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The Junction between Physical- and Psychosocial Risk Factors in the Work Environment

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Occupational Safety and Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 March 2023) | Viewed by 20497

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jonas Vinstrup

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Guest Editor

National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lersø Parkallé 105, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
Interests: motivational psychology; exercise performance; sports science; muscle function; injury prevention; healthcare; work environment; senior workers, psychosocial stress; musculoskeletal pain; sleep

Dr. Yasmín Ezzatvar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Exercise Intervention for Health Research Group (EXINH-RG), Department of Physiotherapy, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
Interests: health habits; pain; exercise; musculoskeletal disorders; occupational health; neuroscience; physical fitness
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We welcome you to this Special Issue, entitled “The Junction between Physical- and Psychosocial Risk Factors in the Work Environment: Emphasizing the role of lifestyle and occupational settings”, which is currently considering submissions of high-quality manuscripts for publication in IJERPH.

The Special Issue seeks to further elucidate potent risk factors associated with the work environment and specific organizational settings, with an emphasis on relevant lifestyle factors influencing organizational health and well-being. While the field of work-related physical risk factors has taken precedence in the recent literature, this issue seeks to further highlight the importance and interrelatedness of psychosocial risk factors attributed to specific organizational settings differing in physical work demands, skill requirements, and demographics, prioritizing analyses of combined risk factors relevant to the local work environment.

Dr. Jonas Vinstrup
Dr. Yasmín Ezzatvar
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

psychosocial work environment
physical workload
perceived stress
sleep
organizational settings
risk factors
injury prevention

Published Papers (4 papers)

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12 pages, 366 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Interplay between Multimorbidity, Physical Work Demands and Work Ability: Cross-Sectional Study among 12,879 Senior Workers

by Karina Glies Vincents Seeberg, Sebastian Venge Skovlund, Rúni Bláfoss, Kristina Thomassen, Lasse Malchow-Møller, Emil Sundstrup and Lars Louis Andersen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(9), 5023; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095023 - 20 Apr 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1485

Abstract

Background: Aging increases the risk of chronic diseases, which can challenge the ability to work and thereby push senior workers out of the labour market. This study investigates the association between non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and work ability among workers ≥50 years (senior workers) with physically demanding and sedentary work, respectively. Methods: In the SeniorWorkingLife study, 12,879 senior workers replied to a questionnaire survey on work and health in 2018. Associations between the type and number of NCD and work ability (scale 0–10) were modelled using a general linear model adjusting for potential confounders and combined with model-assisted weights from national registers. Results: A higher number of NCD (multimorbidity) was progressively associated with a lower work ability (trend test, p-value < 0.001). Physical work influenced the association between the number of NCDs and work ability. For specific diseases, mental disorders, including burn-out syndrome (least square mean difference (LSMD): −1.46, 95% CI: −1.61 to −1.32) and stress ( LSMD: −1.18, 95% CI: −1.29 to −1.07), demonstrated a stronger association with a lower work ability compared with somatic diseases, such as back diseases (LSMD: −0.72, 95% CI: −0.80 to −0.64). Conclusions: Multimorbidity was progressively associated with a lower work ability in senior workers, especially among those with physical work. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Junction between Physical- and Psychosocial Risk Factors in the Work Environment)

14 pages, 1434 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Importance of Lifting Height and Load Mass for Muscular Workload during Supermarket Stocking: Cross-Sectional Field Study

by Sebastian Venge Skovlund, Rúni Bláfoss, Sebastian Skals, Markus Due Jakobsen and Lars Louis Andersen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(5), 3030; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19053030 - 04 Mar 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2362

