Pub Date : 2024-04-01Epub Date: 2024-02-12DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.4144
Benjamin Wachtler, Florian Beese, Ibrahim Demirer, Sebastian Haller, Timo-Kolja Pförtner, Morten Wahrendorf, Markus M Grabka, Jens Hoebel
Objectives: SARS-CoV-2 infections were unequally distributed during the pandemic, with those in disadvantaged socioeconomic positions being at higher risk. Little is known about the underlying mechanism of this association. This study assessed to what extent educational differences in SARS-CoV-2 infections were mediated by working from home.
Methods: We used data of the German working population derived from the seroepidemiological study "Corona Monitoring Nationwide - Wave 2 (RKI-SOEP-2)" (N=6826). Infections were assessed by seropositivity against SARS-CoV-2 antigens and self-reports of previous PCR-confirmed infections from the beginning of the pandemic until study participation (November 2021 - February 2022). The frequency of working from home was assessed between May 2021 and January 2022.We used the Karlson-Holm-Breen (KHB) method to decompose the effect of education on SARS-CoV-2 infections.
Results: Individuals with lower educational attainment had a higher risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection (adjusted prevalence ratio of low versus very high = 1.76, 95% confidence interval 1.08-2.88; P=0.023). Depending on the level of education, between 27% (high education) and 58% (low education) of the differences in infection were mediated by the frequency of working from home.
Conclusions: Working from home could prevent SARS-CoV-2 infections and contribute to the explanation of socioeconomic inequalities in infection risks. Wherever possible, additional capacities to work remotely, particularly for occupations that require lower educational attainment, should be considered as an important measure of pandemic preparedness. Limitations of this study are the observational cross-sectional design and that the temporal order between infection and working from home remained unclear.
{"title":"Education and pandemic SARS-CoV-2 infections in the German working population - the mediating role of working from home.","authors":"Benjamin Wachtler, Florian Beese, Ibrahim Demirer, Sebastian Haller, Timo-Kolja Pförtner, Morten Wahrendorf, Markus M Grabka, Jens Hoebel","doi":"10.5271/sjweh.4144","DOIUrl":"10.5271/sjweh.4144","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>SARS-CoV-2 infections were unequally distributed during the pandemic, with those in disadvantaged socioeconomic positions being at higher risk. Little is known about the underlying mechanism of this association. This study assessed to what extent educational differences in SARS-CoV-2 infections were mediated by working from home.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used data of the German working population derived from the seroepidemiological study \"Corona Monitoring Nationwide - Wave 2 (RKI-SOEP-2)\" (N=6826). Infections were assessed by seropositivity against SARS-CoV-2 antigens and self-reports of previous PCR-confirmed infections from the beginning of the pandemic until study participation (November 2021 - February 2022). The frequency of working from home was assessed between May 2021 and January 2022.We used the Karlson-Holm-Breen (KHB) method to decompose the effect of education on SARS-CoV-2 infections.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Individuals with lower educational attainment had a higher risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection (adjusted prevalence ratio of low versus very high = 1.76, 95% confidence interval 1.08-2.88; P=0.023). Depending on the level of education, between 27% (high education) and 58% (low education) of the differences in infection were mediated by the frequency of working from home.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Working from home could prevent SARS-CoV-2 infections and contribute to the explanation of socioeconomic inequalities in infection risks. Wherever possible, additional capacities to work remotely, particularly for occupations that require lower educational attainment, should be considered as an important measure of pandemic preparedness. Limitations of this study are the observational cross-sectional design and that the temporal order between infection and working from home remained unclear.</p>","PeriodicalId":21528,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11064849/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139723920","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-01Epub Date: 2024-03-04DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.4145
Kathrine Greby Schmidt, Anders Fritz Lerche, Marie Raunkjær Christensen, Charlotte Lund Rasmussen, Leon Straker, Svend Erik Mathiassen, Andreas Holtermann
Objective: Poor cardiorespiratory fitness and health is common among childcare workers. We designed the `Goldilocks-games` according to the Goldilocks Work principle to provide high-intensity physical activity for childcare workers. We investigated the effectiveness of this Goldilocks Work intervention in increasing occupational high-intensity physical activity and improving work-related health.
