SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Work”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

PubMed2004

Work status and burn specific health after work-related burn injury.

UNLABELLED: Work status is a valid indicator of post burn health. There is limited information on this issue after work-related burn injury. AIM: To investigate long-term health- and work status after work-related burns. METHOD: Eighty-six former patients treated for severe work-related burn injuries an average of 9.0 years previous to follow-up were questioned about their present work status. They were also assessed with the Burn Specific Health Scale-Brief (BSHS-B) and a pain scale adopted from the abbreviated Burn Specific Health Scale. RESULTS: At follow-up 71 (83%) of the former patients were working, nine (10%) were on sick leave or had a disability pension, and six (7%) were unemployed. Those who were not working reported a poorer outcome in three of the BSHS-B psychosocial domains (Body Image, Affect and Interpersonal Relationships) and in two of the BSHS-B physical domains (Treatment Regimens and Work). They also reported significantly more pain. CONCLUSION: Only a small group of former patients with work-related accidents were not working in the sample studied after a long follow-up period. The unemployed reported more pain and worse perceived health, particularly in psychosocial domains.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Reconceptualizing the work-family interface: an ecological perspective on the correlates of positive and negative spillover between work and family.

Ecological theory was used to develop a more expanded conceptualization of the work-family interface and to identify significant correlates of multiple dimensions of work-family spillover. Using data from employed adults participating in the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (N = 1,986), negative spillover from work to family, positive spillover from work to family, negative spillover from family to work, and positive spillover from family to work were found to be distinct work-family experiences. Analyses indicated that work and family factors that facilitated development (e.g., decision latitude, family support) were associated with less negative and more positive spillover between work and family. By contrast, work and family barriers (e.g., job pressure, family disagreements) were associated with more negative spillover and less positive spillover between work and family. In some cases, results differ significantly by gender.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

[Assessing the work-role quality and its significance in predicting return to work].

Non-medical factors such as age, years of schooling, and job satisfaction play an important role in determining whether patients resume their work after rehabilitation treatment. One element is the way the work situation is perceived by the patient. Usually, aspects of strain or job concerns are assessed. But employment does also include positive and rewarding aspects, though, such as meaning or social contact. According to the concept of work-role quality, theoretically these are independent constructs: someone may perceive job concerns and job rewards at the same time. In this study a short questionnaire (FRQ-B), broadly adapted from Barnett, Davidson and Marshall (1991), measuring job concerns and job rewards was developed and administered to a sample of cardiac rehabilitation patients. Psychometric analysis shows the factorial validity, consistency and construct validity of the instrument. Prediction of the return to work status three months after discharge from rehabilitation could be achieved on the item and subscale level. The effect sizes were comparable to other significant variables (e. g. psychological status, NYHA-status, wish to work). Specificities vary from 30 to 60 percent. The best predictor seems to be the Fear Avoidance Belief Questionnaire (FABQ), assuming a causal relationship be-tween work and illness. An analysis of subgroups using the FRQ-B reveals patients who experience little job rewards as well as many job concerns as a group with a high risk of not returning to work. The results of this study demonstrate the importance of assessing work related variables when dealing with return to work after rehabilitation treatment. Interventions to change the perception of the working place situation should be initialized and focussed early in rehabilitation treatment. The need for further research integrating the concept of work-role quality is discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1986

Mechanical efficiency of pure positive and pure negative work with special reference to the work intensity.

The mechanical efficiencies of pure positive (eta) and pure negative (eta-) work were investigated on a special "sledge ergometer" with 25 and 36 subjects, respectively. The work intensities varied in positive work between 40% and 90% and in negative work from 30% to 120% of the maximum concentric exercise. In 54 exercises of positive work, eta was 17.1% +/- 2.2%, and its value correlated negatively with the work intensity (r = 0.367, P less than 0.01) and with the average knee angular velocity, omega+ (r = 0.359, P less than 0.01). In 103 eccentric exercises, eta- was on the average 80.2% +/- 31.8%, correlating positively with the work intensity (r = 0.396, P less than 0.01). Both inter- and intrasubject variations were large (32%-163%). The integrated electrical activity (IEMG) of the leg extensor muscles increased with an increase of work intensity both in the positive and in the negative work situations. Less efficient MU recruitment in higher positive work rates is suggested to be the reason for the decrease in eta, whereas better stiffness regulation via increased preactivation is speculated to cause high values of eta- in higher work intensities in eccentric exercise.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗

PubMed1989

Work tolerance and subjective responses to wearing protective clothing and respirators during physical work.

