| 1. |
- Stjernbrandt, Albin, et al.
(författare)
-
Occupational cold exposure and symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome : a population-based study
- 2022
-
Ingår i: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2474. ; 23:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Cold exposure is an underrecognized occupational hazard that may increase the risk of peripheral nerve entrapment. The aim of this study was to determine if self-reported occupational exposure to contact and ambient cooling was associated with symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).METHODS: In this mainly cross-sectional study, surveys were conducted on a population-based sample of men and women between 18 and 70 years of age, living in northern Sweden. Cold exposure and presence of symptoms suggestive of CTS were subjectively reported. Associations between exposure and outcome were evaluated using logistic regression.RESULTS: The study included 2,703 women and 2,314 men, with a median age of 60 years (interquartile range 19). Symptoms of CTS were reported by 453 (9.2%). Being highly occupationally exposed (almost always) to contact cooling of the hands was associated with reporting CTS (OR 3.20; 95% CI 1.62-6.33), as was ambient cooling (OR 2.00; 95% CI 1.03-3.88) and severe ambient cooling (OR 4.02 95% CI 2.09-7.71), after adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, current daily smoking, diabetes mellitus, joint disease, and hand-arm vibration exposure. The point estimates increased with longer daily exposure duration. For workers exposed to severe ambient cooling for more than half of their working hours, in addition to performing heavy manual handling every day, the OR for reporting CTS was 7.25 (95% CI 3.88-13.53), with a positive additive interaction effect (expressed as relative excess risk due to interaction) of 4.67.CONCLUSIONS: Self-reported occupational exposure to contact and ambient cooling was associated with symptoms suggestive of CTS. There were statistically significant positive exposure-response patterns for time spent exposed to contact and ambient cooling at work in relation to reporting symptoms of CTS. Positive additive interaction effects between cold exposure and heavy manual handling were also found. Since there was important potential uncontrolled confounding regarding repetitive wrist movements and forceful gripping, the results need to be confirmed by other studies, preferably with longitudinal design and more detailed exposure assessment.
|
|
| 2. |
- Stjernbrandt, Albin, et al.
(författare)
-
Occupational cold exposure is associated with upper extremity pain
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Frontiers in Pain Research. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2673-561X. ; 4
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Occupational cold exposure is common in Sweden but potential impacts on musculoskeletal disorders have not been thoroughly investigated. The primary aim of this study was to determine the associations between occupational contact and ambient cooling in relation to pain in the upper extremity.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a digital survey was conducted on a population-based sample of women and men between 24 and 76 years of age, living in northern Sweden. Occupational cold exposure, heavy manual handling, work with vibrating tools as well as the presence of upper extremity pain at different sites were subjectively reported. Associations between exposure and outcome were evaluated using multiple binary logistic regression.Results: The final study sample included 2,089 (54.4%) women and 1,754 men, with a mean age of 56 years. Hand pain was reported by 196 (5.2%), lower arm pain by 144 (3.8%), and upper arm pain by 451 (11.9%). Severe ambient cooling for more than half of the working time was statistically significantly associated with hand pain (OR: 2.30; 95% CI: 1.23–4.29) and upper arm pain (OR: 1.57; 95% CI: 1.00–2.47) but not lower arm pain (OR: 1.87; 95% CI: 0.96–3.65) after adjusting for gender, age, body mass index, current daily smoking, heavy manual handling, and work with vibrating tools.Conclusions: Occupational cold exposure was statistically significantly associated with hand pain and upper arm pain. Therefore, occupational cold exposure should be recognized as a potential risk factor for musculoskeletal disorders in the upper extremity.
|
|
| 3. |
- Aurelius, Kristina, et al.
(författare)
-
Perceptions of mental health, suicide and working conditions in the construction industry-A qualitative study.