Methods: In a two-arm cluster randomized trial, 16 childcare institutions with 142 workers were randomly allocated to either an 8-week Goldilocks Work intervention or a control group. The primary outcome was occupational time in high-intensity physical activity. Secondary outcomes were occupational time in active physical behaviors, heart rate during sleep, pain, physical exhaustion, energy at work, work productivity, and need for recovery.
Results: The intervention was successfully delivered and received. Both groups had a low amount of occupational high-intensity physical activity at baseline, and the intervention group reported playing the games 3.1 [standard deviation (SD) 1.5] times/week for a duration of 112.2 (SD 175.0) min/week. However, the intervention did not increase high-intensity physical activity or the secondary outcomes, except for energy at work, measured on a scale from 0-10, increasing 0.65 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.08-1.21], and need for recovery, measured on a scale from 1-5, decreasing -0.32 (95% CI, -0.54- -0.09).
Conclusion: The intervention was successfully delivered and received, but did not increase high-intensity physical activity. The intervention group increased their energy at work and decreased their need for recovery, but not the other health-related outcomes. Further research on how to design and implement health-promoting work environment interventions in childcare is needed.
{"title":"Effectiveness of a Goldilocks Work intervention in childcare workers - A cluster-randomized controlled trial.","authors":"Kathrine Greby Schmidt, Anders Fritz Lerche, Marie Raunkjær Christensen, Charlotte Lund Rasmussen, Leon Straker, Svend Erik Mathiassen, Andreas Holtermann","doi":"10.5271/sjweh.4145","DOIUrl":"10.5271/sjweh.4145","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Poor cardiorespiratory fitness and health is common among childcare workers. We designed the `Goldilocks-games` according to the Goldilocks Work principle to provide high-intensity physical activity for childcare workers. We investigated the effectiveness of this Goldilocks Work intervention in increasing occupational high-intensity physical activity and improving work-related health.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In a two-arm cluster randomized trial, 16 childcare institutions with 142 workers were randomly allocated to either an 8-week Goldilocks Work intervention or a control group. The primary outcome was occupational time in high-intensity physical activity. Secondary outcomes were occupational time in active physical behaviors, heart rate during sleep, pain, physical exhaustion, energy at work, work productivity, and need for recovery.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The intervention was successfully delivered and received. Both groups had a low amount of occupational high-intensity physical activity at baseline, and the intervention group reported playing the games 3.1 [standard deviation (SD) 1.5] times/week for a duration of 112.2 (SD 175.0) min/week. However, the intervention did not increase high-intensity physical activity or the secondary outcomes, except for energy at work, measured on a scale from 0-10, increasing 0.65 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.08-1.21], and need for recovery, measured on a scale from 1-5, decreasing -0.32 (95% CI, -0.54- -0.09).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The intervention was successfully delivered and received, but did not increase high-intensity physical activity. The intervention group increased their energy at work and decreased their need for recovery, but not the other health-related outcomes. Further research on how to design and implement health-promoting work environment interventions in childcare is needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":21528,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11057501/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140022499","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-01Epub Date: 2024-03-10DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.4150
Jaehong Yoon, Ji-Hwan Kim, Yeonseung Chung, Jinsu Park, Ja-Ho Leigh, Seung-Sup Kim
Objective: This study aimed to assess the causal effect of a change in employment status on suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms by applying marginal structural models (MSM) with machine-learning (ML) algorithms.