This study examined work tolerance and subjective responses while performing two levels of work and wearing four types of protective ensembles. Nine males (mean age = 24.8 years, weight = 75.3 kg, VO2 max = 44.6 ml/kg min) each performed a series of eight experimental tests in random order, each lasting up to 180 min in duration. Work was performed on a motor-driven treadmill at a set walking speed and elevation which produced work intensities of either 30% or 60% of each subject's maximum aerobic capacity. Work/rest intervals were established based on anticipated SCBA refill requirements. Environmental temperature averaged 22.6 degrees C and average relative humidity was 55%. The four protective ensembles were: a control ensemble consisting of light work clothing (CONTROL); light work clothing with an open circuit self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA); firefighter's turnout gear with SCBA (FF); and chemical protective clothing with SCBA (CHEM). Test duration (tolerance time) was determined by physiological responses reaching a predetermined indicator of high stress or by a 180-min limit. Physiological and subjective measurements obtained every 2.5 min included: heart rate, skin temperature, rectal temperature, and subjective ratings of perceived exertion, thermal sensation, and perspiration. The mean tolerance times were 155, 130, 26, and 73 min, respectively, for the CONTROL, SCBA, FF, and CHEM conditions during low intensity work; and 91, 23, 4, and 13 min, respectively, during high intensity work. Differences between ensemble and work intensity were significant. FF and CHEM heart rate responses did not reach a steady state, and rose rapidly compared to CONTROL and SCBA values. SCBA heart rates remained approximately 15 beats higher than the CONTROL ensemble during the tests. At the low work intensity, mean skin temperatures at the end of the test were 32.7, 33.1, 36.7, and 36.3 degrees C, while mean core temperatures were 37.6, 37.9, 37.9, and 38.5 degrees C, respectively. The subjective data indicated that, in general, subjects were able to perceive relative degrees of physiologic strain under laboratory conditions. Wearing protective clothing and respirators results in significant and potentially dangerous thermoregulatory and cardiovascular stress to the wearer even at low work intensities in a neutral environment. Physiologically and subjectively, firefighter's turnout gear (the heaviest ensemble) produced the most stress, followed by the CHEM, SCBA, and CONTROL protective ensembles.

Body Temperature↗

PubMed1999

Trends in health and ability to work among the older working-age population.

OBJECTIVES: Because of recent changes in Social Security regulations that will soon begin to raise the age of eligibility for full retirement benefits, it is important to determine whether health and ability to work at older ages have improved in recent years. METHODS: Individual-level data from the National Health Interview Survey from 1982 through 1993 are used in this analysis. Trends in self-reported ability to work, presence of disease, and causes of actual work limitation are examined. RESULTS: Men and women in their 60s, that is those in the older working ages and younger retirement ages, report significant improvement in their ability to work. The change in work ability is large enough so the percentage unable to work at age 67 in 1993 is lower than the percentage unable to work at age 65 in 1982. This improvement appears to have been similar for racial and ethnic groups and across educational subgroups of the population, although African Americans and those with lower educational attainment are less healthy to begin with. The improvement in health is due to the changing educational composition of the population, which is linked to better life-long health, different occupational circumstances, and better health behaviors. In addition, the improvement in work ability is explained by decline in the prevalence of cerebro/cardiovascular diseases and arthritis. DISCUSSION: The level of observed improvement in work ability means that the legislated rise in age of full eligibility for Social Security benefits should be more than compensated for by the improved ability to work.

