Occupational health

Utilization of personal protective equipment and associated factors among building construction workers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2019

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is a material, device, equipment, or clothing used or worn by workers to reduce their chance of exposure or contact with any harmful material or energy that causes injury, d...

Authors: Addisu Alehegn Alemu, Meseret Yitayew, Aklilu Azazeh and Sofia Kebede

Factors associated with musculoskeletal symptoms and heart rate variability among cleaners – cross-sectional study

The professionals who perform cleaning activity constitute a major economic sector in Brazil. Cleaners may develop health problems related to the musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems. It is necessary to ...

Authors: Josiane Sotrate Gonçalves and Tatiana de Oliveira Sato

Occupational post-traumatic stress disorder: an updated systematic review

Although numerous studies on occupational post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been conducted prior to the 1950–2010 seminal systematic review by Skogstad et al., the prevalence, risk factors, and impact...

Authors: Wanhyung Lee, Yi-Ryoung Lee, Jin-Ha Yoon, Hye-Ji Lee and Mo-Yeol Kang

Prevalence and healthcare seeking practice of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among informal sectors of hairdressers in Ethiopia, 2019: findings from a cross-sectional study

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the major threats to public health, with a significant impact on workers, employers, and the general population. Musculoskeletal disorder related to work not o...

Authors: Tesfaye Hambisa Mekonnen, Getachew Guteta Kekeba, Jember Azanaw and Gebisa Guyasa Kabito

When is work a cause of early retirement and are there any effective organizational measures to combat this? A population-based study of perceived work environment and work-related disorders among employees in Sweden

The ageing workforce has an impact on public health. The aim of this study was to evaluate work-related disorders, work tasks and measures associated with the possibility of working beyond 65 years of age or not.

Authors: Kerstin Nilsson

Gender differences and occupational factors for the risk of obesity in the Italian working population

Obesity is a multifactorial condition and a major risk factor associated with several non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, and with a higher risk of premature death and disability. Sex-sp...

Authors: C. Di Tecco, L. Fontana, G. Adamo, M. Petyx and S. Iavicoli

Long-term sickness absence in a working population: development and validation of a risk prediction model in a large Dutch prospective cohort

Societal expenditures on work-disability benefits is high in most Western countries. As a precursor of long-term work restrictions, long-term sickness absence (LTSA) is under continuous attention of policy mak...

Authors: Lennart R. A. van der Burg, Sander M. J. van Kuijk, Marieke M. ter Wee, Martijn W. Heymans, Angelique E. de Rijk, Goedele A. Geuskens, Ramon P. G. Ottenheijm, Geert-Jan Dinant and Annelies Boonen

Sickness absence and disability pension in relation to first childbirth and in nulliparous women according to occupational groups: a cohort study of 492,504 women in Sweden

Childbirth has been suggested to increase sickness absence (SA) and disability pension (DP). This may vary by occupation; however, knowledge in this field remains limited. We explored SA and DP in the years be...

Authors: Charlotte Björkenstam, Krisztina D. László, Cecilia Orellana, Ulrik Lidwall, Petra Lindfors, Margaretha Voss, Pia Svedberg and Kristina Alexanderson

Decreasing employees’ work stress by a participatory, organizational level work stress prevention approach: a multiple-case study in primary education

Work stress is an important problem among employees in education in the Netherlands. The present study aims to investigate the effects of a participatory organizational level work stress prevention approach to...

Authors: Maartje C. Bakhuys Roozeboom, Roosmarijn M. C. Schelvis, Irene L. D. Houtman, Noortje M. Wiezer and Paulien M. Bongers

Workplace violence against hospital healthcare workers in China: a national WeChat-based survey

Workplace violence (WPV) is a serious issue for healthcare workers and leads to many negative consequences. Several studies have reported on the prevalence of WPV in China, which ranges from 42.2 to 83.3%. How...

Authors: Yusheng Tian, Yuchen Yue, Jianjian Wang, Ting Luo, Yamin Li and Jiansong Zhou

Multimorbidity and quality of life after blast-related injury among US military personnel: a cluster analysis of retrospective data

Blast injury emerged as a primary source of morbidity among US military personnel during the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and led to an array of adverse health outcomes. Multimorbidity, or the pre...

