhood SES and health-related behaviors in employed individuals.

Methods

We used participants from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health who responded to a minimum of two surveys between 2012 and 2018. Data included 12,932 individuals with a total of 35,332 observations. We used fixed-effects analysis with conditional logistic regression to examine within-individual associations of home, workplace, as well as time-weighted home and workplace neighborhood SES index, with self-reported obesity, physical activity, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyle, and disturbed sleep.

Results

After adjustment for covariates, participants were more likely to engage in risky alcohol consumption when they worked in a workplace that was located in the highest SES area compared to time when they worked in a workplace that was located in the lowest SES area (adjusted odds ratios 1.98; 95% confidence interval: 1.12 to 3.49). There was an indication of an increased risk of obesity when individuals worked in the highest compared to the time when they worked in the lowest neighborhood SES area (1.71; 1.02–2.87). No associations were observed for the other outcomes.

Conclusion

These within-individual comparisons suggest that workplace neighborhood SES might have a role in health-related behaviors, particularly alcohol consumption.