| 1. |
- Andersson, Eva, 1955, et al.
(författare)
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Lung function and paper dust exposure among workers in a soft tissue paper mill.
- 2020
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Ingår i: International archives of occupational and environmental health. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1432-1246 .- 0340-0131.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To study respiratory effects of exposure to soft paper dust exposure, a relationship that is rarely studied.Soft tissue paper mill workers at a Swedish paper mill were investigated using a questionnaire and lung function and atopy screening. Spirometry without bronchodilation was performed with a dry wedge spirometer, and forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1s (FEV1) were obtained and expressed as percent predicted. Exposure to soft paper dust was assessed from historical stationary and personal measurements of total dust, in addition to historical information about the work, department, and production. The impact of high exposure to soft paper dust (>5mg/m3) vs. lower exposure≤5mg/m3, as well as cumulative exposure, was analyzed using multiple linear regression models. Multivariate models were adjusted for smoking, atopy, gender, and body mass index.One hundred ninety-eight current workers (124 male and 74 female) were included. There were significant associations between both cumulative exposure and years of high exposure to soft paper dust and impaired lung function. Each year of high exposure to soft paper dust was associated with a 0.87% decrease in FEV1 [95% confidence interval (CI) -1.39 to -0.35] and decreased FVC (-0.54%, 95% CI -1.00 to -0.08) compared to the lower exposed workers.The present study shows that occupational exposure to soft paper dust (years exceeding 5mg/m3 total dust) is associated with lung function impairment and increased prevalence of obstructive lung function impairment.
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| 2. |
- Aronsson, Gunnar, et al.
(författare)
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Health and motivation as mediators of the effects of job demands, job control, job support, and role conflicts at work and home on sickness presenteeism and absenteeism
- 2021
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Ingår i: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health. - : Springer Nature. - 0340-0131 .- 1432-1246. ; 94:3, s. 409-418
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: The first objective was to contribute to a better understanding of the contrasting and paradoxical results in studies of work environment factors and sickness presence and sickness absence. A second objective was to examine if, and under what conditions, employees choose to replace sickness absence with sickness presence, i.e., so-called substitution.Methods: The study utilizes a large body of cross-sectional questionnaire data (n = 130,161) gathered in Sweden from 2002 to 2007 in connection with a comprehensive health promotion initiative. Health and motivation were analyzed as mediators of the effects of five job factors, job control, job support, job demand, role conflict and “work to family conflict” on sickness presence and absence.Results: The results concerning job demands indicate substitution in that increased job demands are associated with increased presenteeism and reduced absenteeism. The direct effect of higher job support was increased absenteeism, but via the health and motivation paths, the total effect of more social support was health-promoting and associated with a reduction in sickness absence and sickness presence. High job control emerged as the most pronounced health-promoting factor, reducing sickness presenteeism as well as absenteeism. More role conflicts and work-to-family conflicts were directly and indirectly associated with decreased health and increased absenteeism as well as presenteeism. earlier research.Conclusion: The mediation analyzes shed light on some of the paradoxes in research on sickness presenteeism and sickness absenteeism, especially regarding job demands and job support. The substitution effect is important for workplace policy and occupational health practice.
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| 3. |
- Asplund, Sofia, et al.
(författare)
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Self-rated exhaustion disorder and associated health-related factors among municipal employees in rural areas of northern Sweden
- 2021
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Ingår i: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health. - : Springer. - 0340-0131 .- 1432-1246. ; , s. 659-668
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study among municipal employees in rural areas of northern Sweden were to assess the prevalence of self-rated exhaustion disorder (s-ED), describe plausible between-group differences in self-reported health-related factors among employees with or without s-ED, and identify health-related factors associated with s-ED.METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, data were collected from 1093 municipal employees (76.1% women) in two rural areas using an instrument measuring s-ED and health variables drawn from the Modern Worklife Questionnaire (MWQ), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the National Board of Health and Welfare's questions about physical activity. Comparisons were made between an s-ED and a non-s-ED group. Health-related factors associated with s-ED were identified through a logistic regression.RESULTS: Self-rated exhaustion disorder was reported by 21.5% of the participants. Health-related factors associated with s-ED were cognitive problems, sleep problems, depressive symptoms, high stress, poor self-rated health, and stomach problems. There was no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of participants who met the criteria of physical activity among s-ED and non-s-ED group.CONCLUSION: Findings from this study suggest that s-ED is more common among municipal employees in rural areas than in other working populations in Sweden. Several health-related factors were associated with s-ED. Regular use of a self-rated instrument in evaluating the organizational and social work environment can identify people at risk of developing exhaustion disorder and requiring long-term sick leave.
