Biomedical subjects

B C de Zwart

Publications and source records attributed to B C de Zwart.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Gender differences in upper extremity musculoskeletal complaints in the working population.

OBJECTIVES: This study analysed the association between gender and upper extremity musculoskeletal complaints, among the general working population and in various occupational groups. The hypothesis was tested whether the higher risk for women in the general working population for these complaints could partly be explained by differences in the distribution of men and women in occupations with different risks for the onset of upper extremity musculoskeletal complaints. METHODS: The data for this study came from cross-sectional questionnaire data from 16,874 employees categorised in 21 different occupational classes. Associations between gender and complaints of the upper extremities were analysed for the total study sample and for each occupational class separately. An adjustment was made for the variable 'occupational class' in the final model in order to study the impact of occupational gender segregation on gender differences in upper extremity complaints in the working population. RESULTS: In the total study sample, significantly higher risks of complaints of the neck, shoulder, elbow, and wrist among the women were observed. Within many occupational classes, women reported significantly higher risks than did men, in particular for complaints of the neck and shoulder. Adjustment for occupational class showed increased risks for female workers for complaints of the neck, shoulder, elbow, and wrist, hence, rejecting our hypothesis on occupational gender segregation as an explanation for the higher risks for upper extremity complaints among women in the general working population. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed the presence of gender differences in upper extremity musculoskeletal complaints among the working population and in many occupational classes, with female workers having the higher risk. The results, however, do not lend support to a differential occupational exposure theory as an explanation for the higher risks for these complaints among women in the general working population. Careful consideration of gender influence in ergonomic epidemiological studies is recommended.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Musculoskeletal complaints in The Netherlands in relation to age, gender and physically demanding work.

OBJECTIVES: This cross-sectional study was performed in order to elucidate the relationship of musculoskeletal complaints with age, gender and physically demanding work in the Netherlands. METHODS: Questionnaire data of male (n = 36756) and female (n = 7730) employees, gathered as part of periodical occupational health surveys among active workers in the Netherlands, were stratified for age, gender, and type of work demands. For each stratified group prevalence rates (PR) were calculated for complaints of the back, neck, upper and lower extremities. Moreover, prevalence rate differences (PRD) were estimated as an absolute effect measure of exposure to various types of physical work demands, with active employees in mentally demanding work acting as a reference population. RESULTS: Musculoskeletal complaints among workers in physically demanding occupations were found to increase with age for both sexes. For several complaints, substantially higher rates were reported for women than for men, with a relatively high number of complaints observed among the older female workers (around 40% for complaints of back, upper and lower extremities). Significant PRDs were present in particular for employees in heavy physically demanding occupations and in jobs with mixed mental and physical work demands. CONCLUSIONS: With the ageing of the workforce in mind, these findings stress the need for implementation of preventive measures. Special attention towards the susceptible group of female employees, the elderly age groups in particular, seems justified. In order to clarify the combined effects of age and physical work demands on musculoskeletal complaints, additional studies are required.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Repeated survey on changes in musculoskeletal complaints relative to age and work demands.

OBJECTIVES: To examine changes in musculoskeletal complaints over four years in groups of employees relative to age and work demands. METHODS: Repeated questionnaire data of male employees in heavy physical work (exposed group, n = 7324) and mental work (control group, n = 4686), stratified for age (20-9, 30-9, 40-9, 50-9), were analysed. For each employee, data on the occurrence of musculoskeletal complaints from two surveys with a mean interval of around four years were available. Changes in prevalences over the follow up interval were analysed. Proportions of new, recovered, and chronic cases as well as those free of complaints at both surveys were studied. RESULTS: For most complaints, there were significantly greater increases in prevalences in the exposed group compared with the control group over the follow up interval particularly within the group aged 40-9 for back, neck, and several sites of the upper and lower limbs. The 20-9 year age group also had significantly greater changes for several musculoskeletal complaints. Within the oldest age group (50-9) exposure to heavy physical work demands only affected changes in prevalences of neck and upper arm complaints. After four years in the cohort free of complaints at the start of the follow up the group aged 40-9 had the highest prevalence of complaints of the back, neck, and the upper and lower limbs. CONCLUSIONS: Middle aged and younger employees develop musculoskeletal complaints as a result of exposure to heavy physical work. In the oldest age group health related selection seems to mask the occupational health risks under study. To prevent the expected increase in musculoskeletal disorders and related work disability in our aging workforce, preventive measures should be taken at all stages of a working life.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Selection related to musculoskeletal complaints among employees.

OBJECTIVES: To (a) describe differences in the outcome of cross sectional and longitudinal analysis on musculoskeletal complaints relative to age and work demands, and (b) to assess the entrance and drop out selection on musculoskeletal complaints among groups of employees relative to age and work demands. METHODS: A study population was selected on the basis of questionnaire data from periodical occupational health surveys of almost 45,000 employees collected between 1982 and 1993. From all companies within this data base that participated twice in company wide surveys four years apart, male employees were selected, and stratified for age and work demands. There were several populations: follow up (participation in both surveys); drop out (participation only in the first survey); entrance (participation only at the second survey); and two cross sectional populations (all participants at each survey). Prevalences of back complaints and turnover rates were analysed. RESULTS: Reported back complaints in the cross sectional analysis declined over the oldest age groups in heavy physical work versus a small increase in the longitudinal analysis. The age group 50-9 and back complaints were identified as predictors at the first survey for not participating at the second survey. Neither age nor work demands at the first survey indicated drop out among those employees with back complaints at the first survey. The effects of entrance selection on estimated prevalences were small. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that musculoskeletal disorders lead to selection out of work, affecting the validity of both cross sectional and longitudinal epidemiological studies. In future studies analyses of turnover figures on musculoskeletal complaints relative to work demands and age are recommended.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Occupational classification according to work demands: an evaluation study.

