Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health最新文献

Objectives: Sustained activity of the upper trapezius muscle during work has been linked to the development of neck pain. Women have higher occurrences of neck pain than men, even in the same occupations. This study aimed to investigate sex-specific associations between upper trapezius muscle activity time-related variables and neck pain using a meta-analysis of pooled data.

Methods: Seven Scandinavian research institutes provided surface electromyographic (EMG) data on the upper trapezius muscle activity during work and related questionnaire-based data on neck pain severity. EMG and questionnaire data were harmonized and pooled. Associations between upper trapezius muscle activity variables [median muscle activity, frequency of muscular rest periods, and periods with sustained muscle activity (SUMA)] and neck pain severity were investigated separately for women (N=293) and men (N=418) using linear regression analyses.

Results: In the cross-sectional analyses, women showed significant positive associations between the number of short SUMA periods and negative associations for long SUMA periods in regard to neck pain severity. In the longitudinal analyses, women showed no significant associations. In the cross-sectional analysis for men, one significant positive association was found between median upper trapezius muscle activity and neck pain severity.

Conclusions: Compared to men, neck pain severity among women appears to be more dependent on upper trapezius muscle activity patterns at work. Therefore, ergonomic and organizational recommendations for work should be sex-specific or adjusted for women to reduce their prevalence of neck pain. Further research is needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of these sex differences.

Objectives: A growing body of research on infection susceptibility among night-shift workers has emerged, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a comprehensive overview is still lacking. Therefore, this review aimed to synthesize the evidence on the association between night-shift work and susceptibility to infectious diseases.

Methods: Embase and PsycINFO were systematically searched for studies published up to September 2024. Studies were included if they comprised a working population, night-shift workers were compared to non-shift workers, and the outcome was an infectious disease. Results were descriptively synthesized for common respiratory infections (flu and common cold), SARS-CoV-2 infection, and other infections. Pooled effect estimates were calculated using random-effects meta-analysis.

Results: In total, 16 articles describing 14 studies among 191 320 workers were included. Based on 4 studies, night-shift work was not associated with a significantly increased risk of common respiratory infections [odds ratio (OR) 1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.97-1.27, I²=65.8%[. However, night-shift workers had a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection than non-shift workers (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.09-1.58, I²=92.2%, N=10 studies). This association was stronger in higher-quality studies and studies conducted in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. For other infections, insufficient studies were available to conduct a meta-analysis. The certainty of evidence was graded very low due to a limited number of (prospective cohort) studies and high inconsistency in the available studies.

Conclusions: This systematic review and meta-analysis showed that night-shift work was associated with an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but not of common respiratory infections. To address the lack of high-certainty evidence, more studies are needed that apply a prospective design with appropriate adjustment for confounding factors and more extensive information on night-shift work exposure.

Objective: Based on the well-documented role of supervisors` in fostering healthy workplaces and managing the impact of work-related stress, the aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of leader-targeted stress management interventions (SMI) on their psychological stress, mindfulness, mental health, and work- and leadership-related outcomes.

Methods: Eligible studies, including randomized controlled trials or controlled before-after studies, examining the effects of leader-targeted SMI on supervisors` psychological stress, mindfulness, mental health, and work- and leadership-related outcomes, were identified in four electronic databases and supplemented by manual search strategies. Screening for eligibility, data extraction, risk of bias assessment, and certainty of evidence grading, following PRISMA guidelines and Cochrane Handbook recommendations, were done in duplicate. Data were pooled in random effects models to synthesize g-scores. Sensitivity and moderator analyses were used to assess the robustness of the results and explore potential sources of heterogeneity.

Results: The 25 studies (N=2466 participants) meeting the full inclusion criteria varied widely in population characteristics, intervention types, duration, delivery methods, and examined outcomes. The overall intervention effect was g=0.13 [95% confidence interval (CI) -0.24- -0.01] after excluding outliers. Significant intervention effects were found for mental health [g=-0.38 (95% CI -0.69- -0.08)] and, after excluding influential cases, work- [g=-0.32 (95% CI -0.63- -0.00)] and leadership-related outcomes [g=-0.23 (95% CI -0.44- -0.02)].

Conclusion: Our meta-analysis suggests that leader-targeted SMI can be an effective approach for promoting occupational health.

Objective: Shift work is common across most societies but poses significant risks to the health of shift workers. In part, this risk is due to the disruption of healthy sleep-wake schedules. This systematic review identified qualitative research on shift workers' experiences of sleep disturbance, fatigue and healthy behaviors.

Methods: We conducted a systematic search of four databases (CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO) and identified 28 eligible studies involving 1519 participants. We appraised the studies using an adapted Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist, and confidence in the review findings was formally assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation-Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research (GRADE-CERQual) approach. Data were thematically synthesized.

