Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health最新文献

Objectives: Sleep supports cognitive performance and recovery, shaping human capital development through education and workplace knowledge application. This study investigates how polygenic indices (PGI) for insomnia (IPGI), short sleep (SSPGI), long sleep (LSPGI), and sleep duration (SDPGI) are associated with educational attainment, occupational group, and income in the Finnish general population.

Methods: Genetic and socioeconomic registry data were merged with pooled data from six pentennial (1992-2017) cohorts representative of Finnish regional populations aged 25-64 (N=20 121). Regression models assessed associations between sleep trait PGI and human capital outcomes. In extended regression models, phenotypic sleep traits were treated as endogenous variables-potentially influenced by unobserved confounders-and instrumented with their respective PGI to isolate variation attributable to genetic predisposition.

Results: IPGI, SSPGI, and LSPGI were substantially negatively associated with educational attainment (P<0.001) and selection into knowledge work occupational group (P≤0.005). Their negative association with income (P<0.005) primarily operated through pathways involving education and occupational group. Extended regression models confirmed that these PGI validly predicted their respective phenotypic sleep traits, which, when instrumented, were significantly negatively associated with education and belonging to the knowledge work occupational group, supporting causal pathways linking genetic sleep predispositions to human capital outcomes via phenotypic sleep traits. In contrast, SDPGI-an aggregate proxy for genetically distinct short and long sleep traits-was not significantly associated with any human capital outcome.

Conclusions: Genetic predispositions to insomnia, short sleep, and long sleep were robustly and substantially negatively associated with human capital development. These associations may help to clarify how genetic sleep traits relate to outcomes in work and health contexts.

Objective: Wearing medical personal protective equipment (PPE) substantially increases heat strain by elevating metabolic heat production while impairing heat dissipation. Cooling vests are a practical countermeasure, yet their efficiency depends on thermal conductivity and comfort. This study examined the thermoregulatory and perceptual responses to PPE use and evaluated the efficacy of a novel carbon-based cooling vest with enhanced heat transfer capacity.

Methods: A randomized crossover design was employed in which 12 participants completed 100 minutes of simulated healthcare activity in a climatic chamber (32 °C, 70% RH) under three conditions: medical scrubs (NoPPE), scrubs with PPE (PPE), and scrubs with PPE plus the cooling vest (PPE+Vest). Physiological, thermoregulatory, and perceptual variables were continuously monitored across conditions.

Results: Compared with PPE alone, PPE+Vest markedly attenuated heat strain, lowering core temperature [PPE 38.4, standard deviation (SD) 0.4, 0C versus PPE+Vest 37.5 (SD 0.4) 0C, P=0.001] and heart rate [PPE 123 (SD 11) bpm versus PPE+Vest 107 (SD 15) bpm, P<0.001], while improving thermal sensation [PPE 2.0 (SD 0.8) versus PPE+Vest 0.8 (SD 0.8), P=0.006]. These thermoregulatory benefits occurred without an increase in metabolic energy expenditure [PPE 317 (SD 50) kcal versus PPE+Vest 317 (SD 53) kcal, P=0.891].

Conclusions: The novel carbon-based cooling vest effectively suppressed heat storage by enhancing conductive heat transfer, leading to core and skin temperatures comparable to NoPPE. Importantly, despite its additional weight, the vest did not impose extra metabolic demands, offering a practical strategy to maintain thermal comfort and physiological stability during prolonged medical work in hot environments.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of a 12-week multi-component intervention on neck pain among Swiss office workers.

Methods: Between January 2020 and April 2021, we conducted a stepped-wedge cluster randomized controlled trial involving 120 office workers (18-65 years) without severe neck problems from two Swiss companies. Participants started in the control condition and sequentially transitioned to the intervention condition by their cluster. The 12-week intervention included neck exercises, health-promotion workshops, and workplace ergonomics. Neck pain was assessed by intensity [numeric rating scale (NRS) 0=no pain, 10=maximum pain], frequency (days with neck pain in the past 28 days), and disability [Neck Disability Index (NDI) 0%=no disability, 100%=maximum disability). Mixed-effects models were used to assess the intervention's effect on neck pain intensity, frequency, and disability.

