Occupational health

The courses of objective physical activity and the association with sleepiness during a 2-week-on/2-week-off offshore shift rotation: an observational repeated-measures study

Offshore workers are assumed to have poor health behaviours, but no studies have yet examined physical activity (PA) during a full offshore shift rotation period, including both work and at home periods. Furth...

Authors: P. Ots, V. Riethmeister, J. Almansa, U. Bültmann and S. Brouwer

Workplace flexibility important for part-time sick leave selection—an exploratory cross-sectional study of long-term sick listed in Norway

Part-time sick leave (PTSL) where sick-listed individuals work a percentage corresponding to their remaining work capabilities is often used to promote return to work. The effects of PTSL are uncertain due to ...

Authors: Martin Inge Standal, Odin Hjemdal, Lene Aasdahl, Vegard Stolsmo Foldal, Roar Johnsen, Egil Andreas Fors and Roger Hagen

Sun safety knowledge, practices and attitudes in rural Australian farmers: a cross-sectional study in Western New South Wales

Rates of skin cancer in Australia are amongst the highest in the world, with Western New South Wales (NSW) exhibiting very high prevalence. There is a large proportion of outdoor workers, including farmers, in...

Authors: Charmaine D’Souza, Nikitha Kramadhari, Elizabeth Skalkos, Tegan Dutton and Jannine Bailey

Analysis of work-related accidents and ill-health in Brazil since the introduction of the accident prevention factor

Since 2004, Brazil has had a national policy for occupational health and safety. This policy means companies’ tax burden is altered according to the numbers of work-related accidents and ill-health amongst the...

Authors: Helena Eri Shimizu, Josierton Cruz Bezerra, Luciano José Arantes, Edgar Merchán-Hamann and Walter Ramalho

Occupational lifting and risk of hypertension, stratified by use of anti-hypertensives and age - a cross-sectional and prospective cohort study

Heavy occupational lifting is prevalent in the general working population and is sparsely reported to associate with hypertension, especially among older and hypertensive workers. We investigated if heavy occu...

Authors: Mette Korshøj, Harald Hannerz, Ruth Frikke-Schmidt, Jacob L. Marott, Peter Schnohr, Els Clays and Andreas Holtermann

Is the “Brainwork Intervention” effective in reducing sick leave for non-permanent workers with psychological problems? Results of a controlled clinical trial

Both the presence of psychological problems and the absence of an employment contract are related to long-term sickness absence, prolonged work disability and unemployment. Studies researching the effectivenes...

Authors: Selwin S. Audhoe, Jan L. Hoving, Bonne J. H. Zijlstra, Monique H. W. Frings-Dresen and Karen Nieuwenhuijsen

Fighting mosquito bite during a crisis: capabilities of Florida mosquito control districts during the COVID-19 pandemic

The stay-at-home orders imposed in early April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in various states complicated mosquito control activities across the United States (US), and Florida was no exception. Mosquito ...

Authors: Imelda K. Moise, Lola R. Ortiz-Whittingham, Vincent Omachonu, Marah Clark and Rui-De Xue

Why market orientation matters for agriculture and fishery workers? Unravelling the association between households’ occupational background and caloric deprivation in India

Developmental policies in low- and middle-income countries pose immense potential within the agriculture sectors to escalate economic growth and development. Almost one-half of the workforces continue to be en...

Authors: Smita, Sunil Rajpal, Shiau-Yun Lu and William Joe

Assessment of respiratory dust exposure and lung functions among workers in textile mill (Thamine), Myanmar: a cross-sectional study

Airborne dusts are being potentially harmful for workers in occupational environment. Exposure to respirable dust is the most important concern in textile workers for the widespread of occupational lung diseas...

Authors: Thet Wai Oo, Mya Thandar, Ye Minn Htun, Pa Pa Soe, Thant Zaw Lwin, Kyaw Myo Tun and Zaw Myo Han

Workplace musculoskeletal problems in occupational therapy students

Workplace musculoskeletal disorders are the leading cause of morbidity and disability in the Australian workforce. Over one in five occupational therapists report workplace musculoskeletal disorders, with almo...