Methods: We analyzed data from the 8-15th waves (2013-2020) of the Korean Welfare Panel Study, a nationally representative longitudinal dataset. Our analysis included 13 294 observations from 3621 participants who had standard employment at baseline (2013-2019). Based on employment status at follow-up year (2014-2020), respondents were classified into two groups: (i) maintained standard employment (reference group), (ii) changed to non-standard employment. Suicidal ideation during the past year and depressive symptoms during the past week were assessed through self-report questionnaire. To apply the ML algorithms to the MSM, we conducted eight ML algorithms to build the propensity score indicating a change in employment status. Then, we applied the MSM to examine the causal effect by using inverse probability weights calculated based on the propensity score from ML algorithms.
Results: The random forest algorithm performed best among all algorithms, showing the highest area under the curve 0.702, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.686-0.718. In the MSM with the random forest algorithm, workers who changed from standard to non-standard employment were 2.07 times more likely to report suicidal ideation compared to those who maintained standard employment (95% CI 1.16-3.70). A similar trend was observed in the analysis of depressive symptoms.
Conclusions: This study found that a change in employment status could lead to a higher risk of suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms.
{"title":"Change in employment status and its causal effect on suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms: A marginal structural model with machine learning algorithms.","authors":"Jaehong Yoon, Ji-Hwan Kim, Yeonseung Chung, Jinsu Park, Ja-Ho Leigh, Seung-Sup Kim","doi":"10.5271/sjweh.4150","DOIUrl":"10.5271/sjweh.4150","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to assess the causal effect of a change in employment status on suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms by applying marginal structural models (MSM) with machine-learning (ML) algorithms.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We analyzed data from the 8-15<sup>th</sup> waves (2013-2020) of the Korean Welfare Panel Study, a nationally representative longitudinal dataset. Our analysis included 13 294 observations from 3621 participants who had standard employment at baseline (2013-2019). Based on employment status at follow-up year (2014-2020), respondents were classified into two groups: (i) maintained standard employment (reference group), (ii) changed to non-standard employment. Suicidal ideation during the past year and depressive symptoms during the past week were assessed through self-report questionnaire. To apply the ML algorithms to the MSM, we conducted eight ML algorithms to build the propensity score indicating a change in employment status. Then, we applied the MSM to examine the causal effect by using inverse probability weights calculated based on the propensity score from ML algorithms.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The random forest algorithm performed best among all algorithms, showing the highest area under the curve 0.702, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.686-0.718. In the MSM with the random forest algorithm, workers who changed from standard to non-standard employment were 2.07 times more likely to report suicidal ideation compared to those who maintained standard employment (95% CI 1.16-3.70). A similar trend was observed in the analysis of depressive symptoms.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study found that a change in employment status could lead to a higher risk of suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms.</p>","PeriodicalId":21528,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11106614/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140102401","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-01Epub Date: 2024-03-13DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.4148
Emanuele Maria Giusti, Marco Mario Ferrario, Giovanni Veronesi, Alessia D'Amato, Francesco Gianfagna, Licia Iacoviello
Objectives: This study aimed to assess the associations of pre-pandemic perceived work stressors and work satisfaction among nurses, including nurse assistants, with burnout profiles and their transitions in response to the pandemic.
Methods: Three hundred and thirty-seven nurses working in an Italian University hospital participated in a longitudinal study including a survey in August 2019 investigating perceived work stressors (assessed using the HSE Indicator Tool), work satisfaction (Work Satisfaction Scale), and burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory), and a second survey in December 2020 assessing burnout. Using latent transition analysis, we identified burnout profiles and then estimated the associations between work stressors and satisfaction on profiles and transitions.
Results: We identified three pre-pandemic profiles, namely engaged (67%), ineffective (15%), and burnout (18%); and three pandemic profiles, namely engaged (37%), exhausted (51%), and severe burnout (12%). The severe burnout profile consisted of 70% nurses classified in the burnout profile before the pandemic. Overall, work stressors and satisfaction were associated with both pre-pandemic and pandemic burnout profiles. Among nurses not in the burnout profile prior to COVID-19, pre-pandemic hostile relationships increased [odds ratio (OR) 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05-1.34] and work satisfaction decreased (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.68-0.98) the probability to transition to exhausted. Moreover, work satisfaction (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.32-0.91) and participation in work organization (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.51-0.93) protected from transitioning to severe burnout. The association between peer support and the transition to exhausted needs further investigation.