Aged↗

PubMed2003

Effect of work related variables on growth among working boys in Jordan.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of work related variables on the height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) of working boys aged 10-16 years. DESIGN: Cross sectional survey. SETTING: Irbid, Jarash, and North Jordan Valley in Jordan. PARTICIPANTS: 135 working boys aged 10-16 years and their mothers. OUTCOME MEASURES: Height for age z score; weight for age z score; BMI for age z score. RESULTS: In bivariate analysis, child's duration of work (r=-0.20), maternal height (r=0.26), and household per capita income (r=0.23) were significantly correlated with height for age z score and duration of work (r=-0.24), maternal height (r=0.24), and household per capita income (r=0.19) with weight for age z score. Duration of work (p<0.001), child's monthly income (p=0.044), maternal height (p=0.002), and household per capita income (p=0.005) were retained in the regression model fitted on height z score that explained 20.1% of the variance. The regression model fitted on weight z score explained 20.1% of the variance and duration of work (p<0.001), child's monthly income (p=0.022), household per capita income (p=0.017), and maternal height (p=0.004) were retained. Only duration of work (p=0.001) was retained in the model fitted on BMI for age z score. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that the length of time children have been working and low monthly income have a detrimental effect on growth of working boys independent of the effects of low household per capita income and small maternal stature. Relevance of these findings for social policy and health care of working boys in Jordan and elsewhere is discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1988

Integrated regional work equals total left ventricular work in regionally ischemic canine heart.

To assess left ventricular (LV) regional work with physically correct dimensions, wall tension-regional area (T-A) loops were analyzed before and after coronary occlusion in the excised cross-circulated canine LV (n = 11) connected to a volume-servo pump. Wall tension was calculated with the force equilibrium equation for a sphere, and regional areas were determined from pairs of orthogonal sonomicrometers in ischemic and nonischemic regions. LV and regional stroke work were simultaneously assessed from the pressure-volume and T-A loops during one cardiac cycle at various end-diastolic and stroke volumes. After coronary occlusion, regional work of the ischemic region markedly decreased to near or even below zero. Although regional work of the nonischemic region moderately decreased at constant LV end-diastolic and stroke volumes, the contribution of the nonischemic region to LV stroke work increased. Globally integrated regional work calculated from regional work/unit area and estimates of the extent of ischemia closely agreed with measured LV stroke work either before (n = 119; r = 0.92) or after coronary occlusion (n = 141; r = 0.93) despite the marked changes in regional work in both regions. We conclude that the global integral of regional work equals the total LV work and that regional work of the LV can be reliably assessed from the T-A loop with the same dimensions as energy in both normal and regionally ischemic hearts.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Employee age and perceptions of work in self-managing and traditional work groups.

Self-managing work groups are a form of work design in which employees take responsibility for the group's tasks and have discretion over decisions which impact group performance. To explore the impact of age and work teams on job attitudes, data from 477 employees suggested that self-managed work group members differed from traditional job holders regarding perceived general job satisfaction, perceived control by supervisors, as well as a number of specific dimensions of the work environment. Moreover, while there was evidence of an age effect on attitudes toward supervisory control, there was no joint effect of age by work design on job attitudes, i.e., one's perceived general job satisfaction. Older employees who were members of self-managed work groups were however, more impacted by this form of work design in reporting more positive perceptions of their access to information essential to the performance of their work. These findings suggest that an "older" work force should not be considered a barrier to implementing a work teams approach to job design.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Does a stressful psychosocial work environment mediate the effects of shift work on cardiovascular risk factors?