Authors: Joanne Morabito, Stefania Penkala and Kristy Coxon

Supporting employees with chronic conditions to stay at work: perspectives of occupational health professionals and organizational representatives

Supporting employees with chronic conditions can prevent work-related problems and facilitate sustainable employment. Various stakeholders are involved in providing support to these employees. Understanding th...

Authors: A. R. Bosma, C. R. L. Boot, N. C. Snippen, F. G. Schaafsma and J. R. Anema

Cross-border mobility in European countries: associations between cross-border worker status and health outcomes

Mobility of workers living in one country and working in a different country has increased in the European Union. Exposed to commuting factors, cross-border workers (CBWs) constitute a potential high-risk popu...

Authors: Lucas Nonnenmacher, Michèle Baumann, Etienne le Bihan, Philippe Askenazy and Louis Chauvel

Do work ability and life satisfaction matter for return to work? Predictive ability of the work ability index and life satisfaction questionnaire among women with long-term musculoskeletal pain

Impaired work ability and reduced life satisfaction due to long-term musculoskeletal pain, particularly in neck, shoulders and back, are considered occupational health problems that can result in workers takin...

Authors: Mamunur Rashid, Marina Heiden, Annika Nilsson and Marja-Leena Kristofferzon

Occupational stress and associated factors among health care professionals in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Occupational stress is a global health problem which affects employed personals especially health professionals. The burden of stress is not limited at individual level, but also affects the organizations prod...

Authors: Bekahegn Girma, Jemberu Nigussie, Alemayehu Molla and Moges Mareg

Are return to work beliefs, psychological well-being and perceived health related to return-to-work intentions among women on long-term sick leave for common mental disorders? A cross-sectional study based on the theory of planned behaviour

Long-term sick leave due to common mental disorders (CMDs) is a great burden in society today, especially among women. A strong intention to return to work (RTW) as well as symptom relief may facilitate RTW in...

Authors: Åsa Hedlund, Marja-Leena Kristofferzon, Eva Boman and Annika Nilsson

Effectiveness and cost effectiveness of a stress management training for leaders of small and medium sized enterprises – study protocol for a randomized controlled-trial

Leaders in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are exposed to increased stress as a result of a range of challenges. Moreover, they rarely have the opportunity to participate in stress management trainin...

Authors: J. A. M. Lehmann, E. Schwarz, Z. Rahmani Azad, S. Gritzka, T. Seifried-Dübon, M. Diebig, M. Gast, R. Kilian, U. Nater, M. Jarczok, F. Kessemeier, S. Braun, E. Balint, E. Rothermund, F. Junne, P. Angerer…

Health study of 11,800 workers under occupational noise in Xinjiang

We investigated the health status of some workers exposed to occupational noise in Xinjiang, and explored the influencing factors of their health level. We aimed to determine the key protection groups of occup...

Authors: Shiyu Zhao, Dongkui He, Hanwei Zhang, Tingting Hou, Chengxin Yang, Wen Ding and Ping He

A cross-sectional study to identify the determinants of non-communicable diseases among fishermen in Southern India

India is currently facing a rising epidemic of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). Identification of modifiable risk factors is of paramount importance to curb this menace. Fishermen are one of the most vulnerab...

Authors: Akhila Doddamani, A. B. Kirthinath Ballala, Sharath P. Madhyastha, Asha Kamath and Muralidhar M. Kulkarni

Associations between occupation and heavy alcohol consumption in UK adults aged 40–69 years: a cross-sectional study using the UK Biobank

Understanding the relationship between occupation and alcohol use offers opportunities to provide health promotion programmes based on evidence of need. We aimed to determine associations between occupation an...

Authors: Andrew Thompson and Munir Pirmohamed

How can wellbeing at work and sustainable employability of gifted workers be enhanced? A qualitative study from a capability approach perspective

Being gifted with a very high IQ (> 98 percentile) can provide an advantage in the occupational context but can also come with its` own specific challenges. Where some studies found higher than average levels ...