Conclusions: Pre-pandemic work stressors and satisfaction were associated with pandemic burnout and burnout transitions. To enhance preparedness for future crises, healthcare managers should carefully assess and tackle work-related constraints affecting nurses.
研究目的本研究旨在评估大流行前护士(包括护士助理)感知到的工作压力源和工作满意度与职业倦怠特征及其应对大流行的转变之间的关联:在一家意大利大学医院工作的 337 名护士参加了一项纵向研究,其中包括 2019 年 8 月的一项调查,调查内容包括感知的工作压力源(使用 HSE 指标工具评估)、工作满意度(工作满意度量表)和职业倦怠(马斯拉奇职业倦怠量表),以及 2020 年 12 月的第二次调查,评估职业倦怠。通过潜伏转变分析,我们确定了倦怠特征,然后估算了工作压力源和满意度与特征和转变之间的关联:我们确定了三种大流行前的倦怠特征,即投入(67%)、低效(15%)和倦怠(18%);以及三种大流行特征,即投入(37%)、疲惫(51%)和严重倦怠(12%)。其中,70%的护士在大流行前被归类为严重职业倦怠。总体而言,工作压力和满意度与大流行前和大流行时的职业倦怠状况都有关联。在 COVID-19 之前不属于倦怠状况的护士中,大流行前的敌对关系会增加[几率比(OR)1.19,95% 置信区间(CI)1.05-1.34],而工作满意度会降低(OR 0.82,95% CI 0.68-0.98)转为精疲力竭的概率。此外,工作满意度(OR 0.54,95% CI 0.32-0.91)和对工作组织的参与度(OR 0.69,95% CI 0.51-0.93)可防止向严重职业倦怠过渡。同侪支持与过渡到精疲力竭之间的关系还需要进一步研究:结论:大流行前的工作压力和满意度与大流行倦怠和倦怠过渡有关。为加强对未来危机的准备,医疗管理人员应仔细评估并解决影响护士的工作相关限制因素。
{"title":"Perceived work stressors and the transition to burnout among nurses in response to the pandemic: implications for healthcare organizations.","authors":"Emanuele Maria Giusti, Marco Mario Ferrario, Giovanni Veronesi, Alessia D'Amato, Francesco Gianfagna, Licia Iacoviello","doi":"10.5271/sjweh.4148","DOIUrl":"10.5271/sjweh.4148","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study aimed to assess the associations of pre-pandemic perceived work stressors and work satisfaction among nurses, including nurse assistants, with burnout profiles and their transitions in response to the pandemic.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Three hundred and thirty-seven nurses working in an Italian University hospital participated in a longitudinal study including a survey in August 2019 investigating perceived work stressors (assessed using the HSE Indicator Tool), work satisfaction (Work Satisfaction Scale), and burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory), and a second survey in December 2020 assessing burnout. Using latent transition analysis, we identified burnout profiles and then estimated the associations between work stressors and satisfaction on profiles and transitions.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We identified three pre-pandemic profiles, namely engaged (67%), ineffective (15%), and burnout (18%); and three pandemic profiles, namely engaged (37%), exhausted (51%), and severe burnout (12%). The severe burnout profile consisted of 70% nurses classified in the burnout profile before the pandemic. Overall, work stressors and satisfaction were associated with both pre-pandemic and pandemic burnout profiles. Among nurses not in the burnout profile prior to COVID-19, pre-pandemic hostile relationships increased [odds ratio (OR) 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05-1.34] and work satisfaction decreased (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.68-0.98) the probability to transition to exhausted. Moreover, work satisfaction (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.32-0.91) and participation in work organization (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.51-0.93) protected from transitioning to severe burnout. The association between peer support and the transition to exhausted needs further investigation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Pre-pandemic work stressors and satisfaction were associated with pandemic burnout and burnout transitions. To enhance preparedness for future crises, healthcare managers should carefully assess and tackle work-related constraints affecting nurses.