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| 4. |
- Axen, I., et al.
(författare)
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Interventions for common mental disorders in the occupational health service: a systematic review with a narrative synthesis
- 2020
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Ingår i: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0340-0131 .- 1432-1246. ; 93:7, s. 823-838
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction Common mental disorders (CMD) are leading causes of decreased workability in Sweden and worldwide. Effective interventions to prevent or treat such disorders are important for public health. Objective To synthesize the research literature regarding occupational health service (OHS) interventions targeting prevention or reduction of CMD among employees. The effect on workability (sickness absence, return-to-work and self-reported workability) and on CMD symptoms was evaluated in a narrative analysis. Data sources The literature search was performed in four electronic databases in two searches, in 2014 and in 2017. Eligibility criteria (using PICO) Population: studies investigating employees at risk or diagnosed with CMD, as well as preventive workplace intervention targeting mental health. Intervention: studies where the recruitment or the intervention was delivered by the OHS or OHS personnel were included. Control: individuals or groups who did not receive the target intervention. Outcome: all types of outcomes concerning sickness absence and psychological health were included. Study quality was assessed using a Swedish AMSTAR-based checklist, and results from studies with low or medium risk of bias were narratively synthesized based on effect or absence thereof. Results Thirty-three studies were included and assessed for risk of bias. Twenty-one studies had low or medium risk of bias. In 18 studies, rehabilitation interventions were evaluated, 11 studies concerned interventions targeting employees at risk for developing CMD and four studies investigated preventive interventions. Work-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and problem-solving skill interventions decreased time to first return-to-work among employees on sick leave for CMD in comparison with treatment-as-usual. However, effect on return to full-time work was not consistent, and these interventions did not consistently improve CMD symptoms. Selective interventions targeting employees at risk of CMD and preventive interventions for employees were heterogeneous, so replication of these studies is necessary to evaluate effect. Limitations Other workplace interventions outside the OHS may have been missed by our search. There was considerable heterogeneity in the included studies, and most studies were investigating measures targeting the individual worker. Interventions at the workplace/organizational level were less common.
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| 5. |
- Badarin, Kathryn, et al.
(författare)
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Combined exposure to heavy physical workload and low job control and the risk of disability pension : A cohort study of employed men and women in Sweden
- 2023
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Ingår i: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health. - 0340-0131 .- 1432-1246. ; 96:7, s. 973-984
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective To investigate the separate and combined effects of overall heavy physical workload (PWL) and low decision authority on all-cause disability pension (DP) or musculoskeletal DP.Methods This study uses a sample of 1,804,242 Swedish workers aged 44–63 at the 2009 baseline. Job Exposure Matrices (JEMs) estimated exposure to PWL and decision authority. Mean JEM values were linked to occupational codes, then split into tertiles and combined. DP cases were taken from register data from 2010 to 2019. Cox regression models estimated sex-specific Hazard Ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). The Synergy Index (SI) estimated interaction effects.Results Heavy physical workload and low decision authority were associated with an increased risk of DP. Workers with combined exposure to heavy PWL and low decision authority often had greater risks of all-cause DP or musculoskeletal DP than when adding the effects of the single exposures. The results for the SI were above 1 for all-cause DP (men: SI 1.35 95%CI 1.18–1.55, women: SI 1.19 95%CI 1.05–1.35) and musculoskeletal disorder DP (men: SI 1.35 95%CI 1.08–1.69, women: 1.13 95%CI 0.85–1.49). After adjustment, the estimates for SI remained above 1 but were not statistically significant.Conclusion Heavy physical workload and low decision authority were separately associated with DP. The combination of heavy PWL and low decision authority was often associated with higher risks of DP than would be expected from adding the effects of the single exposures. Increasing decision authority among workers with heavy PWL could help reduce the risk of DP.