Authors: Patricia A.J. van Casteren, Jan Meerman, Evelien P.M. Brouwers, Arno van Dam and Jac J.L. van der Klink

Concurrent and discriminant validity of ActiGraph waist and wrist cut-points to measure sedentary behaviour, activity level, and posture in office work

Sedentary Behaviour (SB) gets an increasing attention from ergonomics and public health due to its associated detrimental health effects. A large number of studies record SB with ActiGraph counts-per-minute cu...

Authors: Roman P. Kuster, Maria Hagströmer, Daniel Baumgartner and Wilhelmus J. A. Grooten

Prevalence of exhaustion symptoms and associations with school level, length of work experience and gender: a nationwide cross-sectional study of Swedish principals

While poor mental health and psychiatric disorders attributed to stressful work conditions are a public health concern in many countries, the health consequences of the occupational stress experienced by schoo...

Authors: Roger Persson, Ulf Leo, Inger Arvidsson, Carita Håkansson, Kerstin Nilsson and Kai Österberg

Prevalence and determinants of violence against health care in the metropolitan city of Peshawar: a cross sectional study

Violence against healthcare personnel is a major public health problem. Healthcare personnel are at the frontline dealing with people in stressful and unpredictable situations. Therefore, this study was conduc...

Authors: Muhammad Naseem Khan, Zia Ul Haq, Mirwais Khan, Sadia Wali, Faryal Baddia, Shaista Rasul, Salman Khan, Maciej Polkowski and Jessica Yohana Ramirez-Mendoza

Shared decision making from reintegration professionals’ perspectives to support return to work: a qualitative study

Work participation is an important determinant of public health; being unemployed leads to a decrease in an individual’s health. In the Netherlands, people with a work disability can apply for disability benef...

Authors: Marloes Vooijs, Nicole M. C. van Kesteren, Astrid M. Hazelzet and Wilma Otten

A simulation experiment study to examine the effects of noise on miners’ safety behavior in underground coal mines

Noise pollution in coal mines is of great concern. Personal injuries directly or indirectly related to noise occur from time to time. Its effects impact the health and safety of coal mine workers. This study a...

Authors: Jing Li, Yaru Qin, Lei Yang, Zhen Wang, Ke Han and Cheng Guan

Perspectives of parents of working adolescents in Ontario, Canada

More than half of adolescents have jobs in summer or sometime during the year. While employers are ultimately responsible for their safety, parents are often important in helping their children navigate the wo...

Authors: Viswanathan Shankar, Carol W. Runyan, Scott B. Harpin and John Lewko

Assessment of dust exposure and chronic respiratory symptoms among workers in medium scale woodwork factories in Ethiopia; a cross sectional study

Wood dust in a form of inhalable particulates can penetrate the lung tissues and affect respiratory health. Woodwork factory workers are at a greater risk of developing respiratory health problems because of e...

Authors: Tegegnework Yitayew Awoke, Abera Kumie Takele, Worku Tefera Mekonnen, Samson Wakuma Abaya, Yifokire Tefera Zele, Embay Amare Alemseged and Bezayit Girma Abay

Exploring expected and perceived facilitators and barriers of an indicated prevention strategy to prevent future long-term sickness absence; a qualitative study among employers and employees

An indicated prevention strategy (IPS), consisting of a screening questionnaire and early treatment, was found to be effective for the prevention of future long-term sickness absence (LTSA) in two large Dutch ...

Authors: Sophie H. Klasen, Ludovic G. P. M. van Amelsvoort, Inge Houkes, Nicole W. H. Jansen and IJmert Kant

Responsibility for chemical exposures: perspectives from small beauty salons and auto shops in southern metropolitan Tucson

Throughout the United States, low-wage, minority workers are disproportionately affected by occupational illnesses and injuries. Chronic exposure to hazardous chemicals at work can lead to serious illnesses, c...

Authors: Amanda A. Lee, Maia Ingram, Carolina Quijada, Andres Yubeta, Imelda Cortez, Nathan Lothrop and Paloma Beamer

Pattern of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever related high risk behaviors among Iranian butchers and its relation to perceived self-efficacy

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is highly fatal to humans and an acute viral disease. The CCHF disease has been reported in occupations such as butchers, slaughterhouse butchers and workers. The aim of ...