Results: This analysis includes 517 observations (295 control, 222 intervention). At baseline, the mean age was 43.7 years [standard deviation years (SD) 9.8], and 71.7% were female. The average neck pain intensity was NRS 2.4 (SD 2.0), frequency 6.8 days (SD 8.0), and disability 11.8% (SD 9.9). A statistically significant effect favoring the multi-component intervention was found for neck pain frequency, with a marginal predicted mean reduction of 1.55 days [95% confidence interval (CI) -2.84--0.26], and neck disability, with a marginal predicted mean reduction of NDI 2.23% (95% CI -2.96--1.68).

Conclusions: This study provides evidence of the effectiveness of a 12-week multi-component intervention in reducing neck pain among office workers. Specifically, office workers experienced neck pain less frequently and with a milder impact on daily activities. Further research is needed to investigate long-term effects.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the association between job strain (combination of job demands and job control) and alcohol-related health problems among men and women and the extent to which workplace social support moderates this association.

Methods: This study used information from the register-based Swedish Work, Illness, and Labor-market Participation (SWIP) cohort, focusing on working individuals born 1945-1975, who were registered in Sweden in 2005 (N=2 822 462). Job demands, control and workplace social support were measured using job exposure matrices (JEM). Information on alcohol-related health problems (morbidity, mortality, medication prescription, sickness absence and disability pension) was obtained from multiple registers between 2006 and 2020. Cox regression models were employed to estimate associations between job strain and alcohol-related health problems, adjusting for sociodemographic background and previous health. The modifying effect of social support was assessed using relative excess risk due to interactions (RERI).

Results: High-strain and passive jobs were related to an increased risk of alcohol-related health problems among both men [hazard ratios (HR) 1.28 and 1.32] and women (HR 1.06 and 1.05), after adjusting for important individual and parental covariates. Weak social support had diverging associations with the outcome for men and women. Strong social support appeared to buffer the risk in passive jobs but only among women (RERI=0.08).

Conclusions: In Sweden, job strain seems to influence alcohol-related health problems, particularly among men. Women, however, appear to experience the protective effects of strong work-related social support measured at the occupational level.

Objective: With climate change exacerbating occupational heat stress, objective and systematic exposure assessment is essential for epidemiological studies. We developed a job exposure matrix (JEM) to assign occupational heat stress exposure across Europe.

Methods: Aligned with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO: 7243, 8996 and 9920), the heat JEM provides region- and year-specific estimates of annual heat stress hours by job title, using the International Standard Classification of Occupations 1988 for Europe [ISCO-88(COM)]. Heat stress was defined as wet bulb globe temperature effective (WBGT_eff) exceeding WBGT reference (WBGT_ref). Outdoor and indoor WBGT were determined using historical, region-specific hourly meteorological data (temperature, radiation, humidity, wind speed) across Europe, between 1970 and 2024. WBGT values were adjusted for job-specific clothing to obtain WBGT_eff. WBGT_ref was based on metabolic rate, calculated using body surface area and job-specific physical activity, and adjusted for acclimatization status. Further adjustments were made for the job title-specific presence of local heat and cooling sources, time spent indoors versus outdoors, and working schedules.

Results: The number of annual hours workers experience heat stress is highest among jobs involving local heat sources and physical demanding tasks, especially when work clothing is mandatory. Southern Europe has a higher annual heat stress burden compared to other regions. Exposure varies across calendar years and is substantially higher among unacclimatized versus acclimatized workers.

Conclusions: Incorporating job-, region-, and year-specific factors, the heat JEM provides a harmonized tool for studying occupational heat stress. Its transparent framework allows for updates with new data and extensions to other years and regions.

Objectives: We investigated changes in weight, exercise frequency, and perceived health from the first to last health profile assessment (HPA) and between the number of tests within five years. We examined whether sociodemographic factors, or baseline values influenced these changes.

Methods: Data from 106 005 employees with ≥2 HPA (1990-2021) were included. Change between the first and last HPA within a five-year period was analyzed. Baseline age, sex, education, occupation, and baseline values of each outcome were included as predictors. XGBoost models assessed changes in the outcomes, and performance was evaluated via root mean squared error, mean absolute error, and R-squared. We employed Shapley Additive Explanations and forward marginal effects to interpret dose-response relationships and subgroup differences.

Results: Predictive performance was low, suggesting that the included variables only partially explained observed changes. Nonetheless, longer intervals between the first and last HPA correlated with greater weight gain, while a higher number of tests predicted slightly lower weight gain and modest improvements in perceived health and exercise frequency, compared to the average change. Younger participants had larger weight increases, whereas those with higher education showed smaller declines in exercise frequency.