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| 6. |
- Badarin, Kathryn, et al.
(författare)
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The impact of musculoskeletal pain and strenuous work on self-reported physical work ability : a cohort study of Swedish men and women
- 2022
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Ingår i: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0340-0131 .- 1432-1246. ; 95:5, s. 939-952
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective We investigated the separate and combined effects of musculoskeletal pain (MSP) and strenuous work (heavy physical workload (PWL)/low-decision authority) on poor physical work ability (WA).Methods This study uses baseline data from the 2010 Stockholm Public Health Questionnaire (SPHQ) including 9419 workers with good physical WA. Exposure to PWL and decision authority were estimated using sex-specific job-exposure matrices linked to occupations. Exposures (high/low) were combined with the presence of MSP. Follow-up data on physical WA were taken from the 2014 SPHQ and dichotomised (the responses: moderate, rather poor and very poor indicated poor WA). Logistic regression models calculated sex-specific odds ratios adjusting for age, education and health and lifestyle factors. Interaction between MSP and strenuous work was examined using the synergy index (SI). Analyses were conducted using SPSS.27.Results MSP, heavy PWL and low-decision authority were separately associated with poor WA. MSP was associated with higher odds of poor WA than strenuous work for women, the opposite for men. Combinations of MSP and strenuous work often resulted in higher risks of poor WA than when adding the effects of the single exposures (e.g., MSP and heavy PWL men: AOR 4.04 95% CI 2.00-8.15, women: AOR: 3.25 95% CI 1.81-5.83). The SI was non-significant for both sexes.Conclusion Workers with MSP and strenuous work often had higher risks of poor WA than would be expected from adding the effects of the single exposures. To decrease poor WA in this group, strenuous work should be lowered, and MSP addressed in workplaces.
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| 7. |
- Bartels, Susanne, et al.
(författare)
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The impact of nocturnal road traffic noise, bedroom window orientation, and work-related stress on subjective sleep quality: results of a cross-sectional study among working women.
- 2021
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Ingår i: International archives of occupational and environmental health. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1432-1246 .- 0340-0131. ; 94, s. 1523-1536
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To examine the effect of work-related stress and road noise exposure on self-rated sleep and potential additive interaction effects.Sleep and predictor variables were surveyed within two subsamples with 2191 and 1764 working women in a cross-sectional study. Sleep was assessed using a single question on general sleep quality and four questions on specific sleep problems and subsequently dichotomized (poor sleep vs. no poor sleep). Work-related stress was operationalized by job strain and effort-reward imbalance. Nocturnal exposure to road traffic noise was assessed as (a) the orientation of the bedroom window to a quiet façade vs. a low-, medium- or high-trafficked street and (b) energy-equivalent sound pressure levels for night-time modelled at the most exposed façade (Lnight). We distinguished between low (<45dB(A)), medium (45-50dB(A)) and high exposure (>50dB(A)).Poor sleep was associated with job strain and effort-reward imbalance. The prevalence of poor sleep did not increase with increasing Lnight, but bedroom window orientation showed a non-significant trend. A quiet façade had a protective effect on sleep in each Lnight category. We found a non-significant trend for an additive interaction between bedroom window orientation and job strain.Noise levels modelled for the most exposed façade likely overestimate the actual exposure and thus may not be a precise predictor of poor sleep. Bedroom window orientation seems more relevant. Potential additive interaction effects between bedroom window orientation and job strain should be considered when interpreting epidemiological study results on noise-induced sleep disturbances.
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| 8. |
- Bast-Pettersen, Rita, et al.
(författare)
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Tremor measurements in a 22-year cohort study of workers exposed to hand-held vibrating tools.
