Journal of Occupational Health最新文献

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and correlates of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Canadian healthcare workers (HCWs) and identify motivators for COVID-19 vaccination, compared to the general population (GPop).

Methods: As part of the iCARE study, four cross-sectional age, sex, and province-weighted population-based samples of 12 009 Canadians aged 18+ years were recruited between May 2021 and February 2022. Participants self-reported HCW and vaccine status.

Results: 738 participants identified as HCWs, with 8.5% being vaccine hesitant, vs. 12.6% of the GPop (p = .005). In multivariate analyses, those with a chronic disease were less likely (HCW OR = 0.34; GPop OR = 0.77) and parents with children <18 years of age in the household were more likely (HCW OR = 2.29; GPop OR = 1.39) to be vaccine hesitant. Needing only a one dose vaccine (86%; 82.6%), and vaccine safety (46%; 42%) and effectiveness (38%; 37%) were most likely to motivate hesitant HCWs and GPop to get vaccinated.

Conclusion: Findings highlight less vaccine hesitancy in HCWs compared to the GPop, despite demographic and motivator correlates being similar.

Policy implications: Shared interventions emphasizing vaccine safety, reduced illness severity, shorter disease duration, and the advantages of single-dose options may benefit all groups.

Background: Work-related stress is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD), yet the contributions of specific work-related stressors, support and satisfaction to CVD incidence are not fully understood. Clarifying whether lifestyle behaviors and physiological factors mediate associations between stressors and CVD is essential for targeted prevention.

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, a cohort of 4,820 Japanese workers (3,876 men and 944 women) aged 35-65 years was followed up for CVD incidence from 2007 to 2022. Work-related stressors (e.g., quantitative job overload), support (e.g., supervisor support) and satisfaction (e.g., family life satisfaction) were assessed using the 57-item Brief Job Stress Questionnaire. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for CVD risk. Mediation analysis evaluated the role of lifestyle behaviors (e.g., smoking, alcohol consumption) and physiological factors (e.g., systolic blood pressure, obesity) in the association between stressors and CVD incidence.

Results: Quantitative job overload, low supervisor support, and low family life satisfaction were independently associated with increased CVD incidence (HRs ranging from 1.69 to 2.33). A part (24.9%) of the association of quantitative job overload with CVD was significantly mediated by obesity (p=0.007).

Conclusion: Quantitative job overload, lack of supervisor support, and low family life satisfaction were significant predictors of CVD among Japanese civil servants. These findings suggest that both reducing excessive workload and strengthening support systems inside and outside the workplace may be important for cardiovascular disease prevention among Japanese civil servants.

Objectives: This study aimed to clarify the current status of support activities for balancing medical treatment and work by company size and to examine their relationships with turnover rates.

Methods: Managers and human relations personnel registered with an internet research firm were surveyed. A total of 1500 subjects were incorporated in this anonymous online survey, with 300 subjects in each of the five tiers of company size. The questionnaire included company size, turnover rate, and 24 items of support activities for balancing treatment and work rated on a four-point scale. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted on these 24 items. Adjusted means were calculated for each factor score by company size using analysis of covariance, with the post hoc tests to identify specific differences among company sizes. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine relationships between initiatives and turnover rates.

Results: A CFA supported a 7-factor model of support activities. Significant differences among company sizes were found for five factors. For example, fostering a workplace climate that facilitates balancing treatment and work showed higher score among companies with less than 50 employees. Associations between various initiatives for treatment-work balance and turnover rates varied by company size.

Conclusions: This study revealed that multifaceted initiatives for balancing treatment and work, assessed using a 7-factor, 24-item index, differed by company size and were associated with turnover rates. These findings provide important implications for promoting support for balancing treatment and work across companies of all sizes.

Objectives: Prolonged sitting time is gradually being recognized as detrimental to health. As technological advances have made workplaces increasingly sedentary, describing sitting time by occupation is useful for identifying at-risk groups and promoting occupational health. This study aimed to elucidate the differences in sedentary time according to occupation using a nationally representative sample.

Methods: Self-reported total sedentary (sitting or lying down during waking hours) time was obtained from the 2013 National Health and Nutrition Survey. Occupations were classified as professionals, managers, clerks, sales, service, protective services, agricultural/forestry/fishery workers, transport/machine operators, manufacturing/construction/cleaning laborers, homemakers, and unemployed individuals. Sedentary time by occupation was compared using an analysis of covariance adjusted for age and sex.