Abstract

High physical work demands increase the risk of musculoskeletal disorders and sickness absence. Supermarket work involves a high amount of manual material handling. Identifying specific ergonomic risk factors is an important part of occupational health and safety efforts in the supermarket sector. In this cross-sectional field study among 64 supermarket workers, we used electromyography during the workday to determine the influence of lifting height and load mass on muscular workload of the low-back and neck/shoulder muscles during un-restricted manual material handling (grocery stocking). We found a significant effect of load mass, i.e., higher loads associated with higher muscular workload in the low-back and neck/shoulder muscles. We demonstrated a significant interaction between start and end position, i.e., lifts performed from ‘Low’ start positions to ‘High’ end positions demonstrated the highest low-back muscular workload, whereas ‘High’ positions were associated with increased neck/shoulder workload. In conclusion, lifting higher loads and lifting goods from low to high positions (low-back) and at high positions (neck/shoulder) are associated with higher muscular workload. These results can be used to guide highly warranted preventive initiatives to reduce the physical workload during supermarket work. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Junction between Physical- and Psychosocial Risk Factors in the Work Environment)

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10 pages, 904 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of a Workplace Sit–Stand Desk Intervention on Health and Productivity

by Jiameng Ma, Dongmei Ma, Zhi Li and Hyunshik Kim

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(21), 11604; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111604 - 04 Nov 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 13798

Abstract

In Japan, standing while working has not yet become commonplace, and there is little evidence to support the benefits of standing during the workday. Therefore, this study assessed the relationship between the introduction of a sit–stand desk and its ability to reduce the negative effects of sitting too long and increase employees’ general health and productivity. Seventy-four Japanese desk workers participated in this three-month intervention study. Using a randomized controlled trial, the participants were divided into intervention (n = 36) and control (n = 38) groups. The participant characteristics were ascertained using a questionnaire. The intervention effectiveness was assessed by measuring health-, physical activity-, and work-related outcomes. The results indicate that the intervention group significantly decreased their sitting time at work (p = 0.002) and had reduced neck and shoulder pain (p = 0.001). There was a significant increase in subjective health (p = 0.002), vitality in work-related engagement (p < 0.001), and self-rated work performance over a four-week period (p = 0.017). These findings indicate a significant difference between the two groups, demonstrating the effectiveness of a sit–stand desk in reducing sedentary behavior and improving workers’ health and productivity. Future research can accumulate further evidence of best practice use of sit–stand desks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Junction between Physical- and Psychosocial Risk Factors in the Work Environment)

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9 pages, 336 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Importance of Lifestyle Factors for Work Ability among Physical Therapists: A Cross-Sectional Study

by Yasmin Ezzatvar, Joaquín Calatayud, Lars L. Andersen, Adrian Escriche-Escuder, Marta Aguilar and Jose Casaña

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(13), 6714; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18136714 - 22 Jun 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1876

Abstract

Lifestyle factors such as smoking, sedentarism, low physical activity levels, and overweight are associated with poor health, and they can potentially influence work ability. However, it remains unknown which lifestyle habits are associated with work ability among physical therapists (PTs). The aim of this study was to examine the associations between smoking, alcohol consumption, BMI, sitting time, and physical activity levels with work ability among PTs utilizing a nationwide questionnaire. Associations were modeled using logistic regression controlled for various confounders. Overweight, sitting >150 min/day, and <75 min/week of leisure-time vigorous physical activity were associated with lower work ability among PTs. Further, the existence of two unhealthy habits showed a weak-to-moderate positive association with lower work ability scores (Model 1: OR, 2.21, 95% CI = 1.16–4.22; Model 2: OR, 2.32, 95% CI, 1.18–4.54), with even stronger associations when three unhealthy habits (Model 1: OR = 3.30, 95% CI, 1.58–6.86; Model 2: OR, 3.34, 95% CI, 1.54–7.26) or four unhealthy habits (Model 1: OR = 8.91, 95% CI, 2.55–31.1; Model 2: OR = 8.20, 95% CI, 2.15–31.2) were present. In conclusion, overweight, low physical activity, and sedentarism were associated with lower levels of work ability, especially when ≥2 unhealthy lifestyle factors were present. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Junction between Physical- and Psychosocial Risk Factors in the Work Environment)

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