</p>","PeriodicalId":21528,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11014740/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140111331","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-01Epub Date: 2024-01-24DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.4140
Johan Ohlander, Hans Kromhout, Roel Vermeulen, Lützen Portengen, Benjamin Kendzia, Barbara Savary, Domenico Cavallo, Andrea Cattaneo, Enrica Migliori, Lorenzo Richiardi, Nils Plato, Heinz-Erich Wichmann, Stefan Karrasch, Dario Consonni, Maria Teresa Landi, Neil E Caporaso, Jack Siemiatycki, Per Gustavsson, Karl-Heinz Jöckel, Wolfgang Ahrens, Hermann Pohlabeln, Guillermo Fernández-Tardón, David Zaridze, Jolanta Lissowska Jolanta Lissowska, Beata Swiatkowska Beata Swiatkowska, John K Field John K Field, John R McLaughlin, Paul A Demers, Tamas Pandics, Francesco Forastiere, Eleonora Fabianova, Miriam Schejbalova, Lenka Foretova, Vladimir Janout, Dana Mates, Christine Barul, Thomas Brüning, Thomas Behrens, Kurt Straif, Joachim Schüz, Ann Olsson, Susan Peters
Objectives: The quantitative job-exposure matrix SYN-JEM consists of various dimensions: job-specific estimates, region-specific estimates, and prior expert ratings of jobs by the semi-quantitative DOM-JEM. We analyzed the effect of different JEM dimensions on the exposure-response relationships between occupational silica exposure and lung cancer risk to investigate how these variations influence estimates of exposure by a quantitative JEM and associated health endpoints.
Methods: Using SYN-JEM, and alternative SYN-JEM specifications with varying dimensions included, cumulative silica exposure estimates were assigned to 16 901 lung cancer cases and 20 965 controls pooled from 14 international community-based case-control studies. Exposure-response relationships based on SYN-JEM and alternative SYN-JEM specifications were analyzed using regression analyses (by quartiles and log-transformed continuous silica exposure) and generalized additive models (GAM), adjusted for age, sex, study, cigarette pack-years, time since quitting smoking, and ever employment in occupations with established lung cancer risk.
Results: SYN-JEM and alternative specifications generated overall elevated and similar lung cancer odds ratios ranging from 1.13 (1st quartile) to 1.50 (4th quartile). In the categorical and log-linear analyses SYN-JEM with all dimensions included yielded the best model fit, and exclusion of job-specific estimates from SYN-JEM yielded the poorest model fit. Additionally, GAM showed the poorest model fit when excluding job-specific estimates.
Conclusion: The established exposure-response relationship between occupational silica exposure and lung cancer was marginally influenced by varying the dimensions of SYN-JEM. Optimized modelling of exposure-response relationships will be obtained when incorporating all relevant dimensions, namely prior rating, job, time, and region. Quantitative job-specific estimates appeared to be the most prominent dimension for this general population JEM.