OBJECTIVES: Associations between shift work, chronic psychosocial work stress, and 2 important cardiovascular risk factors, hypertension and atherogenic lipids were studied. The hypothesis was tested that psychosocial work stress, as defined by the model of effort-reward imbalance, mediates the effects of shift work on cardiovascular risk. METHODS: Altogether 2288 male participants aged 30-55 years in the baseline screening of the Swedish WOLF (work organization, lipids, and fibrinogen) study underwent a clinical examination and answered a standardized questionnaire measuring shiftwork schedules, effort-reward imbalance at work, and health-adverse behavior. RESULTS: In addition to the direct effects of shift work on cardiovascular risk, mediating effects of effort-reward imbalance at work were found. The respective odds ratios (OR) ranged from 2.18 to 2.27 for hypertension and from 1.34 to 1.45 for atherogenic lipids. While the effects remained significant after extensive confounder control concerning hypertension, part of the observed effect on atherogenic lipids was due to behavioral influences. CONCLUSIONS: Despite obvious limitations, the results indicated that a stressful psychosocial work environment acts as a mediator of health-adverse effects of shift work on hypertension and, partly, atherogenic lipids. In terms of occupational health the findings call for a more comprehensive assessment of the health risks associated with shift work.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Work load and individual factors affecting work disability among aging municipal employees.

A cohort of 6165 municipal workers 44 to 58 years of age was followed during 1981-1985. The most impairing work loads were poor work postures and poor physical climate, whereas good possibilities for development at work prevented work disability. Aging particularly increased the incidence of work disability, whereas physical exercise maintained work ability. Among workers who suffered from any cardiovascular disease, a low level of muscular work and a high level of leisure-time physical exercise decreased work disability. Compared with the work ability of active workers, work disability was more linked to individual than to work load factors.

Age Factors↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Analysis of arterial hypertension and work in the epidemiologic study "Aging, Health and Work"].

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated if work conditions or job strain related to professional activity or to life styles represent a risk factor for arterial hypertension and whether this effect of hypertension is independent of age. DESIGN: through data collection of epidemiological inquiries ESTEV and VISAT, applied in Italy on a cohort of workers, 32-52 year-old, employed in different productive sectors, we analyzed the relationships on working conditions (exposure to certain risks or job strain), life styles and self evaluation of health and arterial hypertension. Hypertension was considered as SAP > or =160 mm/Hg and/or DAP > or =90 mm/Hg, or current antihypertensive treatment. RESULTS: the results refer to 1104 workers, 76% men and 24% women. Prevalence of hypertension was found to be higher among the men than women (33% vs. 22%). Risk estimation in multivariate analysis, by logistic regression model, showed a statistically significant association with certain work-related factors such as: shift work, awkward posture, standing work, doing several tasks contemporarily, being interrupted at work, not being able to take eyes off work. The variables referred to cognitive aspects and work organization tended to be associated to arterial hypertension even when exposure ceased. CONCLUSIONS: both physical and cognitive organisational aspects of work are strongly associated with arterial hypertension. The subjective assessment that workers give to their work is a relevant element. This aspects should be considered as a possible reducible risk factor.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Work time, work interference with family, and psychological distress.

Despite public concern about time pressures experienced by working parents, few scholars have explicitly examined the effects of work time on work-family conflict. The authors developed and tested a model of the predictors of work time and the relationships between time, work interference with family (WIF). and psychological distress. Survey data came from 513 employees in a Fortune 500 company. As predicted, several work and family characteristics were significantly related to work time. In addition, work time was significantly, positively related to WIF, which in turn was significantly, negatively related to distress. The results suggest that work time fully or partially mediates the effects of many work and family characteristics on WIF.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Disability and work: fitness for work judgement.

BACKGROUND: The role of physicians, in particular those dealing with health promotion in the workplace, takes on a specific meaning in relation to the difficulties that disabled people encounter both in order to reach the workplace and to reconcile their working activity with the difficulties that result from their condition. Observing the data concerning employment of disabled persons in Italy, it becomes dramatically evident that among the disabled subjects of working age only 17% are employed. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the occupational health physician is to recognise the impairment, study the disability and, possibly, eliminate or reduce the handicap. Achieving this target is difficult, and there is often a lack in understanding the discomforts experienced by disabled people in their working activity. Expression of a judgement of work fitness for a specific task is a particularly delicate matter, all the more so if the worker is a disabled person. A judgement of work fitness of a disabled person should include evaluation of the person's ability and an analysis of the working task and the workplace. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our experience, one can safely say that working inclusion and integration in work is possible, without any decrease in productivity, if an appropriate position is found for disabled workers. The occupational health physician has a primary role in the entire process of inclusion of disabled people at work, since he/she knows the company, the tasks, and the associated risks, and furthermore is able to assess the capabilities and abilities of the worker and can thus identify the most suitable and safe working situation.

