| 1. |
- Hallman, David M., 1979-, et al.
(författare)
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Long-term monitoring of physical behavior reveals different cardiac responses to physical activity among subjects with and without chronic neck pain
- 2015
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Ingår i: BioMed Research International. - : Hindawi Limited. - 2314-6133 .- 2314-6141. ; 2015
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background We determined the extent to which heart rate variability (HRV) responses to daily physical activity differ between subjects with and without chronic neck pain. Method Twenty-nine subjects (13 women) with chronic neck pain and 27 age- and gender-matched healthy controls participated. Physical activity (accelerometry), HRV (heart rate monitor) and spatial location (Global Positioning System (GPS)) were recorded for 74 hours. GPS data were combined with a diary to identify periods of work, and of leisure at home and elsewhere. Time- and frequency-domain HRV indices were calculated, and stratified by period and activity type (lying/sitting, standing, or walking). ANCOVAs with multiple adjustments were used to disclose possible group differences in HRV. Results The pain group showed a reduced HRV response to physical activity compared with controls (p=.001), according to the sympathetic-baroreceptor HRV index (LF/HF, ratio between low and high frequency power), even after adjustment for leisure time physical activity, work stress, sleep quality, mental health, and aerobic capacity (p=.02). The parasympathetic response to physical activity did not differ between groups.Conclusions Relying on long-term monitoring of physical behavior and heart rate variability, we found an aberrant sympathetic-baroreceptor response to daily physical activity among subjects with chronic neck pain.
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| 2. |
- Jahncke, Helena, 1982-, et al.
(författare)
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A cross-sectional study of alternations between physical and mental tasks
- 2016
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. Health and well-being at work is generally assumed to be associated with sufficient physical and mental variation. Job rotation, where workers typically alternate between different physical tasks, is a popular initiative. Controlled experiments suggest that favourable effects are associated with alternations between mental and physical tasks, but little is known about this intervention in real work. The aims of this study were (1) to describe the occurrence of alternations between mental and physical tasks, and (2) to identify key determinants of such alternations.Method. We developed a questionnaire combining established questions with specific questions about alternations. Workers from two occupations (industrial and non-industrial blue-collar work), in jobs containing both physical and mental tasks, were included in the study. 122 (55 females) out of 293 workers approached at four companies answered the questionnaire.Results. On average, the workers alternated 3.5 times per day between mental and physical tasks. In the non-industrial companies, workers reported wanting more alternations than they had, while desired and actual alternations did not differ in the industrial companies. This effect of occupation on the difference between the number of alternations wanted and the actual alternations available was significant (p < 0.001). Furthermore, there was a general preference for performing a physical task after a mental task, and vice versa. This main effect of primarily performed task type (i.e. either physical or mental) on preferred subsequent task type was significant (p < 0.001). In a univariate analysis, gender appeared to be a strong determinant of the occurrence of alternations, but the effect was absorbed when adding the occupation variable.Discussion. Within the studied companies, work offered alternations between mental and physical tasks and there was a preference among workers to alternate between tasks. Occupation rather than gender was a key determinant of the number of alternations reported.
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| 3. |
- Jahncke, Helena, 1982-, et al.
(författare)
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Variation at work : alternations between physically and mentally demanding tasks in blue-collar occupations
- 2017
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Ingår i: Ergonomics. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0014-0139 .- 1366-5847. ; 60:9, s. 1218-1227
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aims of this questionnaire study were to describe the occurrence and desired number of alternations between mental and physical tasks in industrial and non-industrial blue-collar work, and determine to which extent selected personal and occupational factors influence these conditions. On average, the 122 participating workers (55 females) reported to have close to four alternations per day between mental and physical tasks, and to desire more alternations than they actually had. They also expressed a general preference for performing a physical task after a mental task and vice versa. In univariate regression models, the desired change in task alternations was significantly associated with Gender, Age, Occupation, Years with current work tasks, and Perceived job control, while Occupation was the only significant determinant in a multiple regression model including all factors. Our results suggest that alternations between productive physical and mental tasks could be a viable option in future job rotation.
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| 4. |
- Johansson, Elin, et al.