The use of job title as crude exposure measure in epidemiological studies is often inevitable when the available exposure data is scarce. In this study, an existing classification scheme of all job titles in the Netherlands into six categories of physical and mental work demands, constructed by expert judgement, was evaluated. Furthermore, a revision of this classification scheme for a research project on the relation between age, physical work demands, and musculoskeletal complaints was proposed and evaluated as well. For the evaluation, self-reported work demands, derived from questionnaire data of 38,921 employees and quantified by a scale of physical work demands and mental work demands, were used. Based on comparison of the mean scale scores of the several categories of work demands at group level, both classification schemes showed construct validity. Notwithstanding several limitations, the use of the presented classification schemes in epidemiological studies seems particularly challenging and rewarding when analysing data at group level from large and heterogeneous occupational populations. These kind of exploratory studies may generate new hypothesis on the basic patterns concerning work-related disorders, and can also be informative from a policy making perspective.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Health complaints and working conditions experienced in relation to work and age.

OBJECTIVES: The main objective is to describe the potential health and work problems of the aging employees in the Dutch working population. In this way, we can identify groups at extra risk of specific health problems. METHODS: In The Netherlands, occupational health services gather questionnaire data about work and health as part of periodical occupational health surveys (POHSs). These data from the POHSs of complaints about health and working conditions, aggregated into occupational groups and age categories, are used to provide indications for groups at extra risk of specific health problems. These problems are assessed by overviews of the relation between age and complaints about health and working conditions. RESULTS: Almost all of the health questions show an increase in health complaints with increasing age. White collar workers, especially the high grade white collar workers, usually have lower complaint percentages on health questions than blue collar workers. Female employees have relatively high complaint percentages on the health questions. Differences between occupational groups in the complaints about work and working conditions reflect the differences in work demands and exposure. The relation between age and work complaints is generally inconsistent and weak. The complaint percentages on work questions of female employees tend to be equal to or lower than those of the male employees. CONCLUSIONS: The absence of a clear increase of work complaints with advancing age in the presence of a decrease in health and working capacity may be explained by a selective turnover in the working population, especially in demanding occupations. To enhance the work participation of older employees it may be necessary to reduce the work demands and to increase decision latitude.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Physical workload and the aging worker: a review of the literature.

In the coming decades, demographic, economic and social changes will result in an increased proportion of elderly persons in the workforce in most industrialized countries. This trend is causing growing interest in the problems of the aging worker in current employment. The objective of this particular paper is to provide more insight into the impact of aging on the balance between physical work capacity and physical workload. To this end, the scientific literature in the field is reviewed and ordered by means of a specific conceptual model of "aging and physical workload". A progressive decline in physical work capacity, characterized by diminished aerobic capacity and muscular capacity, has consistently been reported. However, inter-individual differences appear to be considerable. The question of whether there are systematic differences in physical work demands between younger and older workers within occupations has been answered vaguely. Conflicting results in this matter bring into discussion the role of the actual working method as one of the determinants of the physical workload. An age-related imbalance between physical workload and physical work capacity is suggested to result in a chronic overload, increasing the risk of long-term health effects such as musculoskeletal complaints and disorders. For many aging workers in physically demanding occupations, extreme physical workloads, increasing the risk of disease or disablement, are still reported. The multiconceptual study of aging and physical workload in the present paper reveals several possibilities for preventive measures. However, as information is still lacking, additional research is needed, in particular on the onset and development of long-term effects on health in relation to age and work demands.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

After-effects of night work on physical performance capacity and sleep quality in relation to age.

The after-effects of night work on physical performance capacity and sleep quality were studied. Ten younger (age < or = 34 years) and eight older (age > 34 years) experienced shift workers were examined. Subjects performed cycle ergometer tests at an exercise intensity requiring 70% of the individual maximal oxygen uptake. Two conditions were studied: a baseline condition, i.e. the last day of a 4 days-off period, and a recovery condition after a period of seven consecutive night shifts, i.e. the second day-off after the night-shift period (32 h after leaving the night-shift period). Sleep quality of the sleep period preceding the test was also measured for both conditions. During the recovery condition the endurance time (i.e. time to exhaustion) was reduced by an average of 20% (-160s, P < 0.05) for the older shift workers only. In both age groups exercise ventilation, heart rate, oxygen uptake, perceived exertion and sleep quality remained unaffected. These findings support the hypothesis that the aging shift worker is faced with increasing complaints, even after the night-shift period. However, to clarify the mechanisms responsible for these after-effects of night work, further extensive studies must be designed.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Senior workers in the Dutch construction industry: a search for age-related work and health issues.

An increase in morbidity and disability rates in the Dutch construction industry is expected due to work force aging. In order to reduce these rates, an occupational health services instrument for senior construction workers will be developed to gather information on present problems in work and health, expectations for the future, and potential preventive policy measures. The aim of this study was to identify age-related work and health issues among construction workers that could be included in the new instrument. Questionnaire data on work and health from 1881 young (16-30 years) and 1946 old (45-64 years) construction workers were analyzed and a literature search was performed. Results show that health problems, in particular for musculoskeletal disorders, increase with advancing age, demonstrating the need for occupational health arrangements for the maintenance and improvement of work ability of senior construction workers.

Adolescent↗