Monitoring of need for recovery and prolonged fatigue within the working population: Evaluation of reliability and agreement over time

Factors associated with change in the need for recovery and subjective listening effort in employees with hearing loss receiving aural rehabilitation

OBJECTIVE

Compared to normally-hearing employees, those with hearing loss suffer from higher Need For Recovery (NFR) after work. The aims of this study are to assess the NFR of employees with hearing loss before and after aural rehabilitation and to examine to what extent change in the NFR can be explained by changes in subjective listening effort, personal adjustments, communication strategies, auditory work demands, and self-reported hearing ability.

METHODS

We included patients who received aural rehabilitation in two audiological centers in the Netherlands because of hearing complaints in their work situation. Outcomes were measured by questionnaires at baseline and 3 month follow-up. The NFR before and after the rehabilitation was compared with a t test. Hierarchical multiple analyses were performed.

RESULTS

In total, 60 patients (aged 22-63, working hours ≥8 per week) participated in the study, of which 50 completed the follow-up questionnaires. The NFR was significantly lower after the aural rehabilitation (M = 45.03) compared to before the aural rehabilitation (M = 51.89), t = -3.43, p < 0.01). Change in NFR could best be explained by the change in personal adjustments (R² = 0.45, B = -1.23, p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

The NFR of employees with hearing loss can be improved by aural rehabilitation, but this study shows that current practices reduce the NFR only in part of the employees. Therefore, improving current practices should be considered and evaluated, for example by applying a different combination of rehabilitation components. Especially, interventions that affect personal adjustments may be promising to further reduce the NFR in employees with hearing loss.

Chronic conditions and self-perceived health among older employees in relation to indicators of labour participation and retirement over time

BACKGROUND:

A significant proportion of older employees leave the labour market early, amongst others via unemployment or disability benefits, implying that health might affect possibilities to extend working life.

OBJECTIVE:

This study 1) examined associations between chronic conditions (subtypes) and self-perceived health (SPH), independently, and indicators of labour participation and retirement over six-year follow-up among older employees, and 2) explored the impact of differences between prevalent and incident presence of chronic condition(s) in this relation.

METHODS:

Older workers (aged > 45 years) included in the Maastricht Cohort Study were studied (n = 1,763). The Health and Work Performance Questionnaire assessed chronic conditions and one item from the Short Form health survey-36 assessed SPH. Cox regression analyses assessed associations between chronic conditions and SPH, independently, and retirement intentions, employment status, decreasing working hours, and changes in work over time.

RESULTS:

Employees with coexistent physical-mental chronic conditions showed higher risks to lose employment and to receive a disability benefit (HR 1.85, 95% CI 1.23–2.78; HR 8.63, 95% CI 2.47–30.11) over time compared to healthy employees. No statistically significant associations were found between SPH and indicators of labour participation and retirement over time. Having chronic condition(s) was cross-sectionally associated with lower SPH scores and larger proportion of part-timers –compared to healthy employees.

CONCLUSIONS:

Chronic condition(s) among older employees were substantially associated with indicators of labour participation and retirement over time. The role of SPH was mainly instantaneous. Findings provide valuable input for preventive measures aiming to prevent an early labour market exit of older employees.

Fatigue and the Need for Recovery among Latino/a Immigrant Cattle Feedyard Workers

Cattle feedyards are animal feeding operations where beef cattle are finished to market weight on grain. Cattle feeding can be dirty, demanding, and dangerous work. This study sought to assess the predictors of fatigue and the need for recovery among Latino/a immigrant cattle feedyard workers in the United States. A path model was examined to explore direct and indirect relations among physical fatigue, mental fatigue, need for recovery, job characteristics, and health and sociodemographic covariates. Lower self-reported health, experiencing physical pain, not handling animals, and decreased decision latitude were directly related to increased physical fatigue. Shorter tenure working on cattle feedyards, lower educational level, experiencing physical pain, and increased job demands were directly related to heightened mental fatigue. Being female, experiencing physical pain, an elevated average of hours worked per day, increased job demands, and less decision latitude were directly related to an increased need for recovery and indirectly related to both physical and mental fatigue. Physical and mental fatigue have specific correlates, but job characteristics, including job demands and decision latitude, can directly and indirectly impact workers' levels of physical and mental fatigue and their need for recovery. Both preventive measures and restructuring work operations may reduce the risk for fatigue and the need for recovery. Implications for cattle feedyard workers, supervisors, and employers are discussed. Finding ways to balance productivity and the well-being of workers should be a high priority for cattle feedyards across the country.