(författare)
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Compositional analysis of sedentary behavior and physical activity during work and leisure among male and female office workers
- 2019
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Objective: To determine the extent to which male and female office workers differ in their time-use composition of sitting behaviors (SB) and physical activity (PA) during work and leisure.Methods: SB and PA was measured using thigh-worn accelerometers for up to 8 full days in 77 male and 104 female office workers. Daily time-use compositions during work and leisure were described in four exhaustive categories, i.e. sitting in short (<30 min) and long (≥30 min) bouts, standing, and active behaviors. Following a compositional data analysis procedure, isometric log-ratios (ilr) were calculated to express time in sitting relative to non-sitting, short relative to long sitting bouts, and standing relative to active behaviors. Differences between sexes (men and women) and domains (work and leisure) were examined on the basis of these ilrs using ANOVA.Results: At work, time spent sitting in short bouts, long bouts, standing, and active was, on average, 34%, 36%, 22% and 8% among men and 31%, 37%, 24% and 8% among women. Corresponding proportions during leisure were 34%, 25%, 28% and 13% among men and 29%, 28%, 31% and 12% among women. Time spent sitting relative to non-sitting differed significantly between work and leisure (ilr sitting-vs-non-sitting, partial eta squared=0.09, p<0.01). During leisure, men used proportionally more time than women in short sitting bouts (ilr short-vs-long, partial eta squared=0.06, p<0.01) and spent more time in active behaviors relative to standing (ilr standing-vs-active, partial eta squared=0.04, p<0.01). No significant sex differences were observed during work (p>0.05).Conclusions: The leisure behavior observed among men is probably more beneficial for health than that observed for women. However, both men and women spent a major proportion of their time sitting, both at and outside their office work, and they were, in general, only little active. Thus, both men and women could benefit from interventions to reduce SB and increase PA both at work and during leisure.
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| 5. |
- Lyskov, Eugene, et al.
(författare)
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Directly measured physical activity and heart rate variability among workers with and without musculoskeletal disorders
- 2015
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundAberration in autonomous nervous system regulation may play an important role in the development of work related musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). Recent studies indicated that sympathetic activity was increased relative to vagal effects in subjects with MSD, as measured through heart rate variability (HRV). However, the cause of this physiological change is difficult to determine, since several factors influence HRV, almost importantly the pattern of daily physical activity (PA).The aim of this study was to identify possible differences in PA between workers with and without MSD, and assess associations between HRV and PA. Methods: Twenty-six workers with MSD (41 years, 13 females) and twenty-four matched symptom-free controls from an industry in mid-Sweden participated in the study. ECG was monitored by the First Beat system whereas PA was recorded by a tri-axial accelerometer ActivPAL attached to thigh. GPS data were collected to identify the spatial location of the participantsResultsThe groups showed similar distributions of total time spent at work, at home and "elsewhere". The lowest PA levels were found at work for both groups. Leisure time PA "elsewhere" was significantly lower among subjects with MSD than among controls. Time domain HRV variables were clearly correlated with PA levels and showed trend differences (0.05ConclusionsWorkers with MSD showed a different pattern of leisure time PA compared with symptom-free workers. These PA differences may have contributed in explaining the difference in autonomic activity, as measured through HRV, observed between the two groups, and even in previous studies of similar groups.
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| 6. |
- Srinivasan, Divya, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of concurrent physical and cognitive demands on muscle activity and heart rate variability in a repetitive upper-extremity precision task
- 2016
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Ingår i: European Journal of Applied Physiology. - : Springer. - 1439-6319 .- 1439-6327. ; 116:1, s. 227-239
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose Most previous studies of concurrent physical and cognitive demands have addressed tasks of limited relevance to occupational work, and with dissociated physical and cognitive task components. This study investigated effects on muscle activity and heart rate variability of executing a repetitive occupational task with an added cognitive demand integral to correct task performance.Methods Thirty-five healthy females performed 7.5 min of standardized repetitive pipetting work in a baseline condition and a concurrent cognitive condition involving a complex instruction for correct performance. Average levels and variabilities of electromyographic activities in the upper trapezius and extensor carpi radialis (ECR) muscles were compared between these two conditions. Heart rate and heart rate variability were also assessed to measure autonomic nervous system activation. Subjects also rated perceived fatigue in the neck–shoulder region, as well as exertion.Results Concurrent cognitive demands increased trapezius muscle activity from 8.2 % of maximum voluntary exertion (MVE) in baseline to 9.0 % MVE (p = 0.0005), but did not significantly affect ECR muscle activity, heart rate, heart rate variability, perceived fatigue or exertion.Conclusion Trapezius muscle activity increased by about 10 %, without any accompanying cardiovascular response to indicate increased sympathetic activation. We suggest this slight increase in trapezius muscle activity to be due to changed muscle activation patterns within or among shoulder muscles. The results suggest that it may be possible to introduce modest cognitive demands necessary for correct performance in repetitive precision work without any major physiological effects, at least in the short term.
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