Authors: Andrew J. MacGregor, James M. Zouris, Jessica R. Watrous, Cameron T. McCabe, Amber L. Dougherty, Michael R. Galarneau and John J. Fraser

Diverting blame to stay sane - young people’s strategies for dealing with the mental health effects of precarious employment: a grounded theory study

Precarious employment is a risk factor for poor mental health, particularly among young adults. Knowledge about how young people maintain their mental health while in a precarious employment situation is scarc...

Authors: Susanna Toivanen, Anna Olofsson Tarantino, Maria Emmelin and Per-Olof Östergren

Informal workplaces and their comparative effects on the health of street vendors and home-based garment workers in Yangon, Myanmar: a qualitative study

Globally, two billion workers are employed informally but there is limited research on the relationship between informal work and health. Existing studies have focused on informality as an employment condition...

Authors: Thant Ko Ko, Julia Dickson-Gomez, Gisèle Yasmeen, Wai Wai Han, Katherine Quinn, Kirsten Beyer and Laura Glasman

Effects of procedural justice on prospective antidepressant medication prescription: a longitudinal study on Swedish workers

Procedural justice has been linked to several mental health problems, but most studies have used self-reported data. There exist a need to assess the link between procedural justice and health using outcomes t...

Authors: Viktor Persson, Constanze Eib, Claudia Bernhard-Oettel and Constanze Leineweber

Time trends and social security burden of temporary work disability due to chronic venous disease in Brazil

Chronic venous disease (CVD) and disability are worldwide problems and have significant socioeconomic implications. This study aims to analyze the time trends and social security burden of temporary work disab...

Authors: Raissa M. da Coelho, Marco A. P. Nunes, Cristiane V. C. Gomes, Ilma S. dos Viana and Ângela M. da Silva

Mediating role of coping style on the relationship between job stress and subjective well-being among Korean police officers

Police officers have long been known to have one of the most stressful occupations. This study investigates their stress levels, coping styles, and subjective well-being, including affect and life satisfaction...

Authors: Gi Wook Ryu, Yong Sook Yang and Mona Choi

Physical activity in paid work time for desk-based employees: a qualitative study of employers’ and employees’ perspectives

Poor physical and mental health of employees create significant problems in the workplace. Physical activity (PA) has been shown as an effective strategy for preventing and treating numerous physical and menta...

Authors: Gemma C. Ryde, Patricia Atkinson, Martine Stead, Trish Gorely and Josie M. M. Evans

Proportion of upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders attributable to personal and occupational factors: results from the French Pays de la Loire study

Upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders (UEMSD) are one of the most common and costly occupational health problems. We aimed to assess the population-attributable fraction (PAF) of personal and occupational ...

Authors: Aboubakari Nambiema, Sandrine Bertrais, Julie Bodin, Natacha Fouquet, Agnès Aublet-Cuvelier, Bradley Evanoff, Alexis Descatha and Yves Roquelaure

Prevalence of primary headache disorders among information technology staff in China: the negative effects of computer use and other correlative factors

To date, there have been very few studies that have explored the relationship between headaches and computer use. The chief aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of primary headache disorders amon...

Authors: Chunlin Li, Lei Zhang, Jin Zhou, Zhiliang Fan, Yan Wang, Xiaolin Wang, Weidong Wang and Shengyuan Yu

Association of Serum Uric Acid with cardio-metabolic risk factors and metabolic syndrome in seafarers working on tankers

There is still controversy over the clinical interpretation of the association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and serum uric acid (SUA) levels. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the associ...

Authors: Fereshteh Baygi, Kimmo Herttua, Ali Sheidaei, Alireza Ahmadvand and Olaf Chresten Jensen

The effects of counseling via a smartphone application on microentrepreneurs’ work ability and work recovery: a study protocol

Authors: J. Laitinen, E. Korkiakangas, J. P. Mäkiniemi, S. Tiitinen, P. Tikka, H. Oinas-Kukkonen, A. M. Simunaniemi, S. Ahola, J. Jaako, M. Kekkonen, M. Muhos, K. Heikkilä-Tammi, H. Hannonen, S. Lusa, A. Punakallio, J. Oksa…

Study protocol of a co-created primary organizational-level intervention with the aim to improve organizational and social working conditions and decrease stress within the construction industry – a controlled trial

Within construction industry, physical work exposures have long been recognized as possible determinants for musculoskeletal disorders, but less attention has been given the increasing organizational and socia...

