Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine最新文献

Background: Working night shifts disrupts circadian rhythms and is linked to a myriad of health problems, including elevated stress levels. Heart rate variability (HRV), which reflects the autonomic nervous system's (ANS's) response to stress, is a plausible stress indicator. However, there is limited research on the use of HRV as a stress indicator specifically in security guards working night shifts.

Methods: This observational study included 50 security guards willing to participate in the study. The demographic and anthropometric details of the participants were collected. Their first HRV recording before the night shift schedule was recorded, and then, the post-HRV recording was conducted following 1 week of night shift duty. The data thus obtained were analyzed by applying paired t-tests using Jamovi software.

Results: A considerable rise in mean heart rate and a significant decrease in mean RR interval following night shift duty were observed. There was a substantial rise in the low-frequency/high-frequency (LF/HF) ratio, a significant decrease in HF values, and a significant increase in very-low-frequency (VLF) values as determined by a qualitative analysis of HRV parameters.

Conclusion: The security guards showed a shift in autonomic balance toward sympathetic predominance as well as sympathovagal imbalance following night shift duty indicating that they were under stress. Therefore, it is essential to monitor and manage stress to mitigate these risks and prioritize workers' well-being.

Objective: The study aims to investigate the difference between stress, decision-making, and cognitive flexibility based on demographic factors and the mediating role of cognitive flexibility on the association of stress and decision-making among civil aviation pilots.

Methods: Data was collected from 372 commercial pilots from India through an online survey. The survey comprises standardized tools, including perceived stress, decision-making, and cognitive flexibility.

Results: No significant gender difference was found in stress, decision-making, and cognitive flexibility. Age and work experience influenced stress levels, with mid-career pilots reporting the highest stress. Stress has a negative impact on pilots' decision-making ability. Cognitive flexibility partially mediates this relationship.

Conclusion: Integrating cognitive flexibility training and stress management interventions into pilot training programs could significantly improve decision-making under pressure for safer aviation practices.

Introduction: Professional quality of life and psychological flexibility are important indicators of occupational wellbeing.

Aim: The study aimed to understand the relationship between psychological flexibility and the components of professional quality of life, namely compassion satisfaction, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout in medical practitioners.

Method: This cross-sectional study consisted of 185 medical practitioners, 70 females and 115 males, who were currently working in a tertiary care hospital, with a minimum of one-year experience in the field. The data were collected by convenience sampling and administered the Professional Quality of Life scale and Acceptance and Action Questionnaire - II. The data were analyzed by Pearson's correlation and t-test.

Results: There was no significant correlation between psychological inflexibility and compassion satisfaction. The correlation between secondary traumatic stress and burnout were significant and highly correlated with psychological inflexibility. Compassion satisfaction and psychological inflexibility were seen higher in females; burnout was seen higher in males whereas secondary traumatic stress showed no significant gender difference.

Conclusion: The study may help in understanding interplay of psychological flexibility, burnout and compassion fatigue and interventions along these lines may be fruitful in improving professional quality of life in medical practitioners.

Background: Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) are critical to rural healthcare in India, serving in subcentres and providing primary healthcare services. Given their extensive responsibilities and workload, addressing psychological stress among ANMs is crucial to prevent stress-related illnesses and improve their well-being.

Objective: This study investigates the prevalence and predictors of psychological stress among ANMs in rural Lucknow.

Methods: The current cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2023 to May 2024 across six rural blocks of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, and 300 ANMs were selected through multistage sampling. A pretested semi-structured questionnaire covering socio-demographic profiles, work-related factors, and the Workplace Stress Scale by the American Institute of Stress was used to collect data. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were used to assess the predictors of psychological stress.

Results: The study found that, out of total 54% ANMs experiencing workplace stress, 45.7% and 8.3% have reported moderate and severe stress, respectively. Diabetes as co-morbidity, work fatigue, and working at CHC were the key predictors for stress in ANMs. It was also found that ANMs working at PHCs had significantly lower stress levels than those working at subcentres and CHCs.

Conclusion: The high prevalence of psychological stress among ANMs in rural Lucknow necessitates targeted interventions. Addressing the identified stress predictors through policy changes, better resource allocation, and support systems can help mitigate stress and promote the well-being of these essential healthcare workers.

Occupational liver disease is certain rare group of liver diseases that are often underdiagnosed. We report a case of liver injury caused due to occupational exposure in a patient presenting with jaundice. In the absence of any competing causes and liver biopsy findings, injury secondary to nitrocompounds have been suspected. The patient improved gradually on changing his job position. This case emphasizes the need for knowledge regarding liver diseases occurring secondary to toxin exposure during work.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects many industrial workers and can lead to absenteeism, disability, and other adverse occupational outcomes. Identifying biomarkers that predict poorer work-related prognosis in COPD could help target workplace accommodations and interventions. This study evaluated whether sarcopenia, eosinophil-to-platelet ratio (EPR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels predicted adverse occupational health outcomes, such as missed workdays, job loss, and work disability in workers with COPD exacerbations.

Methods: This prospective cohort study enrolled 200 working-age adults (18-65 years) with COPD who were employed at the time of an acute exacerbation requiring hospitalization. Sarcopenia, EPR, CRP, and other clinical characteristics were assessed at baseline. Participants were followed for 12 months to ascertain adverse occupational outcomes, including absenteeism (>14 days of missed work), employment termination, and application for disability benefits. Regression analysis determined biomarker associations with occupational outcomes.

