International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health最新文献

Purpose: We estimated the static and dynamic effects of promotion to managerial positions on mental health and satisfaction using the recent estimation method; we addressed the gap in extant research by considering the heterogeneity in treatment timing to reconfirm evidence regarding the causal effects of promotion.

Methods: We used a modified estimation method of two-way fixed effects recommended by (Callaway and Sant'Anna, J Econom 225:200-230, 2021). To check for robustness, we compared the analyses using propensity sample matching, an alternative treatment timing heterogeneity-robust analysis, and a normal two-way fixed effects event study. We used four years of complete panel data on a sample of 1454 Japanese males (5816 overall).

Results: The results indicated that becoming a manager worsened mental health with a two-year lag. We tested the effects of promotion to managerial positions on variables shown in previous studies to have negative effects on mental health (e.g., increased working hours) and positive effects (e.g., increased job role clarity) as outcomes to explore the mechanisms. Some of both variables indicate statistical significance. These results were robust.

Conclusion: The promotion to managerial positions deteriorated mental health with a two-year lag. Promotion to managerial positions exhibited both positive and negative effects. The findings have potential implications for firms' human resources allocation.

Objectives: Previous studies have indicated that maternal occupational psychosocial stressors may affect the risk of asthma in the offspring, but their results are inconsistent. Maternal occupational ergonomic strain is associated with predictors of fetal lung development, including preterm birth and low birthweight; however, it is not known, whether ergonomic strain during pregnancy is a risk factor for asthma in offspring. The aim was to investigate maternal psychosocial stressors and ergonomic strain during pregnancy relative to the risk of offspring asthma.

Methods: Live- and firstborn singletons (1996-2018) and their mothers were identified from Danish nationwide registers. Job code at time of conception was assigned to each mother and linked with exposure estimates from job exposure matrices (JEMs) of psychosocial stressors and ergonomic strain. Diagnoses of childhood asthma were retrieved from the Danish National Patient Register. Incidence rate ratios (IRR) of asthma were estimated using Poisson regression; adjusted for maternal asthma, age at conception, socioeconomic position, and body mass index, and calendar year.

Results: Maternal employment in occupations with low decision authority (IRR: 1.08, 95% CI 1.00-1.16) and high ergonomic strain (IRR: 1.09, 95% CI 1.02-1.16) was associated with increased risk of asthma among male offspring. Largely similar, but less consistent, associations were observed among female offspring due to low decision authority.

Conclusion: We found a minor increased risk of asthma among offspring whose mothers worked in an occupation with low decision authority or high ergonomic strain, most pronounced among male offspring.

Purpose: Prolonged sitting time (ST) has been suggested as a risk factor for CVD. Particularly, occupational ST (OST) is determined by occupation-specific activities and can impact the health status of workers. However, there is limited information on the impact of OST across different occupations among Japanese workers. This study aimed to examine how OST and occupation associate to CVD risks.

Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, a total of 1874 workers were included in this study. ST was assessed using the Worker's Living Activity-time Questionnaire during working and non-working days. CVD risks were evaluated using a combination of questionnaires and medical checkup records. We conducted multivariable-adjusted logistic regression analyses to assess the associations between occupations (clerical support, professionals, service, and sales) and OST (categorized as long, middle, or short) with CVD risks. All analyses were adjusted for sex, age, smoking status, alcohol consumption, exercise habits, and either OST or occupation, depending on the primary exposure.

Results: The results indicated that workers in services and sales had significantly lower odds ratios (ORs) for hypertension (OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.40-0.69) and CVD risk (OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.47-0.78) compared to clerical support, while professionals showed higher ORs for dyslipidemia (OR = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.16-1.91). When analyzed by OST categories, the short OST group showed reduced risks for obesity (OR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.59-1.00) compared to the long OST group.

Conclusion: This study emphasizes the need to consider both occupation and OST when assessing health risks, highlighting the importance of targeted interventions for specific occupational groups.

Purpose: This study analyzed longitudinal data to examine whether occupational sitting time is associated with increases in body mass index (BMI) and five-year cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.

Methods: We included 2,000 employed men and women (aged 31-60) from the German Study on Mental Health at Work (S-MGA) for a BMI analysis and 1,635 participants free of CVD at baseline (2011/2012) for a CVD analysis. Occupational sitting time was categorized into five groups (< 5, 5 to < 15, 15 to < 25, 25 to < 35, and ≥ 35 h per week). BMI change was measured from baseline (2011/2012) to follow-up (2017). Incident CVD included hypertension, heart disease, myocardial infarction, and stroke (all self-reported). Multiple linear regression examined the association between sitting time and BMI change, while modified Poisson regression analyzed CVD incidence, adjusting for age, sex, occupation, shift work, leisure activity, and smoking by sex. Covariates were self-reported.