- 2024
-
Ingår i: PloS one. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 19:7
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of the study was to explore perceptions of mental ill health, suicidal behaviour and working conditions among male construction workers, in order to gain an in-depth understanding of these phenomenon and to identify relevant avenues for workplace interventions.Data were collected in individual and group interviews, and 43 individuals from the Swedish construction industry, workers, union representative and managers, participated in the study. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.Five main themes were found: Difficult to talk about mental health, Demanding working environment affects mental health, Substance abuse among construction workers, Importance of management, and Need for routines and social support in the workplace. Many participants reported that there was a stigma related to mental health. Suicides that had occurred among colleagues were perceived to come out of the blue. The working environment in the construction industry was perceived to have a negative effect on mental health, and it was reported that the management played an important role in both the cause and prevention of mental health problems.The results from this Swedish study are in accordance with previous international research regarding a macho culture, stigma of mental health and a demanding working environment in the construction industry. The study adds to existing knowledge by highlighting that suicides were perceived to be very unexpected, that poor physical health affected mental health and that many participants did not know how to deal with mental health issues in the workplace.
|
|
| 4. |
- Bergman, Frida, Medicine doktor, 1984-, et al.
(författare)
-
Increasing Physical Activity In Office Workers - An RCT Of Treadmill Workstations
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0195-9131 .- 1530-0315. ; 50:5, s. 47-47
-
Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- PURPOSE: Our primary hypothesis was that an intervention with treadmill workstations would increase time spent walking. Secondary hypotheses were a decrease in time spent sitting with a concomitant increase in time spent standing and in light intensity physical activity (LPA) leading to positive effects on body measurements and body composition.METHODS: The intervention group received a treadmill workstation at their office desk during 13 months. Daily time spent sitting, standing and walking and number of steps was measured with activPAL®. Daily time in LPA and MVPA was measured with Actigraph®. Body weight, BMI and waist circumference were measured according to standardized protocols. Dual X-ray Absorptiometry was used to estimate body composition. Mixed models was used for the statistical analysis, with group, day of week (weekday/ weekend), time point and gender as fixed effects and age as a covariate. p<0.05 was considered significant.RESULTS: Eighty participants were included. The intervention group significantly increased their time spent walking at all follow-ups, with a difference at 13 months of 22 minutes (p<0.01) and 1645 steps per day (p<0.05), respectively, versus controls. Concomitantly, they decreased their MVPA with 13 minutes per day (p<0.001) at weekdays at 13 months versus baseline. We also found a decrease in LPA with 19 minutes per day (p<0.05), and of 17 minutes per day for MVPA (p<0.001) at 13 months versus baseline at weekends. The control group increased their time spent sitting with 25 minutes per day (p<0.05) and decreased the time spent standing with 35 minutes per day at weekdays (p<0.001) compared to baseline. There was also a decrease in LPA with 14 minutes per day (p<0.01) and in MVPA with 6 minutes per day (p<0.01) versus baseline during weekdays, with a decrease in sitting time with 36 minutes (p<0.05) at weekends. There were no significant changes in body measurements or body composition.CONCLUSION: It is possible to increase daily walking time by introducing treadmill workstations at offices. A decreased MVPA within the intervention group may contribute to lack of effects on body measurements and body composition. It is therefore important that future interventions aim at both reducing sedentary time as well as increasing, or at least remaining, MVPA levels.
|
|
| 5. |
- Bergman, Frida, 1984-, et al.