Authors: Emma Cedstrand, Anna Nyberg, Theo Bodin, Hanna Augustsson and Gun Johansson

Effects of exposure to workplace terrorism on subsequent doctor certified sickness absence, and the modifying role of psychological and social work factors: a combined survey and register study

Studies have shown that terrorist attacks affect the mental and physical health of persons exposed to terrorism. When terror strikes at the workplace where people spend much time, and should feel safe, the hea...

Authors: Mona Berthelsen, Marianne Bang Hansen, Alexander Nissen, Morten Birkeland Nielsen, Stein Knardahl and Trond Heir

Psychological resources in adolescence and the association with labour market participation in early adulthood: a prospective cohort study

Young adults at the age of 25–29 in Denmark have the highest unemployment rate and are at higher risk of labour market marginalization. Exclusion from the labour market may have negative individual consequence...

Authors: Jacob Devantie Jensen, Johan Hviid Andersen and Trine Nøhr Winding

Influence of benzene exposure, fat content, and their interactions on erythroid-related hematologic parameters in petrochemical workers: a cross-sectional study

Ubiquitously distributed benzene is a known hematotoxin. Increasing evidence has suggested that erythroid-related hematologic parameters may be sensitive to benzene exposure. Fat content, which is also closely...

Authors: Xue Zhang, Qifei Deng, Zhini He, Jie Li, Xiaoju Ma, Zhaorui Zhang, Dehua Wu, Xiumei Xing, Jing Peng, Hongyu Guo, Ming Huang, Liping Chen, Shanfeng Dang, Yanqun Zhu, Zhengbao Zhang, Boyi Yang…

Development and content validity of the Abilitator: a self-report questionnaire on work ability and functioning aimed at the population in a weak labour market position

The unemployed have lower work ability and poorer health than the employed. This situation deteriorates when unemployment continues. The long-term unemployed often have co-morbidities and face many other chall...

Authors: Miia Wikström, Heidi Anttila, Minna Savinainen, Anne Kouvonen and Matti Joensuu

Time-efficient and computer-guided sprint interval exercise training for improving health in the workplace: a randomised mixed-methods feasibility study in office-based employees

The efficacy of high-intensity interval training (HIT) as a time-efficient exercise strategy for beneficially modifying risk factors for cardiovascular disease has repeatedly been demonstrated in controlled la...

Authors: Richard S. Metcalfe, Hady Atef, Kelly Mackintosh, Melitta McNarry, Gemma Ryde, Denise M. Hill and Niels B. J. Vollaard

The status of job burnout and its influence on the working ability of copper-nickel miners in Xinjiang, China

Job burnout is increasingly common among occupational groups, and it is evolving into a new occupationally harmful phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to investigate the status of job burnout and its inf...

Authors: Xuemei Sun, Li Zhang, Chen Zhang, Jiwen Liu and Hua Ge

Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards viral haemorrhagic fevers amongst healthcare workers in urban and rural public healthcare facilities in the N’zérékoré prefecture, Guinea: a cross-sectional study

The 2013–2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa began in Guinea’s Forest region, a region now considered to be at high risk for future epidemics of viral haemorrhagic fevers (VHF). Good knowledge, attitudes and pr...

Authors: Manuel Raab, Lisa M. Pfadenhauer, Tamba Jacques Millimouno, Michael Hoelscher and Guenter Froeschl

Sick-listed workers’ experiences with motivational interviewing in the return to work process: a qualitative interview study

When returning to work after being on long-term sick leave, individuals may experience varying levels of motivation and self-efficacy. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a counseling style that aims to increase...

Authors: Vegard Stolsmo Foldal, Martin Inge Standal, Lene Aasdahl, Roger Hagen, Gunnhild Bagøien, Egil Andreas Fors, Roar Johnsen and Marit Solbjør

A probabilistic approach for economic evaluation of occupational health and safety interventions: a case study of silica exposure reduction interventions in the construction sector

Construction workers are at a high risk of exposure to various types of hazardous substances such as crystalline silica. Though multiple studies indicate the evidence regarding the effectiveness of different s...

