Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine最新文献

Objective: This study investigated the association of work-related sedentary behavior with mental health and work engagement among white- and blue-collar workers.

Methods: An Internet survey was conducted among 1600 workers aged 20 to 59 years. A total of 1213 valid responses were analyzed to examine the association of work-related sedentary behavior with mental health and work engagement.

Results: Higher level of occupational sedentary behavior significantly associated with poorer mental health and lower work engagement among white-collar workers. Considering the effect of occupation, association of sedentary behavior with mental health disappeared, whereas association with work engagement remained for white-collar workers.

Conclusions: Our result suggested the importance of decreasing work-related sedentary behavior for enhancing work engagement regardless of the occupation for white-collar workers. Further study is needed to confirm the association between these variables for blue-collar workers.

Background: Many pregnant women remain uninformed about job accommodation options or have not been empowered to ask their employers.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey of a sample base of pregnant women from late first through third trimester was conducted. Associations between job perception variables, work characteristics, race/ethnicity, and income were assessed using binary logistic regression.

Results: Workers in service/support occupations were twice as likely as those in management to perceive need for job duty change and to request job accommodation. Perception of needed job change was higher when jobs had high physical demands and low substantive complexity.

Conclusions: We found positive relationships between highly physical work, perception of harm, and need for job change in pregnancy. Further research could explore worker/employer characteristics explaining why these perceptions did not translate into requesting and receiving job accommodation during pregnancy.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the association between workplace violence and sickness absenteeism.

Methods: We analyzed the data from the fifth and sixth waves of the Korean Working Conditions Surveys. Individuals younger than 18 years and self-employed or unpaid family workers were excluded. Descriptive statistics, χ 2 tests, and multiple logistic regression analysis were conducted.

Results: After adjusting for sociodemographic, occupational, and job-related characteristics, we found that the workers who had experienced workplace violence had higher rates of sickness absenteeism, especially when the perpetrator of violence was a coworker.

Conclusions: Daily contact with the perpetrator at the workplace can cause distress and recollection of painful memories; thus, the aftermath of being harassed inside the workplace can be even more devastating than the event itself. A sensitive approach to recognizing the perpetrators of violence is needed.

Objective: The aim of the study is to explore tobacco-related knowledge and perceptions at Washington State (WA) agencies.

Methods: The study used a cross-sectional employee survey and qualitative focus groups with managers/supervisors. We produced descriptive statistics to examine differences in awareness and perceptions of tobacco-control efforts among employees and conducted a rapid thematic analysis of focus group data.

Results: Of employees, only 18% with a history of tobacco use had used their agency's cessation benefits. Employees who did not use tobacco and who had higher education had more favorable attitudes toward tobacco-control efforts. In the focus groups, manager/supervisors described limited tobacco cessation promotion at their agency, barriers to tobacco control implementation, and concerns about the perceived effectiveness of additional tobacco-control efforts.

Conclusions: State agencies should increase promotion of tobacco control policies and programs to increase awareness and reduce disparities in tobacco use.

Purpose: This is a descriptive study that was conducted to examine the effect of work-life balance on job stress and fatigue in taxi drivers.

Methods: The study included 150 taxi drivers residing in Ankara. As a data collection tool, we used Work-Life Balance, Chalder Fatigue, and Work Stress Scales. We used the Mann-Whitney U test and multiple linear regression analysis.

Results: The model established after multiple linear regression analysis was statistically significant ( F [5.142] = 5.442, P < 0.001). A 1-unit increase in the work-life balance variable caused a 2.885-unit decrease in the work stress score and a 0.143-unit decrease in the fatigue score.

Conclusions: We can suggest that taxi drivers who have a work-life balance will be able to participate in social activities in their daily lives, and leisure time activities with family and friends can help motivate individuals more and increase energy.

Objective: A positive workplace culture of health can have significant benefits for both employees and organizations. The objective of this study was to test the validity and reliability of the Workplace Culture of Health (COH) Scale-Short Form.