(författare)
-
Treadmill workstations in office workers who are overweight or obese : a randomised controlled trial
- 2018
-
Ingår i: The Lancet Public Health. - : The Lancet Publishing Group. - 2468-2667. ; 3:11
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Treadmill workstations that enable office workers to walk on a treadmill while working at their computers might increase physical activity in offices, but long-term effects are unknown. We therefore investigated whether treadmill workstations in offices increased daily walking time.Methods: We did a randomised controlled trial of healthy office workers who were either overweight or obese. We recruited participants from 13 different companies, which comprised 17 offices, in Umeå, Sweden. We included people who were aged 40-67 years, had sedentary work tasks, and had a body-mass index (BMI) between 25 kg/m2 and 40 kg/m2. After the baseline measurement, we stratified participants by their BMI (25-30 kg/m2 and >30 to 40 kg/m2); subsequently, an external statistician randomly assigned these participants (1:1) to either the intervention group (who received treadmill workstations for optional use) or the control group (who continued to work at their sit-stand desks as usual). Participants in the intervention group received reminders in boosting emails sent out to them at four occasions during the study period. Researchers were masked to group assignment until after analysis of the primary outcome. After the baseline measurement, participants were not masked to group belongings. The primary outcome was total daily walking time at weekdays and weekends, measured at baseline, 2 months, 6 months, 10 months, and 13 months with the accelerometer activPAL (PAL Technologies, Glasgow, UK), which was worn on the thigh of participants for 24 h a day for 7 consecutive days. We used an intention-to-treat approach for our analyses. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01997970, and is closed to new participants.Findings: Between Nov 1, 2013, and June 30, 2014, a total of 80 participants were recruited and enrolled (n=40 in both the intervention and control groups). Daily walking time during total time awake at weekdays increased between baseline and 13 months by 18 min (95% CI 9 to 26) in the intervention group and 1 min (-7 to 9) in the control group (difference 22 min [95% CI 7 to 37], pinteraction=0·00045); for weekend walking, the change from baseline to 13 months was 5 min (-8 to 18) in the intervention group and 8 min (-5 to 21) in the control group (difference -1 min [-19 to 17]; pinteraction=0·00045). Neither measure met our predetermined primary outcome of 30 min difference in total walking time between the intervention and control group, so the primary outcome of the trial was not met. One adverse event was reported in a participant who accidently stepped on their Achilles tendon.Interpretation: In a sedentary work environment, treadmill workstations result in a statistically significant but smaller-than-expected increase in daily walking time. Future studies need to investigate how increasing physical activity at work might have potentially compensatory effects on non-work activity.
|
|
| 6. |
- Mehlig, Kirsten, 1964, et al.
(författare)
-
Occupation-specific risk estimates for suicide and non-fatal self-harm from a Swedish cohort of male construction workers followed 1987-2018
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Occupational and Environmental Medicine. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 1351-0711 .- 1470-7926. ; 81:3, s. 142-149
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: While suicidal behaviour has become less prevalent in non-manual workers in recent decades, rates have increased in manual workers. We aimed to identify occupations within the construction industry with excess risk of suicide and non-fatal self-harm.Methods: This cohort of Swedish construction workers comprises 389 132 individuals examined 1971-1993 and followed 1987-2018 using national hospital and cause of death registers. More than 200 job titles were merged into 22 occupational groups. For 296 891 men alive in 1987 and active in the construction sector, survival was calculated from baseline to first event of non-fatal self-harm or suicide and censored for emigration, long-term unemployment, disability pension, retirement, death from other causes or end of follow-up. HRs with 95% CIs were obtained from multiple Cox proportional hazard regression.Results: Overall, 1618 cases of suicide and 4774 events of non-fatal self-harm were registered. Self-harm before baseline was the single largest risk factor for suicide, HR 9.3 (95% CI 7.5 to 11.6). Compared with the overall mean, labourers and rock workers had excess risk for suicide, HR 1.4 (95% CI 1.1 to 1.7) and 1.5 (95% CI 1.0 to 2.3), respectively, while electricians, clerks and foremen had reduced risk. Labourers, concrete workers, sheet metal workers, painters, glaziers and the group € other construction workers' were at increased risk for non-fatal self-harm. Almost all categories of manual workers were at increased risk for suicidal behaviour relative to clerks and foremen.Conclusions: Specific occupations within the construction sector were associated with excess risk for suicidal behaviour. Future studies should identify underlying risk factors to inform tailored interventions.
|
|
| 7. |
- Wahlström, Viktoria, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
-
Implementing a Physical Activity promoting program in a flex-office : A Process Evaluation with a Mixed Methods Design
- 2020
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 17:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study was to investigate facilitating and hindering factors when implementing a physical activity (PA)-promoting program among office workers moving to a flex office, by conducting a process evaluation. Additionally, we evaluated self-reported and perceived PA behaviors. With a mixed methods design, analyses were based upon data from interviews with 70 employees and repeated questionnaires from 152 employees. The PA-promoting program was fully implemented and supported by management. There was a strong health promoting culture, encouraging PA in the organization already at the start of the study. The lecture and the office design were rated as the most motivating program components. The use of stairs, breaks during meetings and social acceptance for standing and walking at work increased. Employees described a strive for variation, and how managers, the office environment, productivity and ergonomic aspects influenced sedentary behavior (SB) and PA. The need for the PA-promoting program was questioned, and the timing of the program was debated. To conclude, a strong organizational health culture combined with a facilitating physical environment can create sustainable positive PA behaviors in office settings. A thorough understanding of organizational needs and a participatory process are needed to tailor organizational interventions to decrease SB.