Humans↗

PubMed1998

Accident risk as a function of hour at work and time of day as determined from accident data and exposure models for the German working population.

OBJECTIVES: Recent studies indicate that accident risk may be a function of hour at work and time of day. Further evidence was sought for these assumptions, along with the answer to the question of whether the risk of accident can be conceived as an interaction between hours at work and time of day. METHODS: Data on more than 1.2 million accidents for the year 1994 were provided, all listed according to the time of day and hour at work. Since information about how long each day and at what time of day people work is not available in Germany, different exposure models had to be estimated. For estimating the risk of having an accident relative accident risks were calculated from the ratio of accident frequencies to the exposure data. RESULTS: An exponentially increasing accident risk was observed beyond the 9th hour at work. The relative accident risks differed considerably according to the respective exposure model with regard to time of day. A highly significant interaction effect was found for hour at work by time of day, the percentage of accidents at different hours at work varying according to the particular time of day when work is started. For the 3 "traditional" shiftwork starting times, it was shown that, with later starting times, the relative accident risk increased dramatically beyond the 8th hour at work. CONCLUSIONS: Since the results clearly indicate that there are time-related effects on occupational accident risk, more detailed analyses are called for. More elaborated exposure models should be used to assess the efficiency of work schedules with extended workhours, especially under shiftwork conditions. The results also indicate the necessity of recording and providing adequate data bases for such analyses.

Accidents, Occupational↗

PubMed2000

Multidisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation for subacute low back pain among working age adults.

BACKGROUND: Multidisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation programs are widely applied for chronic low back pain patients. The biopsychosocial approach for low back pain could also be considered to prevent chronicity by carrying out the rehabilitation if the acute pain is prolonged. Nevertheless multidisciplinary treatment programmes are often laborious and long processes and require good collaboration between the patient, the rehabilitation team and the work place. By workplace visits and close relationship with occupational health care one might expect results in terms of patients working ability. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this systematic review was to determine the effectiveness of multidisciplinary rehabilitation for subacute low back pain among working age adults. SEARCH STRATEGY: The reviewed studies for this structured Cochrane review were identified from electronic bibliographic databases, the Science Citation Index, reference checking and consulting experts in the rehabilitation field. The original search was planned and performed for more broad area of musculoskeletal disorders. Trials on subacute low back pain were separated afterwards. SELECTION CRITERIA: From all references found in our original search we selected randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized controlled clinical trials (CCTs). Trials had to assess the effectiveness of multidisciplinary rehabilitation for working age patients suffering from subacute low back pain (more than 4 weeks but less than 3 months). The rehabilitation program was required to be multidisciplinary, i.e.; it had to consist of a physician's consultation plus either a psychological, social or vocational intervention, or a combination of these. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Four blinded reviewers selected the randomized controlled trials and controlled trials that met the specified inclusion criteria. Two experts in the field of rehabilitation evaluated the clinical relevance and applicability of the findings of the selected studies to actual clinical use. Two other blinded reviewers extracted the data and assessed the main results and the methodological quality of the studies using standardized forms. Finally, a qualitative analysis was performed to evaluate the level of scientific evidence for the effectiveness of multidisciplinary rehabilitation. MAIN RESULTS: After screening 1808 abstracts, and the references of 65 reviews, we found only 2 relevant studies that satisfied our criteria on subacute low back pain. They were both considered to be methodologically low quality randomized controlled trials. The clinical relevance of included studies was sufficient. The level of scientific evidence for the effectiveness of multidisciplinary rehabilitation was moderate on subacute low back pain showing that multidisciplinary rehabilitation which includes workplace visit or more comprehensive occupational health care intervention helps patients to return to work faster, makes sick leaves less and alleviates subjective disability. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that there is moderate evidence of positive effectiveness of multidisciplinary rehabilitation for subacute low back pain and workplace visit increases the effectiveness. But because this evidence is based on the trials that had some methodological shortcomings and several expensive multidisciplinary rehabilitation programmes are commonly used for common subacute low back problems, there is an obvious need for high quality trials in this field.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2000

Multidisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation for neck and shoulder pain among working age adults.