Authors: Davoud Adham, Malek Abazari, Eslam Moradi-Asl and Abbas Abbasi-Ghahramanloo

Low levels of knowledge and practice of occupational hazards among flower farm workers in southwest Shewa zone, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional analysis

Over the last decade, flower farms have been rapidly growing in Ethiopia. Following the advent and development of the sector, various work-related chemical, biological, physical, psychosocial, and ergonomic ha...

Authors: Debela Hinsermu Geleta, Mekuriaw Alemayehu, Geta Asrade and Tesfaye Hambisa Mekonnen

Depressive, anxiety, and burnout symptoms on health care personnel at a month after COVID-19 outbreak in Indonesia

Health care personnel (HCP) who demonstrated close contact with Corona virus disease (COVID-19) patients might experience a higher risk of infection and psychological problems. This study aims to explore depre...

Authors: Deni Kurniadi Sunjaya, Dewi Marhaeni Diah Herawati and Adiatma Y. M. Siregar

Development and usability of educational material about workplace particulate matter exposure

Particulate matter (PM) exposure is an important health risk, both in daily life and in the workplace. It causes respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and results in 800,000 premature deaths per year worldwi...

Authors: T. A. M. Stege, J. F. B. Bolte, L. Claassen and D. R. M. Timmermans

Effects of effort-reward imbalance, job satisfaction, and work engagement on self-rated health among healthcare workers

Healthcare workers, who protect and improve the health of individuals, are critical to the success of health systems and achieving national and global health goals. To respond effectively to the healthcare nee...

Authors: Jingjing Ge, Jing He, Yan Liu, Juying Zhang, Jingping Pan, Xueli Zhang and Danping Liu

Maternal pesticide exposure and child neuro-development among smallholder tomato farmers in the southern corridor of Tanzania

Exposure to pesticides with its associated effects prenatally and in early childhood has not received much attention. There is little scientific data on this aspect in Tanzania therefore this study was meant t...

Authors: Peter M. Chilipweli, Aiwerasia Vera Ngowi and Karim Manji

Predictors of resignation and sick leave after cancer diagnosis among Japanese breast cancer survivors: a cross-sectional study

In Japan, 55.5% of breast cancer survivors (BCSs) are of working age, so various perspectives regarding return to work (RTW) after cancer diagnosis need to be considered. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify...

Authors: Kiyomi Mitsui, Motoki Endo, Yuya Imai, Yuito Ueda, Hiroko Ogawa, Go Muto, Yan Yan, Gautam A. Deshpande, Yasuhisa Terao, Satoru Takeda, Takeshi Tanigawa, Katsuji Nishimura, Kazuhiko Hayashi, Mitsue Saito and Akatsuki Kokaze

Working conditions and health status of 6,317 front line public health workers across five provinces in China during the COVID-19 epidemic: a cross-sectional study

Public health workers at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) and primary health care institutes (PHIs) were among the main workers who implemented prevention, control, and contain...

Authors: Jinghua Li, Jingdong Xu, Huan Zhou, Hua You, Xiaohui Wang, Yan Li, Yuan Liang, Shan Li, Lina Ma, Jing Zeng, Huanle Cai, Jinzhao Xie, Chenghao Pan, Chun Hao, Stuart Gilmour, Joseph Tak-fai Lau…

Setting – based prevalence and correlates of central obesity: findings from a cross-sectional study among formal sector employees in Dodoma City, Central Tanzania

Obesity at the workplace has been associated with symptoms of lower self-esteem, increased individual and employer healthcare costs, increased absenteeism and presenteeism and reduced productivity. Therefore, ...

Authors: Mariam John Munyogwa, Kaloli Sayi Ntalima and Secilia Ng’weshemi Kapalata

Association between overtime work hours and preventive dental visits among Japanese workers

This study aimed to examine the association between overtime work and the frequency of preventive dental visits among workers in Japan.