Authors: Amirabbas Mofidi, Emile Tompa, Seyed Bagher Mortazavi, Akbar Esfahanipour and Paul A. Demers

Facilitators, barriers and support needs for staying at work with a chronic condition: a focus group study

Working with a chronic condition can be challenging. Providing support to workers with a chronic condition can help them to stay at work and prevent work-related problems. Workers with a chronic condition who ...

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

Process evaluation of a workplace-based health promotion and exercise cluster-randomised trial to increase productivity and reduce neck pain in office workers: a RE-AIM approach

This study uses the RE-AIM framework to provide a process evaluation of a workplace-based cluster randomised trial comparing an ergonomic plus exercise intervention to an ergonomic plus health promotion interv...

Authors: Alyssa Welch, Genevieve Healy, Leon Straker, Tracy Comans, Shaun O’Leary, Markus Melloh, Gisela Sjøgaard, Michelle Pereira, Xiaoqi Chen and Venerina Johnston

Occupational stress and the risk of turnover: a large prospective cohort study of employees in Japan

Although several studies have examined the association between occupational stress and turnover, these studies relied on cross-sectional designs, subjects’ self-report, healthcare workforce, or small sample si...

Authors: Yuko Kachi, Akiomi Inoue, Hisashi Eguchi, Norito Kawakami, Akihito Shimazu and Akizumi Tsutsumi

Does lung function predict the risk of disability pension? An 11-year register-based follow-up study

Spirometry is widely used in medical surveillance in occupational health and as a diagnostic test for obstructive and restrictive lung disease. We evaluated the effect of spirometry parameters on the risk of a...

Authors: Irmeli Lindström, Paula Pallasaho, Jouko Remes, Tuula Vasankari and Markku Heliövaara

The prevalence and correlates of burnout among Chinese preschool teachers

A series of studies have suggested that teachers are likely to experience professional burnout in various regions around the world. To date, no known research has been conducted to investigate the prevalence a...

Authors: Shen Li, Yibo Li, Hao Lv, Rui Jiang, Peng Zhao, Xin Zheng, Lili Wang, Jie Li and Fuqiang Mao

The design and development of a hybrid off-job crafting intervention to enhance needs satisfaction, well-being and performance: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Employees dealing with job demands such as high workload and permeable work-life boundaries could benefit from bottom-up well-being strategies such as off-job crafting. We have developed a hybrid off-job craft...

Authors: Merly K. Kosenkranius, Floor A. Rink, Jessica de Bloom and Machteld van den Heuvel

Development and evaluation of a strength-based method to promote employment of work-disability benefit recipients with multiple problems: a feasibility study

For people with disabilities, chances to find or keep work are negatively affected by multiple problems like lower education, poverty and poor health. Furthermore, although active labour market policies proved...

Authors: Kor A. Brongers, Bert Cornelius, Jac J. L. van der Klink and Sandra Brouwer

Factors affecting HBV vaccination in a Medical training College in Kenya: A mixed methods Study

Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is highly endemic in Sub-Saharan Africa with 70 to 90% of the population becoming infected before the age of 40 years. Healthcare workers (HCWs) including healthcare students (HCSs) are...

Authors: Anne Njeri Maina and Leah Chebet Bii

Workers’ physical activity data contribute to estimating maximal oxygen consumption: a questionnaire study to concurrently assess workers’ sedentary behavior and cardiorespiratory fitness

Sedentary behavior (SB) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) are important issues in occupational health. Developing a questionnaire to concurrently assess workers’ SB and CRF could fundamentally improve epidem...

Authors: Tomoaki Matsuo, Rina So and Masaya Takahashi

The mediating role of cognitive and affective empathy in the relationship of mindfulness with engagement in nursing

The work of health professionals is characterized by a high demand for psychological and emotional resources and high levels of stress. Therefore, the promotion of commitment and job well-being through strateg...