Results: Over five years, the average BMI change was 0.49 (SD 1.9). We found no association between baseline occupational sitting time and BMI changes, with consistent results in sensitivity analyses. During this period, 245 participants developed cardiovascular disease. There was no increased risk of CVD among those with more sitting time compared to less. No differences in risk were found between women and men.

Conclusion: There was no association between occupational sitting time and five-year changes in BMI or incident CVD.

Purpose: Mental health is a global public health challenge, with mental disorders being a major cause of morbidity. Particularly, taxi drivers face unique challenges related to long working hours, economic instability, and hazardous working conditions. To summarise the existing scientific literature on mental disorders in taxi drivers and identify associated variables.

Methods: PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases were examined from inception to April 2024 following the PRISMA guidelines. Two authors independently selected original studies. We included observational studies published in English or Spanish or Portuguese, which assessed the mental health of taxi drivers. The Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHBLI) was used to assess the quality of the articles.

Results: From an initial pool of 618 studies, eleven met the inclusion criteria and were included in the present systematic review. The findings indicate a considerable prevalence of mental health issues among taxi drivers in comparison to the general population. The prevalence of depression ranged from 14.3 to 60.5% and were driven by a number of factors, including perceived mental strain, lack of respect from operators, a stressful personal life, insufficient sleep, poor working conditions, work-family conflict and low work engagement. Anxiety was reported by 24.1-47% of drivers, with a lack of sufficient sleep being identified as a primary contributing factor. The prevalence of stress ranged from 19 to 55%, with key contributing factors including discrimination, smoking, limited language proficiency, sleep disorders and younger age. Furthermore, 33% of drivers displayed elevated levels of psychological distress, frequently linked to traumatic experiences and occupational hazards.

Conclusions: Rates of depression, anxiety, stress and psychological distress are higher in taxi drivers than in general population, therefore prevention strategies should target this group.

Systematic review registration: PROSPERO registration no. CRD42023360073.

Purpose: The number of delivery workers (DW) has grown significantly with the rise of the platform economy. Evidence suggests that the working conditions faced by these workers are precarious, however, less is known about the health implications among workers. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of mental disorders (MD) and occupational factors related to this condition among DW.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, a web survey with DW in Brazil. Data collection lasted four months, starting in February 2022. Anxiety, panic disorder, and depression were measured based on self-reported medical diagnosis. Those with at least one of the three diagnoses were considered to have MD. Cox regression analysis, presenting prevalence ratios, showed the factors related to MD.

Results: A total of 563 DW participated in the study. The overall prevalence of MD was 25.6%. Lack of support from the company (PR = 1.71), accelerated work pace (PR = 1.55) and experience of conflicts with company customers (PR-1.48) were psychosocial factors associated to MD. In addition, working in the South, Southeast or Central-West regions is related to a higher prevalence of MD (PR = 2.10).

Conclusions: The high prevalence of MD and its association with psychosocial stressors at work require regulation of the practices of companies operating in the platform economy, aiming to control the intensification of work. In addition to health and social security policies, it is crucial to ensure fair remuneration to reduce the pace of work in a non-strenuous workday, protecting workers from conflicts with dissatisfied customers of the company.

Purpose: Psychological distress has been associated with sickness absence (SA), but less is known about whether there are distinct patterns in the development of SA among people with psychological distress. We examined trajectories of short- and long-term SA among employees with psychological distress and how social and health-related factors are associated with them.

Methods: We used the employer's register data on all-cause short- (≤ 10 working days) and long-term (> 10 working days) SA with a two-year follow-up. We prospectively linked the Helsinki Health Study survey data on 19-39-year-old employees of the City of Helsinki, Finland, in 2017, to the SA data. We included 1060 participants (81% women) who reported experiencing psychological distress, measured by the emotional wellbeing scale of RAND-36. Survey responses of age; gender; education; marital status; social support, procedural and interactional organisational justice, and bullying at work; physical activity; diet; tobacco and alcohol use; prior SA; and the level of psychological distress were included as exposures. Group-based trajectory modelling and multinomial logistic regression were used for the analyses.