Methods: We conducted a confirmatory factor analysis on data collected from a sample of 12,907 employees across 14 organizations. We examined the construct validity of the 14-item short-form version of the Workplace COH scale and assessed its reliability using internal consistency measures.

Results: Our confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the Workplace COH Scale-Short Form had strong model fit, indicating good construct validity. In addition, we found that all constructs had strong internal consistency reliability.

Conclusions: Findings suggest that the Workplace COH Scale-Short Form is a valid and reliable way to practically assess workplace culture of health from the employee perspective.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify the COVID-19 infection prevention measures that are at risk of being perceived by employees as mistreatment in the workplace.

Methods: This study included full-time workers who enrolled as subjects in a nationwide prospective cohort study. Baseline surveys performed during the pandemic were used to identify the workplace measures against COVID-19. A tracing survey was conducted 1 year later to assess workplace mistreatment.

Results: Of the 18,170 participants, 276 judged that they had experienced mistreatment by the measures. "Enforcing daily temperature measurement" and "stopping business trips" were associated with mistreatment. Meanwhile, "requesting that employees refrain from going to work when ill" and "restricting work-related social gatherings and entertainment" had the potential to reduce workplace mistreatment.

Conclusions: Certain measures against COVID-19 can reduce or increase the burden on employees.

Objective: Efficacy of a neurocognitive screening evaluation (NCSE) in assessing symptoms and disability associated with post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) and facilitating employee recovery and return to work was evaluated.

Methods: An NCSE was administered to 64 employees off work because of neurocognitive complaints attributed to post-COVID-19 condition. Neurocognitive and symptom validity data were analyzed along with recovery and return-to-work timelines.

Results: A large percentage of the employees gave invalid responses and noncredible effort on psychological and cognitive tests (48%). The NCSEs with invalid profiles suggested more severe cognitive and psychiatric symptoms than valid profiles. Both valid and invalid groups had significant reductions in illness duration and lost workdays after the NCSE.

Conclusions: Post-COVID-19 condition resulted in reports of mild to moderate cognitive and psychiatric symptoms with extensive mean work leave of 11 months before mental health assessment. Regardless of symptom validity, after the NCSE, the employees were released to work at an average of 3 weeks.

Objective: In response to elevated risk factors, an opioid hazard awareness training for the sand, stone, and gravel mining sector was developed and embedded in annual safety training.

Methods: After positive results from a prior study among Massachusetts workers, a revised training was disseminated across the United States. Two hundred post-training surveys were obtained and compared with results from the Massachusetts cohort.

Results: Participants' knowledge about opioid-based medications, confidence in talking to a doctor about opioids and/or to a coworker about their own use of opioids, and ability to refer struggling coworkers to resources improved. Massachusetts respondents had slightly more favorable responses. Both cohorts had strong positive views of the training.

Conclusions: These results highlight the feasibility and effectiveness of opioid hazard prevention training for a high-risk worker population.

Objective: The aim of the study is to assess long-term effects of intelligent physical exercise training (IPET) on cardiorespiratory fitness (VO 2max ) and cardiometabolic measures.

Methods: Office workers were randomized to a control group (CG, n = 194) or a training group (TG, n = 193). The TG received 1-hour weekly IPET during paid working hours for 2 years and recommendations to perform 30-minute leisure time physical activity 6 d/wk (LPA).

Results: Training group compared with CG demonstrated a significantly larger increase in VO 2max of 0.13 ± 0.06 L/min and improved cardiometabolic measures at 1-year follow-up that were maintained at 2-year follow-up, with larger increases in VO 2max among high-adherence participants.

Conclusions: Intelligent physical exercise training and LPA showed the potential for long-term improved VO 2max and cardiometabolic measures. These findings emphasize the effectiveness of integrating IPET during paid working hours, and the significance of adherence to training was underlined.