{"title":"Respirable crystalline silica and lung cancer in community-based studies: impact of job-exposure matrix specifications on exposure-response relationships.","authors":"Johan Ohlander, Hans Kromhout, Roel Vermeulen, Lützen Portengen, Benjamin Kendzia, Barbara Savary, Domenico Cavallo, Andrea Cattaneo, Enrica Migliori, Lorenzo Richiardi, Nils Plato, Heinz-Erich Wichmann, Stefan Karrasch, Dario Consonni, Maria Teresa Landi, Neil E Caporaso, Jack Siemiatycki, Per Gustavsson, Karl-Heinz Jöckel, Wolfgang Ahrens, Hermann Pohlabeln, Guillermo Fernández-Tardón, David Zaridze, Jolanta Lissowska Jolanta Lissowska, Beata Swiatkowska Beata Swiatkowska, John K Field John K Field, John R McLaughlin, Paul A Demers, Tamas Pandics, Francesco Forastiere, Eleonora Fabianova, Miriam Schejbalova, Lenka Foretova, Vladimir Janout, Dana Mates, Christine Barul, Thomas Brüning, Thomas Behrens, Kurt Straif, Joachim Schüz, Ann Olsson, Susan Peters","doi":"10.5271/sjweh.4140","DOIUrl":"10.5271/sjweh.4140","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The quantitative job-exposure matrix SYN-JEM consists of various dimensions: job-specific estimates, region-specific estimates, and prior expert ratings of jobs by the semi-quantitative DOM-JEM. We analyzed the effect of different JEM dimensions on the exposure-response relationships between occupational silica exposure and lung cancer risk to investigate how these variations influence estimates of exposure by a quantitative JEM and associated health endpoints.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using SYN-JEM, and alternative SYN-JEM specifications with varying dimensions included, cumulative silica exposure estimates were assigned to 16 901 lung cancer cases and 20 965 controls pooled from 14 international community-based case-control studies. Exposure-response relationships based on SYN-JEM and alternative SYN-JEM specifications were analyzed using regression analyses (by quartiles and log-transformed continuous silica exposure) and generalized additive models (GAM), adjusted for age, sex, study, cigarette pack-years, time since quitting smoking, and ever employment in occupations with established lung cancer risk.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>SYN-JEM and alternative specifications generated overall elevated and similar lung cancer odds ratios ranging from 1.13 (1st quartile) to 1.50 (4th quartile). In the categorical and log-linear analyses SYN-JEM with all dimensions included yielded the best model fit, and exclusion of job-specific estimates from SYN-JEM yielded the poorest model fit. Additionally, GAM showed the poorest model fit when excluding job-specific estimates.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The established exposure-response relationship between occupational silica exposure and lung cancer was marginally influenced by varying the dimensions of SYN-JEM. Optimized modelling of exposure-response relationships will be obtained when incorporating all relevant dimensions, namely prior rating, job, time, and region. Quantitative job-specific estimates appeared to be the most prominent dimension for this general population JEM.</p>","PeriodicalId":21528,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11064806/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139542649","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-01Epub Date: 2024-01-30DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.4141
Maartje C Bakhuys Roozeboom, Noortje M Wiezer, Roosmarijn M C Schelvis, Irene M W Niks, Cécile R L Boot
Objective: Work stress is a serious problem for employees in primary education. This study evaluates the effects of a work stress prevention approach on emotional exhaustion and work stress determinants (job crafting behavior, quantitative and emotional demands, leadership, support, autonomy, team culture and feelings of competence), and the impact of implementation success (management commitment, employee involvement, communication during implementation) on these outcomes.
Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted with an intervention group (4 schools, N=102 employees) and a control group (26 schools, N=656 employees) using questionnaires at baseline (T0), one-year (T1) and two-year (T2) follow-up. Multilevel mixed model analyses were performed to test effects of condition and implementation success on changes in emotional exhaustion and work stress determinants between T0 and T2 in the intervention and control group.
Results: No effect were found for emotional exhaustion. Improvement of quality of leadership between T0 and T2 was significantly larger in the intervention compared to the control group. Additionally, implementation success was associated with a decrease in unnecessary demands and an increase in quality of leadership, team culture and job crafting behavior.
Conclusions: This study shows no direct effect of the approach on emotional exhaustion, but it does show beneficial effects on quality of leadership. Additionally, results suggest that, when successfully implemented, the approach also has beneficial effects on other work stress determinants (ie, job crafting behavior, unnecessary demands and team culture). Results indicate that - if implemented successfully - the organizational-level intervention has the potential to improve the psychosocial work context.