BACKGROUND: Multidisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation programs for neck and shoulder pain require substantial staff and financial resources. Despite questionable scientific evidence of their effectiveness, they are widely used. Neck and shoulder complaints are common among working age adults and they are often associated with physical work load and stress. Pain in the neck and shoulder area cause biopsychosocial difficulties for the patient especially if disability due to pain is prolonged. To help patients with biopsychosocial problems or to prevent their development, multidisciplinary biopsychosocial programs are applied on rehabilitation for neck and shoulder pain patients. Nevertheless multidisciplinary treatment programmes are often laborious and rather long processes and require good collaboration between the patient, the rehabilitation team and the work place. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this systematic review was to determine the effectiveness of multidisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation for neck and shoulder pain among working age adults. SEARCH STRATEGY: The reviewed studies for this structured Cochrane review were identified from electronic bibliographic databases, the Science Citation Index, reference checking and consulting experts in the rehabilitation field. The original search was planned and performed for more broad area of musculoskeletal disorders. Trials on neck and shoulder pain were separated afterwards. SELECTION CRITERIA: From all references found in our original search we selected randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized controlled clinical trials (CCTs). Trials had to assess the effectiveness of biopsychosocial rehabilitation for patients suffering from neck and shoulder pain among working age adults. The rehabilitation program was required to be multidisciplinary, i.e.; it had to consist of a physician's consultation plus either a psychological, social or vocational intervention, or a combination of these. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Four blinded reviewers selected the randomized controlled trials and controlled trials that met the specified inclusion criteria. Two experts in the field of rehabilitation evaluated the clinical relevance and applicability of the findings of the selected studies to actual clinical use. Two other blinded reviewers extracted the data and assessed the main results and the methodological quality of the studies using standardized forms. Finally, a qualitative analysis was performed to evaluate the level of scientific evidence for the effectiveness of multidisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation. MAIN RESULTS: After screening 1808 abstracts, and the references of 65 reviews, we found only 2 relevant studies that satisfied our criteria. One of these was considered methodologically low quality randomized controlled trial and the other one was a methodologically low quality controlled clinical trial. The clinical relevance of included studies was satisfactory. The level of scientific evidence for the effectiveness of multidisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation was limited for neck and shoulder pain. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that there appears to be little scientific evidence for the effectiveness of multidisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation compared with other rehabilitation facilities on neck and shoulder pain. Multidisciplinary rehabilitation is a commonly used intervention for chronic neck and shoulder complaints, therefore we see an urgent need for high quality trials in this field.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Working memory in another dimension: functional imaging of human olfactory working memory.

The majority of working memory research has been carried out within the visual and auditory modalities, leaving it unclear how other modalities would map onto currently proposed working memory models. In this study we examined the previously uninvestigated area of olfactory working memory. Our aim was to investigate if olfactory working memory would engage prefrontal regions known to be involved in working memory for other sensory modalities. Using positron emission tomography we measured cerebral blood flow changes in 12 volunteers during an olfactory working memory task and a comparison visual working memory task. Our findings indicate that both olfactory and face working memory engaged dorsolateral and ventrolateral frontal cortex when the task requirements were matched; a conjunction analysis indicated overlap in the distribution of activity in the two tasks. Similarities and differences in activity were noted in parietal lobe regions, with both tasks engaging inferior areas of 40/7, but only visual working memory showing increased activity within left superior parietal cortex. The findings support the idea that working memory processes engage frontal cortical areas independent of the modality of input, but do not rule out the possibility of modality-specific neural populations within dorsolateral or ventrolateral cortex.

Adult↗