Work and family roles: Indian career women in India and the West

"Balancing work and movement": barriers and enablers for being physically active at Indian workplaces - findings from SMART STEP trial

BACKGROUND

Non-communicable diseases are rising rapidly in low- and middle-income countries, leading to increased morbidity and mortality. Reducing sedentary behavior (SB) and increasing physical activity (PA) offer numerous health benefits. Workplaces provide an ideal setting for promoting SB/PA interventions; however, understanding the barriers and enablers is crucial for optimizing these interventions in workplace environments.

METHODS

Nested within a cluster randomised controlled trial (the SMART-STEP trial), the present study employed in-depth interviews with 16 office workers who have completed 24 weeks of two distinct (technology assisted and traditional) workplace SB/PA interventions. Using a deductive analysis, semi-structured interviews were administered to explore the barriers and enablers to the SB/PA interventions at individual, interpersonal and organisational level using the socio-ecological model.

RESULTS

Several individual (poor goal setting, perceived health benefits & workload, attitude, intervention engagement), interpersonal (lack of peer support) and organisational (task prioritisation, lack of organisational norm and material or social reward) barriers were identified. Indian women engaged in desk-based office jobs often find themselves burdened with intense home and childcare responsibilities, often without sufficient support from their spouses. A primary concern among Indian office workers is the poor awareness and absence of cultural norms regarding the health risks associated with SB.

CONCLUSIONS

Raising awareness among workplace stakeholders-including office workers, peers, and the organization-is crucial before designing and implementing SB/PA interventions in Indian workspaces. Personalized interventions for Indian female office workers engaged in desk-bound work are warranted.

Association of accelerometer measured sedentary behavior patterns with cognitive functions in sedentary office workers: Insights from SMART-STEP study

BACKGROUND

High levels of sedentary behavior in workplaces are currently recognized as an independent risk factor for cognitive dysfunction and poor mental health. However, sedentary patterns vary between workdays and non-workdays, which may influence cognitive functions.

OBJECTIVE

The present study aimed to quantify and compare work and nonwork device-measured sedentary time (ST) and its association with cognitive function in Indian office workers.

METHODS

In an ongoing randomized controlled trial (SMART-STEP), the baseline data of 136 full-time office workers, including accelerometer-measured sedentary patterns and cognitive functions, were analyzed. The ST was measured using a hip-worn accelerometer (Actigraph wGT3X-BT) for seven days, and executive functions were measured using computer-based tests. Linear regression models were employed to analyze the relationships between ST and executive function measures.

RESULTS

The median daily ST of Indian office workers was 11.41 hours. The ST was greater on both workdays (11.43 hrs.) and non-workdays (11.14 hrs.) though different (F = 6.76, p = 0.001, ηp2 = 0.032). Office workers accumulate more prolonged sitting bouts (+21.36 min) during work days than non-workdays. No associations between device-measured ST and executive functions were observed.

CONCLUSION

Indian office workers exhibited high ST patterns, especially on workdays. Although lower than workdays, Indian office workers exhibited more ST patterns during non-workdays than did their Western counterparts. Culturally adaptable workplace and leisure time physical activity interventions are needed to address the high ST of Indian office workers.

Sense of Coherence, Social Support, Maternal-Fetal Attachment, and Antenatal Mental Health: A Survey of Expecting Mothers in Urban India

Introduction: Pregnancy is associated with psychological, physiological and social shifts, and can be a vulnerable time in a woman's life. Despite a growing understanding of the importance of antenatal mental health, there is a paucity of research on psychosocial factors relevant to this phase, especially in developing countries. The aim of the present study was to investigate the associations of expecting mothers' sense of coherence, perceived social support, and maternal-fetal attachment with mental health outcomes. Method: Participants (N = 122) were nulliparous expectant mothers residing in urban India. Cross-sectional data was collected using an online questionnaire. Results: Participant reports of perceived social support and sense of coherence were negatively correlated with symptoms of antenatal depression, while reports of maternal-fetal attachment, sense of coherence, and social support were positively associated with antenatal well-being. In a multilinear regression model, perceived social support and sense of coherence uniquely contributed to symptoms of antenatal depression, while maternal-fetal attachment and sense of coherence uniquely contributed to antenatal well-being. Discussion: The findings of this study highlight the role of perceived social support, sense of coherence and maternal-fetal attachment in contributing to expecting mothers' mental health and well-being in urban India. These findings have implications for clinical practice and research, intending to the subjective experiences of pregnant women to improve antenatal mental health. Future research investigating these psychosocial factors using longitudinal designs is warranted and would help clinicians and practitioners identify women at risk for perinatal mental health concerns.

Patrifocal Concerns in the Lives of Women in Academic Science: Continuity of Tradition and Emerging Challenges

This paper examines the social milieu of women academic scientists, parental influence in decision making in regard to the career of their daughters, parents' expectations, importance of marriage and the criteria involved therein. The support of parents and spouse are vital for the success of women scientists. Nevertheless, the 'dual burden' has an impact on professional work, and the consequent redefinition of 'success' is clearly a product of patrifocal social structures and ideology.

Working Women: Career Breaks and Re-entry in a Fast-changing Business Environment

Many reports on working women talks about new trends in career break and re-entry of these women; the experience they have, taken time off from the workforce, and their desire to be re-engaged in employment. Exploring the recent trends in career break and re-entry of working women provides proactive recommendations and practical and positive ways for the employers to facilitate their re-entry and help address the female brain drain. These talented returners, after re-entry, cannot find meaningful and challenging full-time work. This study focuses on the reasons for the re-entry, and shows that women returners are not a homogeneous group and that the length of their career break appears to play a key role in the re-entry process; the longer the break the greater the impact. Women who interrupt their careers experience downward mobility in salary and status. Also, such career breaks counteract career development due to the lack of support mechanisms, such as flexi-time schemes, part-time work, and insufficient training. The reasons for working for identified categories of working women are not same as tested using Z-test. Also, the major trends in career breaks and career re-entry identified are measured on Likert scale and ranking is done using weighted mean.

Rhythms of Life: Antecedents and Outcomes of Work-Family Balance in Employed Parents

This study examined antecedents and outcomes of a fourfold taxonomy of work-family balance in terms of the direction of influence (work-family vs. family-work) and type of effect (conflict vs. facilitation). Respondents were full-time employed parents in India. Confirmatory factor analysis results provided evidence for the discriminant validity of M. R. Frone's (2003) fourfold taxonomy of work-family balance. Results of moderated regression analysis revealed that different processes underlie the conflict and facilitation components. Furthermore, gender had only a limited moderating influence on the relationships between the antecedents and the components of work-family balance. Last, work-family facilitation was related to the work outcomes of job satisfaction and organizational commitment.