Conclusions: Infrequent HPA alone did not appear to substantially influence the lifestyle-related factors studied. However, more frequent HPA, coupled with enhanced feedback and support, may yield small improvements in weight, perceived health, and exercise frequency compared to the average change.

Objective: Health-related productivity losses impose a significant burden on health systems and economies. Occupational health interventions (OHI) are increasingly promoted as preventive strategies to reduce work-related illness and enhance productivity. However, their effectiveness often remains unclear, creating a lack of guidance to those deciding on their implementation. The aim of this review was to evaluate the effectiveness of OHI in reducing sickness absenteeism and generating economic returns, focusing on mental health, physical health, and workplace atmosphere interventions (eg, work climate enhancement, leadership training).

Methods: A systematic literature search following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guideline was conducted throughout December 2024. Risk of bias was assessed with Joanna Briggs Institute checklists. A random-effects meta-analysis synthesized OHI effects on sick days and return on investment (ROI).

Results: Of 2624 identified studies, 68 across eight industries met eligibility criteria. From these, 23 were included in the meta-analysis: 11 reporting on sick days, and 12 on ROI. OHI were associated with a non-significant reduction in absenteeism [-0.18 days; 95% confidence interval (CI) -2.80-2.43; P=0.890] and a tendency of positive ROI (1.92; 95% CI -0.34-4.17; P=0.096), albeit with statistical uncertainty.

Conclusion: We only found effect of OHI on ROI, however, absence effects on sick days do not necessarily imply a lack of effectiveness. We hypothesize that ROI benefits reflect improvements in presenteeism, although not directly measured. Overall, this review guides OHI selection and implementation, urges standardized evaluation, and prioritizes research on presenteeism measurement, non-OECD settings, and qualitative success factors.

Objective: Understanding employee workspace preferences is crucial for designing office work environments that meet their needs. This study investigated employee office design preferences within a mandated hybrid work model at a higher education institution.

Methods: In this discrete-choice experiment (DCE), operational support staff (N=433) at a university participated in evaluating 12 pairs of hypothetical office design options, each varying across seven workspace attributes from a DCE survey. Preference weights indicating the relative strength of preference for each workspace design attribute level were used to calculate the importance of each attribute, conditional on the range of levels considered and relative to all other attributes included in the survey. The conditional relative importance of each attribute was calculated as the difference in preference weights for the most- and least-preferred level of that attribute. Subgroup analysis was performed on predefined, mutually exclusive subgroups, with results reported only for those exhibiting statistically significant differences in preferences.

Results: The results showed that having a dedicated desk (ie, no desk sharing) was an important factor influencing preferences, followed by personalization and territoriality, opportunities for teamwork, and social interaction. Employees preferred having access to shared spaces for collaboration while also valuing dedicated desks for personal belongings. Private offices and quiet spaces were not strongly preferred. Preferences varied by demographic and work-related characteristics, including gender, age, commute distance, and home environment.

Conclusions: This study shows that operational support staff in higher education prefer office designs that provide a dedicated desk, emphasize personalization, and social interaction. The strong preference for control over workspace and social connection highlights the office`s role in supporting psychosocial well-being in flexible work arrangements. These findings are crucial for informing occupational health and safety strategies and designing workspaces that balance individual and collective requirements.

Objective: This study investigated whether (i) young adults' mental health problems change when starting career work, (ii) potential changes in mental health problems differ by psychosocial work quality, and (iii) mental health problems during adolescence moderate potential changes in mental health by psychosocial work quality.

Methods: We used data from the TRracking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) cohort. Follow-up time was 2-4 years. Mental health was measured with the youth and adult self-report scales. Longitudinal fixed-effects regression analyses were applied to estimate within-person changes in mental health of young adults entering career work with good, moderate, or poor psychosocial work quality (N=850) and model adolescent mental health as effect modifier of this change (N=766).

Results: When psychosocial job quality of the first career job was ignored, mental health problems did not significantly change among young adults after having entered career work compared with not having career work. Taking psychosocial job quality into account, mental health problems increased among young adults starting career work in poor psychosocial quality compared with not having career work (adjusted mean score increase 0.12, 95% confidence interval 0.03-0.21). No significant changes in mental health problems were found for young adults entering work with moderate-to-good psychosocial work quality. We found no evidence for adolescent mental health problems as moderator.

Conclusion: Psychosocial work quality potentially plays a role for young workers' mental health. Improving poor psychosocial work quality of young adults might contribute to a mentally healthier start of one's working life.