- 2021
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Ingår i: International archives of occupational and environmental health. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1432-1246 .- 0340-0131. ; 94, s. 1049-1059
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The objectives of this cohort study were to evaluate possible long-term effects of occupational exposure to hand-arm vibration (HAV) in terms of increased tremor. The aims were to evaluate whether exposure during follow-up, baseline hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS), baseline manual dexterity or current medical conditions or life-style habits might be associated with increased tremor. A further aim was to compare two different activation conditions: postural vs rest tremor.Forty men (current age: 60.4years) who had previously worked as manual workers in a specialized engineering and construction company enrolled in the study. Their hand functions had been examined in 1994. At the baseline examination, 27 had been diagnosed with HAVS, while 13 were not exposed. The follow-up examination in 2016-2017 comprised the CATSYS Tremor Pen® for measuring postural and rest tremor and the Grooved Pegboard Test for assessing manual dexterity. Blood samples were taken for assessing biomarkers that might have impact on tremor.Neither cumulative exposure to HAV during follow-up nor HAVS at baseline were associated with increased tremor. A test for manual dexterity at baseline was significantly associated with increased tremor (Tremor Intensity) at follow-up. Blood markers of current medical conditions and tobacco consumption were associated with increased tremor. Rest tremor frequency was higher than postural tremor frequency (p<0.001).The main findings of this 22-year cohort study were no indications of long-term effects on tremor related to HAV exposure and previous HAVS status. However, baseline manual dexterity was significantly associated with increased tremor at follow-up. Activation conditions (e.g., hand position) are important when testing tremor.
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| 9. |
- Berglund, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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The impact of cardiorespiratory fitness and physical workload on disability pension–a cohort study of Swedish men
- 2024
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Ingår i: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health. - 0340-0131 .- 1432-1246. ; 97:1, s. 45-55
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective Understanding the impact of physical capacity in combination with high physical workload could be beneficial for the prevention of health-related exits from work. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the separate and combined effects of low cardiorespiratory fitness and high physical workload on disability pension (DP) due to any cause, musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), and cardiovascular diseases (CVD).Methods A total of 279 353 men born between 1951 and 1961 were followed regarding DP between 2006 and 2020, ages 45–64. Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed during military conscription, using an ergometer bicycle test. Physical workload was based on a job-exposure matrix (JEM) linked to occupational title in 2005. Cox regression models estimated separate and combined associations with DP.Results Low cardiorespiratory fitness and high physical workload were associated with increased risk of DP. For all cause DP, the fully adjusted hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval for those with low cardiorespiratory fitness was 1.38 (1.32–1.46) and for those with high physical workload 1.48 (1.39–1.57). For all cause and MSD DP, but not for CVD DP, the combination of low cardiorespiratory fitness and high physical workload resulted in higher risks than when adding the effect of the single exposures.Conclusion Both low cardiorespiratory fitness in youth and later exposure to high physical workload were associated with an increased risk of DP, where workers with the combination of both low cardiorespiratory fitness and a high physical workload had the highest risks (all-cause and MSD DP).
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| 10. |
- Bernhard-Oettel, Claudia, et al.
(författare)
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Flourish, fight or flight : health in self-employment over time-associations with individual and business resources
- 2024
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Ingår i: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health. - 0340-0131 .- 1432-1246. ; 97, s. 263-278
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: Using COR theory to study developments of health and other key resources in self-employed workers in Sweden over 6 years, this study: (1) explored whether the heterogenous group of self-employed workers contained subgroups with different health trajectories, (2) investigated whether these were more typical for certain individuals (with respect to age, gender, sector, education, employment status), and (3) compared the different health trajectories regarding resource development in mental well-being, business resources, employment status, work ability. Method: The study used data from the Swedish longitudinal occupational survey of health (SLOSH) and included participants working as self-employed or combiner (N = 2642). Result: Five trajectories were identified with latent class growth curve model analysis (LCGM). Two health trajectories with (1) very good, respective (2) good stable health (together comprising 78.5% of the participants), (3) one with moderate stable health (14.8%), (4) one with a U-shaped form (1.9%), and (5) one with low, slightly increasing health (4.7%). The first two trajectories flourish: they maintained or increased in all key resources and were more likely to remain self-employed. Trajectories three and five consist of those who fight to maintain or increase their resources. Workers in the U-shaped health trajectory show signs of fight and flight after loss in health and other key resources. Conclusions: Studying subgroups with different resource developments over time was suitable to understand heterogeneity in self-employed workers. It also helped to identify vulnerable groups that may benefit from interventions to preserve their resources.
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