{"title":"Effects of a participatory work stress prevention approach for employees in primary education: results of a quasi-experimental study.","authors":"Maartje C Bakhuys Roozeboom, Noortje M Wiezer, Roosmarijn M C Schelvis, Irene M W Niks, Cécile R L Boot","doi":"10.5271/sjweh.4141","DOIUrl":"10.5271/sjweh.4141","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Work stress is a serious problem for employees in primary education. This study evaluates the effects of a work stress prevention approach on emotional exhaustion and work stress determinants (job crafting behavior, quantitative and emotional demands, leadership, support, autonomy, team culture and feelings of competence), and the impact of implementation success (management commitment, employee involvement, communication during implementation) on these outcomes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A quasi-experimental study was conducted with an intervention group (4 schools, N=102 employees) and a control group (26 schools, N=656 employees) using questionnaires at baseline (T0), one-year (T1) and two-year (T2) follow-up. Multilevel mixed model analyses were performed to test effects of condition and implementation success on changes in emotional exhaustion and work stress determinants between T0 and T2 in the intervention and control group.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>No effect were found for emotional exhaustion. Improvement of quality of leadership between T0 and T2 was significantly larger in the intervention compared to the control group. Additionally, implementation success was associated with a decrease in unnecessary demands and an increase in quality of leadership, team culture and job crafting behavior.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study shows no direct effect of the approach on emotional exhaustion, but it does show beneficial effects on quality of leadership. Additionally, results suggest that, when successfully implemented, the approach also has beneficial effects on other work stress determinants (ie, job crafting behavior, unnecessary demands and team culture). Results indicate that - if implemented successfully - the organizational-level intervention has the potential to improve the psychosocial work context.</p>","PeriodicalId":21528,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11064850/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139576690","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-01Epub Date: 2024-03-06DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.4149
Cameron A Mustard, Christa Orchard, Kathleen G Dobson, Nancy Carnide, Peter M Smith
Objective: This study aimed to estimate the influence of the adequacy of employer accommodations of health impairments in predicting permanent separation from the employment relationship in a cohort of workers disabled by a work-related injury or illness.
Methods: The study used data from a retrospective, observational cohort of 1793 Ontario workers who participated in an interviewer-administered survey 18 months following a disabling injury or illness. The relative risks (RR) of a permanent employment separation associated with inadequate employer accommodations were estimated using inverse probability of treatment weights to reduce confounding.
Results: Over the 18-month follow-up, the incidence of permanent separation was 30.1/100, with 49.2% of separations related to health status. Approximately 51% of participants experiencing a separation were exposed to inadequate workplace accommodations, compared to 27% of participants in continuing employment. The propensity score adjusted RR of a health-related separation associated with inadequate accommodation was substantial [RR 2.72; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.20-3.73], greater than the RR of separations not related to health (RR 1.68; 95% CI 1.38-2.21).
Conclusions: Incidence of permanent separation in this cohort of Ontario labor force participants was approximately two times more frequent than would be expected. The adequacy of employer accommodation was a strong determinant of the risk of permanent separation. These findings emphasize the potential for strengthened workplace accommodation practices in this setting.