Results: A total of 4071 workers aged 20-64 years were analyzed. Age-adjusted sedentary time was longer in men than in women. The age-adjusted sedentary time among different occupations ranged from 280 to 499 min/day. The longest age-adjusted sedentary time was observed among clerks (499 min/day), followed by managers (437 min/day). In contrast, the shortest sedentary time was observed among agricultural/forestry/fishery workers (280 min/day). Clerks and managers had longer sedentary time on weekdays than on days off, whereas other occupations, including homemakers, did not.

Conclusions: Sedentary time differed substantially among occupations, with a variation of approximately 3.5 h per day. Prolonged sedentary time, a known health risk, may represent a substantial occupational exposure, particularly among clerical workers. Occupational health staff should monitor workers' sedentary time to promote better occupational health outcomes.

Objectives: To explore the independent associations between serum lipids and low back pain (LBP) among male aircraft maintenance technicians after adjustment for ergonomic exposures.

Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 1,713 male aircraft maintenance technicians. LBP and ergonomic exposures were assessed using the Chinese Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (CMQ) and Quick Exposure Check (QEC), respectively. We measured fasting serum lipids, including total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Associations were examined using binary and ordinal logistic regression models with sequential adjustments for personal and occupational covariates.

Results: The prevalence of LBP was 42.4%. After adjustment for potential confounders, the natural logarithm of TG (ln-TG) was positively associated with LBP presence (OR 1.229, 95% CI, 1.020-1.480; P=.030) and intensity (OR 1.301, 95% CI, 1.097-1.542; P=.003), while HDL-C was inversely associated with LBP presence (OR 0.639, 95% CI, 0.438-0.932; P=.020). Categorical analysis identified key factors associated with higher LBP presence, including work experience of 5-9.9 years, high/very high back exposure, moderate/high work pace, high/very high stress, and borderline-high/high TG. The adjusted odds ratios for these key ergonomic exposures were higher than those for any lipid parameter.

Conclusion: Among male aircraft maintenance technicians, serum TG are independent correlates of LBP after adjustment for ergonomic exposures. Given that ergonomic exposures are the predominant associated factors, prevention strategies should primarily focus on ergonomic interventions, with the management of serum lipids such as TG as an adjunctive measure.

Objectives: Work time control (WTC) may influence sleep health by allowing workers to align schedules with their personal needs, but findings have been inconsistent. In Korea, where long working hours and low autonomy are prevalent, further investigation is required. This study aimed to examine the association between WTC, sleep quality, and sleep duration in Korean workers.

Methods: Cross-sectional data from the fifth wave of the Korean Work, Sleep, and Health Study, a nationwide panel survey of Korean workers aged 19-70, were used. The analytical sample included 5183 paid employees. WTC was categorized as low or high, and Sleep quality was measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, with poor sleep quality defined as a score ≥ 11. Short sleep duration was defined as <7 hours per night. Poisson regression was used to estimate the prevalence ratios (PRs) after adjusting for age, sex, education, income, occupation, working hours, and shift work.

Results: Low WTC was associated with a higher prevalence of poor sleep quality (PR: 1.39; 95% CI: 1.09-1.77), adjusting for age, sex, education, income, occupation, working hours, and shift work. No significant association was found between the WTC and short sleep duration. In the stratified analysis of weekly working hours among employees working 40-52 hours per week, there was a significant association between low work-time control and poor sleep quality.

Conclusions: Lower WTC was associated with poorer sleep quality. Improving work-time autonomy may enhance sleep, particularly among workers with moderate weekly working hours (40-52 hours).

Objectives: The number of people with a chronic condition in the workforce is rising and the majority uses medication. Medication self-management at work might be problematic. This study aims to provide insight into the experiences of employees with balancing medication self-management and work.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were held with 18 individuals with a variety of chronic health conditions, occupations and medications. Interviews were guided by a topic list, transcribed and open-coded. Thematic analysis identified determinants and behaviors that play a role in the interaction between medication self-management and performance and wellbeing at work.

Results: Fifteen participants used medication at work, mostly as needed and often administered on the go or covertly. Medication use at work was often perceived doable due to flexibility and already established routines. However, a cumulative complexity of integrating medication use into the workday, the degree of side-effects and people's attitude towards openness can hinder successful integration of medication self-management at work. Participants adapt their medication schedule, make adjustments during their workday, and/or find ways to cope with these challenges emotionally. Medication often enabled work participation, although side effects of medication could impact workability, and (anticipated) stigma can affect the extent to which people can be themselves at work.