Authors: Yoshikazu Harada, Tomohisa Nagata, Masako Nagata, Arisa Harada, Ryoichi Oya and Koji Mori

Prevalence and risk factors of self-reported wrist and hand symptoms and clinically confirmed carpal tunnel syndrome among office workers in China: a cross-sectional study

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common cause of pain, numbness and tingling in the wrist and hand region and is associated with repetitive wrist and hand use in office workers. However, scarce knowledge exis...

Authors: Beibei Feng, Kedi Chen, Xiaoxia Zhu, Wing-Yuk Ip, Lars L. Andersen, Phil Page and Yuling Wang

Economic burden of work injuries and diseases: a framework and application in five European Union countries

Estimates of the economic burden of work injuries and diseases can help policymakers prioritize occupational health and safety policies and interventions in order to best allocate scarce resources. Several att...

Authors: Emile Tompa, Amirabbas Mofidi, Swenneke van den Heuvel, Thijmen van Bree, Frithjof Michaelsen, Young Jung, Lukas Porsch and Martijn van Emmerik

Smoking practices in relation to exhaled carbon monoxide in an occupational cohort

Exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) remains a leading occupational hazard in firefighters, but cigarette and waterpipe smoking likely contributes to the other sources of CO in such workers. The aim of this study ...

Authors: Denis Vinnikov, Zhangir Tulekov, Zhanna Romanova, Ilya Krugovykh and Paul D. Blanc

Development and internal validation of risk prediction model of metabolic syndrome in oil workers

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome continues to rise sharply worldwide, seriously threatening people’s health. The optimal model can be used to identify people at high risk of metabolic syndrome as early as ...

Authors: Jie Wang, Chao Li, Jing Li, Sheng Qin, Chunlei Liu, Jiaojiao Wang, Zhe Chen, Jianhui Wu and Guoli Wang

A rapid review of mental and physical health effects of working at home: how do we optimise health?

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in changes to the working arrangements of millions of employees who are now based at home and may continue to work at home, in some capacity, for the foreseeabl...

Authors: Jodi Oakman, Natasha Kinsman, Rwth Stuckey, Melissa Graham and Victoria Weale

Complex return to work process – caseworkers’ experiences of facilitating return to work for individuals on sick leave due to musculoskeletal disorders

Authors: Ida Løchting, Margreth Grotle, Kjersti Storheim, Vegard Foldal, Martin Inge Standal, Egil Andreas Fors and Hedda Eik

Joint association of physical work demands and leg pain intensity for work limitations due to pain in senior workers: cross-sectional study

Leg pain, especially of the knees and hips, is common among senior workers and may limit the ability to perform physically demanding work. In light of the aging workforce, this study determined the joint assoc...

Authors: Sebastian Venge Skovlund, Rúni Bláfoss, Emil Sundstrup, Kristina Thomassen and Lars L. Andersen

A randomized controlled trial to improve psychological detachment from work and well-being among employees: a study protocol comparing online CBT-based and mindfulness interventions

The changing landscape of the work environment, which often encompasses expectations of employees being continuously available, makes it difficult to disengage from work and recover. This can have a negative i...

Authors: Sara Tement, Saša Zorjan, Meta Lavrič, Vita Poštuvan and Nejc Plohl

Occupational stress and psychological health impact on hypertension of miners in noisy environment in Wulumuqi, China: a case-control study

Hypertension has been declared as a global public health crisis by the World Health Organization, because of its high prevalence. It affects the health of one billion people worldwide and is directly responsib...

Authors: Yaoqin Lu, Huan Yan, Jiandong Yang and Jiwen Liu

Effects of a work-related stress model based mental health promotion program on job stress, stress reactions and coping profiles of women workers: a control groups study

Work-related stress and its detrimental effects on human health have rapidly increased during the past several years. It causes many different stress reactions, related diseases and unhealthy behavior among wo...

Authors: Ozlem Koseoglu Ornek and Melek Nihal Esin

Lifestyle-associated health risk indicators across a wide range of occupational groups: a cross-sectional analysis in 72,855 workers

Identify and compare health risk indicators for common chronic diseases between different occupational groups.

Authors: Daniel Väisänen, Lena V. Kallings, Gunnar Andersson, Peter Wallin, Erik Hemmingsson and Elin Ekblom-Bak