{"title":"The adequacy of workplace accommodation and the incidence of permanent employment separations after a disabling work injury or illness.","authors":"Cameron A Mustard, Christa Orchard, Kathleen G Dobson, Nancy Carnide, Peter M Smith","doi":"10.5271/sjweh.4149","DOIUrl":"10.5271/sjweh.4149","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to estimate the influence of the adequacy of employer accommodations of health impairments in predicting permanent separation from the employment relationship in a cohort of workers disabled by a work-related injury or illness.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study used data from a retrospective, observational cohort of 1793 Ontario workers who participated in an interviewer-administered survey 18 months following a disabling injury or illness. The relative risks (RR) of a permanent employment separation associated with inadequate employer accommodations were estimated using inverse probability of treatment weights to reduce confounding.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Over the 18-month follow-up, the incidence of permanent separation was 30.1/100, with 49.2% of separations related to health status. Approximately 51% of participants experiencing a separation were exposed to inadequate workplace accommodations, compared to 27% of participants in continuing employment. The propensity score adjusted RR of a health-related separation associated with inadequate accommodation was substantial [RR 2.72; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.20-3.73], greater than the RR of separations not related to health (RR 1.68; 95% CI 1.38-2.21).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Incidence of permanent separation in this cohort of Ontario labor force participants was approximately two times more frequent than would be expected. The adequacy of employer accommodation was a strong determinant of the risk of permanent separation. These findings emphasize the potential for strengthened workplace accommodation practices in this setting.</p>","PeriodicalId":21528,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11117718/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140040203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-01Epub Date: 2024-03-14DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.4155
Maria Albin, Gunnar Johanson, Christer Hogstedt
In this discussion paper, we describe the history of the science and societal action resulting in the mitigation of neurotoxic disorders from exposure to organic solvents at the workplaces in Sweden. When alkyd paints were introduced in large scale in construction painting in the 1960s and 1970s, Scandinavian unions voiced increasing concern as members reported symptoms like headache and vertigo, supported by participatory studies and case studies. Although acute and chronic neurotoxic effects were established for some specific solvents such as carbon disulphide, this was not the case for those used in the new paints. Union advocacy promoted formal epidemiological studies, providing increasing evidence for chronic neurotoxicity at levels far below current occupational exposure levels. The results were widely disseminated and accepted and led to concerted action with preventive measures, most importantly substitution of the organic solvents in paints for indoor use, but also drastic reductions in occupational exposure limits. The findings also resulted in funding of further research on solvent toxicity and the establishment of expert groups to advice authorities on occupational standards for exposure to chemicals. The substitution strategy was subsequently adopted in many other countries and occupational exposure limits were lowered, although several years or even decades later. While the societal context in Sweden was unique in many ways, we conclude that there are lessons to be learned from this preventive success when addressing current challenges.
{"title":"Successful prevention of organic solvent induced disorders: history and lessons.","authors":"Maria Albin, Gunnar Johanson, Christer Hogstedt","doi":"10.5271/sjweh.4155","DOIUrl":"10.5271/sjweh.4155","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this discussion paper, we describe the history of the science and societal action resulting in the mitigation of neurotoxic disorders from exposure to organic solvents at the workplaces in Sweden. When alkyd paints were introduced in large scale in construction painting in the 1960s and 1970s, Scandinavian unions voiced increasing concern as members reported symptoms like headache and vertigo, supported by participatory studies and case studies. Although acute and chronic neurotoxic effects were established for some specific solvents such as carbon disulphide, this was not the case for those used in the new paints. Union advocacy promoted formal epidemiological studies, providing increasing evidence for chronic neurotoxicity at levels far below current occupational exposure levels. The results were widely disseminated and accepted and led to concerted action with preventive measures, most importantly substitution of the organic solvents in paints for indoor use, but also drastic reductions in occupational exposure limits. The findings also resulted in funding of further research on solvent toxicity and the establishment of expert groups to advice authorities on occupational standards for exposure to chemicals. The substitution strategy was subsequently adopted in many other countries and occupational exposure limits were lowered, although several years or even decades later. While the societal context in Sweden was unique in many ways, we conclude that there are lessons to be learned from this preventive success when addressing current challenges.</p>","PeriodicalId":21528,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10999953/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140120509","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-01Epub Date: 2024-02-01DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.4143
Reiner Rugulies, Alex Burdorf
{"title":"What are the economic costs of a poor work environment?","authors":"Reiner Rugulies, Alex Burdorf","doi":"10.5271/sjweh.4143","DOIUrl":"10.5271/sjweh.4143","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":21528,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10924735/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139651644","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}