Conclusions: Medication self-management at work requires adaptability from individuals themselves, their colleagues, and employers. Fostering a culture of acceptance and understanding at work while providing practical support can enhance MSM practices and wellbeing at work.

Objectives: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a prevalent condition in Japan that negatively affects workers by reducing their productivity. However, previous studies primarily focused on patients with severe AR symptoms. This exploratory study aimed to examine the association between AR, including mild cases, and reduced work productivity in the general working population. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted between March and April 2024, recruiting adult workers living in the Kanto region through a health care center and affiliated companies. Absenteeism, presenteeism, and weekly economic costs were compared between individuals with and without AR. Multiple regression analysis was performed to examine the association between AR severity and productivity. A causal mediation analysis was also conducted to explore the indirect effects of depressive symptoms, positive and negative affect, and sleep quality on the association between AR and presenteeism.

Results: Of the 555 participants, 347 (62.5%) reported having AR, whereas 208 (37.5%) reported not having AR or were unsure. No significant differences were observed in absenteeism or presenteeism between the AR and non-AR/unknown groups. In the AR group, AR severity was significantly associated with increased presenteeism (unstandardized partial regression coefficient B = 4.19; 95% CI, 3.48-4.90; P < .001). Causal mediation analysis revealed a significant total natural indirect effect (TNIE) only for depressive symptoms (TNIE = 5.246; 95% CI, 0.059-10.432; P = .047).

Conclusions: In the nonclinical setting, the overall impact of AR on work productivity may be limited among Japanese workforces.

Objectives: Various factors influence urinary hippuric acid concentrations; however, the role of climatic factors on such concentrations has not been thoroughly investigated.

Methods: This study examined the correlation between urinary hippuric acid concentrations and climatic factors. Data were obtained from health examinations of 2236 employees at a large manufacturing company who used organic solvents over a 3-year period. Each participant underwent a health examination for organic solvent use during both the summer (June to August) and winter (December to February). Urinary hippuric acid concentrations were log-transformed, and a linear mixed-effects model was applied to assess their association with average temperature, relative humidity, and atmospheric pressure recorded in Nagoya City, Japan.

Results: In a multivariate linear mixed-effects model including all meteorological variables, average temperature showed a significant positive association with log-transformed urinary hippuric acid concentrations (estimate = 0.013; 95% CI: 0.007-0.020; P < .001). This corresponds to an estimated 1.3% increase in urinary hippuric acid concentrations per 1°C rise in temperature. In contrast, neither average atmospheric pressure nor relative humidity showed a statistically significant association (P = .981 and P = .817, respectively). Among the confounding variables, smoking was significantly positively associated with concentration (P = .001), whereas alcohol consumption showed a significant negative association (P = .031).

Conclusions: Urinary hippuric acid concentrations exhibited seasonal variation among workers at a large manufacturing company, with elevated levels observed during the summer. These findings underscore the importance of considering climatic factors when interpreting urinary metabolic biomarkers.

Objectives: We used real-time dosimetry for the quantitative evaluation of occupational radiation exposure among zoo veterinarians and animal keepers during x-ray procedures to identify key procedural and contextual determinants of exposure variation.

Methods: This retrospective observational study analyzed 251 radiographic procedures at multiple zoological facilities in Japan. Occupational exposure was measured in real time with a semiconductor dosimeter that recorded the personal dose equivalent, Hp(10), at 1-second intervals. Procedural variables included professional role, manual restraint, sedation or anesthesia, equipment type, tube voltage (kVp), and tube current-time product (mAs). Between-group comparisons were conducted using nonparametric tests, and multiple linear regression was used to identify the independent predictors of occupational exposure.

Results: The overall median Hp(10) per procedure was 0.35 (IQR: 0.15-0.99) μSv. Veterinarians received significantly higher doses than animal keepers (P = .006). Elevated Hp(10) values were associated with procedures involving large-bodied carnivores, performed without manual restraint or sedation. Multivariate analysis identified 5 significant predictors-professional role (β = -.75), manual restraint (β = -.24), tube voltage (β = .43), tube current-time product (β = .11), and large-animal group (β = .34)-explaining 60.4% of the variance (adjusted R2 = 0.604).

Conclusions: Despite the overall low exposure levels, some procedures resulted in Hp(10) values exceeding 10 μSv. A combination of procedural and contextual factors influenced exposure. These findings underscore the importance of comprehensive radiation-protection strategies, including optimized workflows, appropriate use of sedation, and standardized operator protocols, in alignment with international dose-optimization principles.