|
|
| 8. |
- Wahlström, Viktoria, 1972-
(författare)
-
Interventions for increased physical activity among office workers
- 2019
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The positive association between physical activity (PA) and health is well established. Technical developments in modern life have created major changes in our societies and working life, and a growing body of research has identified sedentary behavior (SB) as an independent risk factor for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer as well as for premature mortality. To promote health, it is important to find ways to decrease SB and incorporate PA in office settings, for example, by using new office designs and behavioral interventions. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate two workplace interventions among office workers to determine if these led to increased PA and reduced SB, and to describe underlying factors behind these results. The thesis is based on two workplace interventions. The first intervention was the Inphact treadmill study, a 13-month randomized controlled trial where treadmill workstations were installed and participants were instructed to use the treadmill for at least one hour per workday. The second intervention was the Active Office Design (AOD) study. This study included a multicomponent PA promoting program, implemented in parallel with an office relocation to either traditional cell offices or to a flex office with activity-based work (ABW). The two groups in the AOD study were followed from 6 months before relocation to 18 months after. Objectively measured data for SB, PA, and body measurements were collected in both studies. In the Inphact treadmill study, body composition, metabolic outcomes, self-reported energy and stress, and depression and anxiety scores were also measured. In the AOD study, measurements of health and lifestyle, musculoskeletal disorders, workload, work tasks, utilization of possibilities to be active at work, and perceptions of the performed PA promoting program were assessed via questionnaires. In addition, interview data were collected via focus groups and individual interviews. Linear mixed models were used for the main statistical analyses of the quantitative data. To explore the factors that influence SB and PA at work we combined factor analysis of mixed data with multiple linear regression.Interview data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis and a deductive approach to a process evaluation model. In both study populations, sitting time was low and standing time was high already at baseline, compared to other studies on office workers. In the Inphact treadmill study, the intervention group showed increased walking time during workdays compared to the control group for all follow-up measurements. At the same time, a decrease in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) was observed in both the intervention and control groups during leisure time. No intervention effects were seen on body measurements, body composition, metabolic outcomes, stress, or anxiety during the treadmill intervention. In the AOD study, employees relocated to flex offices increased their walking time and MVPA during work hours to a greater extent than those relocated to cell offices, but neither group changed the amount of time spent sitting at work. Contrary to the Inphact treadmill study, no compensatory effects were seen during leisure time. The exploratory analysis resulted in six employee character-types, where the “harmonic and healthy” and “engaged with high workload” tended to sit more and to stand less, while the character type with “high BMI, creative and collaborative work” tended to sit less and stand more. The process evaluation of the intervention revealed a strong culture to encourage PA within the organization and that the intervention was supported by management. The timing of the program was questioned, and activities to support the relocation to the flex office with ABW were requested. Social acceptance for standing and walking at work increased, although the need for the intervention was debated due to the strong culture of facilitating PA at work already in place prior to the study. In conclusion, we showed long-term increases in PA were achieved in office workers, but the changes did not lead to improvements in body measurements and metabolic balance during the follow-up period. The two studies showed conflicting results regarding compensatory effects during leisure. Participants in the Inphact treadmill study decreased their MVPA during leisure, while no compensatory effects were seen in the AOD-study. Our results suggest a possible ceiling effect for the amount sitting time can be reducedin office workers, and that SB and PA in offices is influenced by many factors, such as organizational culture, physical environment, work tasks, work load and physical comfort. Together, the studies in this thesis confirm the importance of carefully tailored worksite interventions for decreasing SB and increasing PA at work.
|
|