Results: Over 12 months, 22% of participants experienced prolonged absenteeism, 11% lost employment, and 9% applied for disability. After adjustment, low EPR (OR 2.81, 95% CI 1.23-6.41) and high CRP (OR 2.67, 95% CI 1.19-5.99) were associated with absenteeism. Only EPR (OR 3.25, 95% CI 1.07-9.88) predicted employment loss. Both low EPR (OR 4.12, 95% CI 1.41-11.98) and high CRP (OR 2.93, 95% CI 1.02-8.38) increased the odds of disability application. Sarcopenia was not significantly associated with the occupational outcomes after controlling for covariates.

Conclusion: Among working adults with COPD, low EPR and high CRP levels were robust predictors of prolonged absenteeism, job termination, and disability application following exacerbations. Assessing these inflammatory biomarkers could identify workers at elevated risk of poor occupational trajectories who may benefit from targeted workplace accommodations, rehabilitation programs, or other interventions to preserve employment.

Background: In recent years, due to the expansion of university capacities and the limitation of university human resources and income, workers face job stress, which is an important risk factor for their mental health. This study was conducted to investigate the impact of education on job stress and mental health in university staff.

Methods: This semi-experimental study was conducted in Zahedan, southeastern Iran, from 2020 to 2021. In this study, 254 administrative staff from the Zahedan University of Medical Sciences and Zahedan University were included in the control and intervention groups using available sampling methods. The study instrument was an investigator-designed questionnaire with a content effectiveness ratio (CVR) of 0.8, a content effectiveness index (CVI) of 0.83-0.93, and an internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha of 0.79. The survey was activated online on the Porsline platform. For the intervention, training sessions were held online, and session files and training booklets for intervention group staff were uploaded to the university's education system. Post-test was performed 1 month after the pretest. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21 software after adjusting pretest results using Chi-square and ANCOVA statistical tests.

Results: The results showed that employees with a higher education level had better knowledge and behavior in reducing occupational stress and maintaining mental health (P < 0.05). Also, employees with higher knowledge reported their health level better (P < 0.05). After the educational intervention, the knowledge, attitude, and Practices of the participants in the intervention group increased significantly with occupational stress and mental health (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: The implemented educational program was effective in improving workplace stress management behaviors and maintaining the mental health of university staff. Therefore, intervention training programs can play an important role in improving employee health, and conducting empowerment workshops in this area is recommended for employees.

Background: University teachers are consistently exposed to various risk factors for stress and hypertension. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and determine the factors associated with stress and hypertension among university teachers.

Methodology: A cross-sectional survey of 234 university teachers was conducted. A cluster sampling approach was employed to select samples from two universities. Teachers Stress Inventory (TSI) was used to assess the occupational stress among teachers. The blood pressure of the participants was measured and participants were considered hypertensive when SBP was ≥140 mm Hg and DBP was ≥90 mm Hg. Descriptive statistics were employed to estimate the prevalence measures and logistic regression models were developed to determine the factors associated with stress and hypertension.

Findings: Close to 84% of university teachers experience moderate to high levels of stress. About 21.4% of university teachers were hypertensive and only 12% of them had control of their blood pressure levels. Stress levels were found to have an association with younger age of up to 45 years (AOR = 14.48; 95% CI = 2.48-84.49) and inadequate physical activity (AOR = 3.64, 95% CI = 1.02-12.90). Furthermore, hypertension status showed an association with older age of 46 years and above (AOR = 3.01; 95% CI = 1.33-6.78), a student ratio of ≥41 per class (AOR = 2.79, 95% CI = 1.37-5.65), and a moderate level of stress (AOR = 2.78, 95% CI = 1.01-7.66).

Conclusion: Long-term occupational stressors coupled with age may expose university teachers to a significant risk of hypertension. Workplace health strategies and stress management interventions are needed to facilitate the prevention of stress and hypertension in this occupational group.

Background: It's more important to measure the subjective perception of change after undergoing any behavioral or psychological intervention. Global rating of change method-anchor item-based is a method by which the change can be quantified and "minimum subjective perceived effect" (MSPE) can be calculated.

Aim: The current study was planned to quantify the effects of heartfulness meditation intervention in healthcare professionals by anchor-based method and compare the result with the pre-post-difference.

Methods and material: The current study was done using multimethod study design among the healthcare professionals. These were 1. Cross-sectional study design. 2. Quasi-experimental-Solomon four-nonequivalent control group study design for intervention.

Results: Cohens' d for perceived stress scale (PSS) in "Much less negative" category was -.96.

Conclusion: The study highlights the use of anchor-based method to estimate the minimal subjective perceived difference, and it can also be compared with the groups pre-post-difference for academic purposes.

Introduction: Construction sites generate high levels of air pollution, contributing to more than 4% of particulate matter in the atmosphere. Literature indicates that on-site pollution is an important factor that contributes to lung impairments in construction workers. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ADRS) are known to be exacerbated because of exposure to a variety of construction pollutants mainly particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5).

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess whether exposure to construction site pollutants is associated with impairment of pulmonary parameters like Forced vital capacity (FVC), Forced expiration volume in 1 sec (FEV1) and FEV1/FVC. A total of 221 publications of observational studies were reviewed and 18 were selected; the data of which were meta-analyzed.

Results and discussion: In all studies the test subjects (construction workers) exposed to occupational air pollutants showed significantly lower FVC and FEV1 as compared expected levels (p≤ 0.01). The calculated Odds ratio indicates that there is positive association between COPD as compared to ARDS and exposure to pollutants.