Results: We identified four short-term SA trajectories: 'low' (n = 379, 36% of participants), 'descending' (n = 212, 20%), 'intermediate' (n = 312, 29%), and 'high' (n = 157, 15%); and two long-term SA trajectories: 'low' (n = 973, 92%) and 'high' (n = 87, 8%). A higher education, fewer prior SA, and lower levels of psychological distress were associated with the 'low' short- and long-term SA trajectories.

Conclusion: SA trajectories differ among employees with psychological distress. Early intervention and support are needed among employees with mental health symptoms to prevent future SA.

Purpose: Individuals in occupational environments are particularly susceptible to the impacts of pollutants; making it crucial to assess systemic inflammation markers. The study aimed to evaluate the immune response to inflammation through the assessment of a cytokine profile in individuals working in vulnerable conditions exposed to heavy metals.

Methods: A total of 137 adults participated in this study from three work environments: brickyards, waste scavenging and quarries. Levels of 12 metals were evaluated in urine using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and serum levels of 6 cytokines were analyzed using Multi-Bead Cytokine Assay.

Results: In the brickyard scenario, a significant percentage of subjects presented concentrations above the reference levels of Hg, As, and Pb (83.7%, 62.8%, and 16.3%; respectively). The waste scavenging and quarry workers scenario exhibited percentages of 100% and 49% for Ni, respectively. Additionally, the brickyard and waste scavenging scenarios showed the highest levels of TNF-α and INF-γ and, lower levels of IL-4 and IL-10. In the quarry scenario, an increase of IL-6 and a decrease in INF-γ were observed. Furthermore, a clustering pattern based on the type of scenario was identified, indicating a higher exposure to As, Pb, and Hg in the brickyard scenario, along with TNF-α, IL-4, and IL-10 levels.

Conclusions: The results suggest that exposure to heavy metals in workers with precarious work conditions, present elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines, which are related to the type of occupational environment.

Purpose: This study aimed to use workers' compensation (WC) data to explore the impact of the extreme bushfires on injury/disease claim rates amongst first responders (FR) compared with other occupations and off-seasons.

Methods: Data on WC claims for FR (ambulance officers, paramedics, firefighters, police) and other occupations were obtained from WorkSafe Victoria 2005-2022. Negative binomial regression models adjusting for age, gender and number of employed people were used to estimate incident rate ratios of all injury/disease, mental, musculoskeletal and respiratory claims among FR in summer and extreme bushfires compared to off-season/summer and other occupations.

Results: There were 120,022 claims in 2005-2022; 54% were musculoskeletal injuries. Claims rates were significantly higher for all injuries/diseases, mental, musculoskeletal and respiratory conditions in FR than other occupations across off-season, summers and extreme bushfires. FR were 1.5-3.9 times more likely to claim for mental health conditions during extreme bushfires than off-season compared with other occupations. Firefighters were at increased risk of all injury/disease and mental and musculoskeletal injury claims during summer and extreme bushfires than off-seasons. Ambulance officers and paramedics had the highest claim rates, particularly in off-seasons, with a higher risk of all injury/disease and mental claims in extreme bushfires than in summers. Respiratory and mental claims were increased amongst police and other occupations during extreme bushfires.

Conclusion: Extreme bushfire events were associated with increased mental claims rates in all FR, with the highest in firefighters. Strategies to better prevent and manage injury/disease risk in FR are urgently required, particularly for mental health conditions.

Background: Artisanal fishing is widely practiced in the Amazon region. However, the exhaustive labor demand impacts on the health of fishermen. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and the relationship with the quality of life (QoL) of artisanal fishermen.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out, evaluating male fishermen from two rural communities bordering Janauacá lake, Amazonas. Data were collected through interviews, using REDCap installed on smartphones. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was utilized to identify the body regions with the greatest pain complaints, and QoL was assessed using the mental and physical components of the SF-12. After the descriptive analysis, linear regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between the occurrence of MSDs and the components of QoL. The analyses were performed using Stata SE software, version 17.

Results: In total, 115 fishermen were evaluated. MSDs were reported in all of the body regions assessed, with a higher prevalence in the lower (80.0%) and upper (43.5%) back, and knee (40.9%). Lower QoL scores were observed in emotional performance (20.7 ± 4.0), physical performance (25.1 ± 4.3), and mental health (29.0 ± 13.6). It was observed that individuals with any MSD presented worse QoL in the physical component (β_adj=-5.0; 95%CI=-9.7; -0.3).

Conclusion: The findings showed a high prevalence of MSDs in the study population, as well as its impact on the QoL of artisanal fishermen. This highlights the need to reorganize health services to prevent the occurrence of MSDs, as well as for their treatment and rehabilitation.