Journal of occupational and environmental medicine最新文献

Objective: This study aims to assess glucose as a biomarker for the sympathetic stress response in firefighters.

Methods: Fifteen professional firefighters wore continuous glucometers over a 12-day period. We observed glucose levels during on-duty emergency calls and off-duty stressful events. Perceived stress levels were reported, and metabolic confounders (food and drink intake) were controlled for.

Results: Glucose both increased and decreased during stressful events, with 39% of on-duty glucose decreases being associated with physically demanding tasks. The magnitude of glucose change was affected by perceived stress and duration of emergency calls. Stressful events happened 5.43 times (95% CI 4.31-6.85) more often on-duty. On-duty fasting glucose values varied significantly from off-duty fasting glucose values.

Conclusions: Our findings shed light on the relationship between occupational stress and high prevalence of stress related health conditions in firefighters.

Objective: We investigated associations between room function, office design, workplace spatial layout, and office workers' sitting behavior.

Methods: We analyzed sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit transitions of 48 office workers during one work week (accelerometry), all office locations that those workers visited (end-of-day questionnaire), and physical features of those office locations (coded).

Results: Office workers sat longer in offices than in meeting rooms; stood longer in large, shared offices; stood longer in offices with two workstations compared to one; stood longer in offices that had additional chairs; and sat longer when waste paper bins were out of arm's reach.

Conclusions: Office workers' sitting patterns are-to some extent-related to workplace design. However, workplace design may impact sitting mainly through the work tasks and/or opportunities for collegial interactions that room designs afford.

Objective: Firefighters are exposed to a disproportionately high number of traumatic incidents and, thus, display elevated rates of trauma-related mental health disorders, with the reported average PTSD prevalence being 7.3% in firefighters vs 1.3-3.5% in the general populationOftentimes, conventional treatments demonstrate limited efficacy. Ketamine-assisted therapy (KAT) has recently arisen with promising long-term results.

Methods: The experiences of six firefighters who had enrolled in but not begun the Roots to Thrive (RTT) KAT program was investigated. Interviews were conducted pre-treatment, and a thorough thematic analysis was performed.

Results: Four major themes were identified: (1) feeling stuck and reaching a breaking point, (2) stigma surrounding PTSD and the use of ketamine for treatment, (3) the importance of self-advocacy in navigating access to treatment, and (4) substantial financial and logistical barriers.

Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of system-wide changes necessary to support treatment-seeking individuals.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the association between emotional labor and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among Korean workers.

Methods: This study used data from the Korean Work, Health, and Sleep Study. Emotional labor was measured using the Korean Emotional Labour Scale-11, and participants were classified into high- and low-risk groups. CVD risk factors assessed included smoking, alcohol consumption, exercise, sleep duration, obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia. Generalized estimating equation models were used to analyze the associations.

Results: High-risk emotional labor was significantly associated with increased odds of smoking, lack of exercise, and insufficient sleep. Chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia also showed elevated odds in the high-risk group, particularly among males.

Conclusions: This study suggests emotional labor as a critical occupational stressor contributing to various CVD risk factors.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine exertional heat illness (EHI) complications and their associations with post-EHI outcomes.

Methods: In a retrospective cohort of 24,121 service members (SM) with first-time EHI in 2012 to 2022, we analyzed six EHI complications: rhabdomyolysis, acute kidney injury (AKI), neurological symptoms, acidosis, respiratory/cardiovascular distress, and other organ damage. Post-EHI outcomes included medical military separation and chronic diseases.

Results: Using clustering, SMs were placed into six clusters based on patterns of complications: mild (81%; no complications), AKI/no rhabdomyolysis (5%), rhabdomyolysis/no AKI (6%), rhabdomyolysis/AKI (5%), and neurological symptoms (2%). AKI and/or rhabdomyolysis clusters were associated with being male, being obese, no chronic conditions, reduced medical separation risk, and increased AKI risk; the smaller neurological cluster had more females, chronic conditions, and separation risk.

Conclusion: EHI clusters have differential associations with both pre-EHI demographics/history and post-EHI outcomes.

Objective: This study addresses the lack of validated tools to assess satisfaction with virtual reality (VR) applications in occupational health and safety (OHS) training.

Methods: A 22-item satisfaction scale was developed through item generation, expert review, and pilot testing. Data were collected from 258 participants who completed VR-based OHS training between February and June 2024. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted, along with internal consistency checks using Cronbach α.

Results: The scale explained 70.657% of the total variance. Internal consistency was high, with Cronbach α values of 0.958 for Effectiveness-Learning, 0.928 for Perceived Satisfaction, 0.778 for Ease of Perception, and 0.966 overall.

Conclusions: The developed scale is a valid and reliable instrument for evaluating satisfaction with VR-based OHS training, supporting the improvement of training effectiveness and learner-centered design.

Objective: This study examined the association of working time control (WTC)-the degree of employee autonomy over work hours-with health-related productivity loss (HRPL) and work engagement among Korean wageworkers.

Methods: Data were drawn from 4612 wage workers in the 2024 Korean Work, Sleep, and Health Study. HRPL and work engagement were measured using validated instruments. Generalized linear models and logistic regression were used to assess associations, controlling for demographic and occupational covariates.

Results: Lower WTC was linked to higher HRPL and decreased work engagement. A slight HRPL decrease in the lowest control group appeared driven by reduced absenteeism. Men, younger workers, and nonshift workers were more vulnerable to low WTC.

Conclusions: WTC is significantly associated with both productivity and work engagement. Enhancing employee autonomy in scheduling may improve health and organizational outcomes in workplaces.

Background: US businesses were considerably impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Return to work after exposure or illness was challenging.

Objective: This study aimed to assess employers' experiences and perspectives during the pandemic with SARS-CoV-2 testing in their workforce.

Methods: An anonymous survey was delivered to employers across nine NORA sectors. Data were analyzed using SAS Version 9.4.

Results: Thirty percent of the respondents worked in a small-sized company (<100 employees), 28% were 100-500 employees, and 42% were more than 500. Small, medium, and large companies were differentially affected, with larger companies affected the most. Sixty-eight percent reported utilizing testing in their return-to-work strategy. Delay in getting results was the most common reported barrier to testing during the early phase of the pandemic (60%).

Conclusion: This study will help prepare employers in return-to-work testing decisions in future pandemics.

Objective: This study examined the associations between telework frequency and physical function, body composition, and physical symptoms among Japanese office workers.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 93 workers from Tokyo. Telework frequency was categorized into four groups: no telework, ≤1, 2-3, and ≥4 d/wk. The 30-second chair stand test, bioelectrical impedance analysis, and the Japanese version of the Somatic Symptom Scale-8 (SSS-8) were used for assessment.

Results: A higher telework frequency was significantly associated with lower chair-standing test performance ( P for trend = 0.048). No significant trends were observed in skeletal muscle mass or body fat percentage. Severe physical symptoms (SSS-8 score ≥16) were more prevalent among high-frequency teleworkers ( P < 0.05).

Conclusions: These findings highlight the need for interventions to mitigate the negative impacts of telework on workers' physical fitness.