Results: Three analytical themes were generated. 'Inevitability of fatigue and tiredness' outlines how shift workers experience a culture where they feel "peer pressure to soldier through" their shifts regardless of fatigue. 'Balancing sleep needs with competing responsibilities' highlights how shift workers struggle to balance the need for daytime sleep with family, leisure, and work responsibilities, often prioritizing family needs over their own sleep. 'Obstacles to engaging in healthy behaviors' describes how shift workers often know which actions would benefit their health and reduce fatigue but find it challenging to translate this knowledge into behavior due to fatiguing and stressful work environments. For the purposes of the GRADE-CERQual assessment, short summary statements were developed to describe 22 review findings: there was moderate or high confidence in all but one of these findings.

Conclusion: This review suggests that sleep education alone is unlikely to be effective. Interventions should focus on helping shift workers self-regulate their behaviors, thoughts, and emotions to better manage sleep and fatigue.

Objectives: We examined the effects of a one-year multicomponent workplace intervention that introduced short active breaks from prolonged sitting on occupational movement behaviors and health among Japanese office workers.

Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in Tokyo, Japan (2019-2020). In the intervention group (N=172), activity breaks from sitting were introduced to the work schedule (approximately 10 minutes/working hour) together with support strategies to encourage participation (eg, social support, provision of information). Workers in the control group (N=323), who worked at the same company group as those in the intervention group, did not receive any intervention. We evaluated accelerometer-measured sedentary behavior and physical activity during working hours as primary outcomes, and mental health and subjective job performance as secondary outcomes. Propensity score weighting using overlap weights was performed to examine between-group differences in outcomes at one year.

Results: At the one-year follow-up assessment, sedentary behaviors during working hours in the intervention group decreased by 24.4 minutes (95% confidence interval 31.6-17.3), with physical activity increasing by a comparable amount (P for group difference <0.05). However, at the one-year follow-up, psychological distress had worsened and work engagement had declined in the intervention group relative to baseline (P for group difference <0.05).

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that this program is a feasible approach to reducing sedentary behavior and promoting physical activity during work hours among office workers. However, methodological limitations prevent the definitive attribution of the effects to the intervention. Further rigorous research is needed to assess its effectiveness and external validity before broad implementation.

Objectives: Sedentary behavior is associated with diseases (eg, cardiovascular, diabetes type 2). We aimed to describe the sitting and moving behavior of desk-based hybrid employees of a large company in Germany working in either a traditional open plan office (OPO) or an activity-based flex office (AFO) and when working from home. We also aimed to determine if the behaviors differ between both working environments (ie, working from home versus the office) and the office concepts (OPO versus AFO).

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study to measure sedentary time, sit-to-stand-transitions (STS), standing, and physical activity (time spent physically active and steps) in different working environments with activPAL3. Time-use data were also examined using compositional data analysis. Mixed model regression was performed to estimate means and 95% confidence intervals (CI). The main models were adjusted for sex, age, profession and measurement phase (July-November 2021).

Results: The sample comprised 102 employees (women: N=27, mean age 38.9 years). On average, OPO employees spent 351 minutes (95% CI 322-380) being sedentary, took 2763 steps (95% CI 2460-3066) and made 16.6 STS (95% CI 13.6-19.6). AFO workers averaged 333 sedentary minutes (95% CI 308-358), 2906 steps (95% CI 2645-3167) and 19.1 STS (95% CI 16.6-21.7). When working from home, workers spent 378 minutes (95% CI 359-396) being sedentary, took 1257 steps (95% CI 1063-1452) and made 20.9 STS (95% CI 19.0-22.8). Working from home was associated with increased sedentary time and fewer steps but more STS.

Conclusion: Sedentary time of desk-based workers seems to be prolonged when working from home. As sedentary behavior increases the risk of disease, there is a need for measures to reduce employees` sedentary time in all working environments.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effect of a brief training intervention for occupational health services (OHS) professionals on multiprofessional resource utilization and the costs of biopsychosocial management of patients with low-back pain (LBP) compared to usual care among all participants and those in work disability-based risk groups.

Methods: OHS utilization and back-related sick leave data were collected from electronic patient records over one-year follow-up comparing 232 patients in the intervention arm and 80 control-arm patients, stratified for risk of work disability based on the Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire. We estimated costs using linear mixed models by multiplying unit costs (in euros) by each type of OHS resource use (visits to physicians, physiotherapists, nurses, use of imaging) and the number of sick leaves. Estimated mean cost differences with confidence intervals (CI) were reported using bootstrapping to deal with skewed cost data.

Results: The median number of visits to physicians and physiotherapists in the intervention versus control arms was 1 [interquartile range (IQR) 0-3] and 2 (IQR 1-4) versus 2 (IQR 1-3) and 1 (IQR 0-2), respectively. The intervention arm accrued lower physician costs (€-43, 95% CI €-82- -3, P=0.034) and higher physiotherapist costs (€55, 95% CI €26-84, P<0.001) compared to the control arm. There was no statistically significant difference in average total costs between the arms (€-1908, 95% CI €-6734-2919). In the low- and medium-risk groups of work disability, physiotherapist costs were higher in the intervention than control arm, but no statistically significant differences were observed between the arms in the total resource utilization or sickness absence costs.

Conclusions: Brief biopsychosocial training may support shifting OHS resources towards multiprofessional physiotherapist-driven care, instead of solely physician-driven care, for management of patients with LBP in differing risk groups of work disability with no substantial differences in total costs.