Authors: María del Carmen Pérez-Fuentes, José Jesús Gázquez Linares, María del Mar Molero Jurado, María del Mar Simón Márquez and África Martos Martínez

Cluster-randomised trial evaluating a complex intervention to improve mental health and well-being of employees working in hospital – a protocol for the SEEGEN trial

Health care employees in Germany and worldwide are exposed to a variety of stressors. However, most of the hospitals in Germany lack a systematic workplace health management. Thus, this study aims at the evalu...

Authors: Nadine Mulfinger, Anja Sander, Felicitas Stuber, Regina Brinster, Florian Junne, Ronald Limprecht, Marc N. Jarczok, Tanja Seifried-Dübon, Monika A. Rieger, Stephan Zipfel, Martin Peters, Maja Stiawa, Imad Maatouk, Madeleine Helaß, Christoph Nikendei, Eva Rothermund…

Fatigue in ferry shipping employees: the role of work-family conflict and supervisor support

Fatigue is a concern in ferry shipping as it has a negative impact on crew members health and plays a major role in marine incidents and accidents. Research within land-based occupational settings has found th...

Authors: Solveig Boeggild Dohrmann, Kimmo Herttua and Anja Leppin

The effectiveness of workplace nutrition and physical activity interventions in improving productivity, work performance and workability: a systematic review

Healthy lifestyles play an important role in the prevention of premature death, chronic diseases, productivity loss and other social and economic concerns. However, workplace interventions to address issues of...

Authors: Aikaterini Grimani, Emmanuel Aboagye and Lydia Kwak

Implementation of the Swedish Guideline for Prevention of Mental ill-health at the Workplace: study protocol of a cluster randomized controlled trial, using multifaceted implementation strategies in schools

Given today’s high prevalence of common mental disorders and related sick leave among teachers, an urgent need exists for a more systematic approach to the management of social and organizational risk factors ...

Authors: Lydia Kwak, Caroline Lornudd, Christina Björklund, Gunnar Bergström, Lotta Nybergh, Liselotte Schäfer Elinder, Kjerstin Stigmar, Charlotte Wåhlin and Irene Jensen

Prevalence of burnout and associated factors among general practitioners in Hubei, China: a cross-sectional study

High occupational burnout among general practitioners (GPs) is an important challenge to China’s efforts to strengthen its primary healthcare delivery; however, data to help understand this issue are unavailab...

Authors: Yong Gan, Heng Jiang, Liqing Li, Yudi Yang, Chao Wang, Jianxin Liu, Tingting Yang, Sampson Opoku, Sai Hu, Hongbin Xu, Chulani Herath, Yuanyuan Chang, Pengqian Fang and Zuxun Lu

Development of a new measure for mental retirement; testing of a three-factor structure of mental retirement in different subgroups

The aim of this study is to develop a new measure for the concept of mental retirement and test the construct validity of the measure. Employees who are ‘mentally retired’ are present at their work physically,...

Authors: Jenny J. J. M. Huijs, Irene L. D. Houtman and Roland W. B. Blonk

Association of work-related and leisure-time physical activity with workplace food purchases, dietary quality, and health of hospital employees

While leisure-time physical activity (PA) has been associated with reduced risk of cardiometabolic disease, less is known about the relationship between work-related PA and health. Work-related PA is often not...

Authors: Emily H. Feig, Douglas E. Levy, Jessica L. McCurley, Eric B. Rimm, Emma M. Anderson, Emily D. Gelsomin and Anne N. Thorndike

OTP-PRL: an app for occupational risk prevention in policing activities

The rapid progress in information and communication technologies has promoted the development of smartphone applications (apps) for a wide variety of purposes including workplace safety. However, no specific a...

Authors: José C. Vera-Jiménez, Marta Ferreiro-González, Gerardo F. Barbero, José Ángel Álvarez, Francisco Fernández-Zacarías and Jesús Ayuso

Moderating role of job satisfaction on turnover intention and burnout among workers in primary care institutions: a cross-sectional study

Global countries are suffering from a shortage of health professionals. Turnover intention is closely related to job satisfaction and burnout, making good use of these relationships could alleviate the crisis....

Authors: Xuyu Chen, Li Ran, Yuting Zhang, Jinru Yang, Hui Yao, Sirong Zhu and Xiaodong Tan