Physical activity and cognitive-health content in top-circulating magazines, 2006-2008

Physical activity may promote cognitive health in older adults. Popular media play an important role in preventive health communication. This study examined articles discussing associations between physical activity and cognitive health in top-circulating magazines targeting older adults. 42,753 pages of magazines published from 2006 to 2008 were reviewed; 26 articles met inclusion criteria. Explanations regarding the link between physical activity and cognitive health were provided in 57.7% of articles. These explanations were generally consistent with empirical evidence; however, few articles included empirical evidence. Physical activity recommendations were presented in 80.8% of articles; a wide range was recommended (90-300 min of physical activity per wk). Socioeconomic status and education level were not mentioned in the text. Results suggest an opportunity for greater coverage regarding the role of physical activity in promoting cognitive health in popular media. Magazine content would benefit from including more empirical evidence, culturally sensitive content, and physical activity recommendations that are consistent with U.S. guidelines.     

An ergonomic study on the onset of mental fatigue among the load handling workers of a central market area in Kolkata

It is a well recognized fact that manual material handling (MMH) entails enormous physical labor and associated discomfort feeling, which invariably culminate into musculoskeletal disorders. However mental fatigue, in such instances, becomes an unexplored parameter that needs definite attention during assessment of work status of MMH workers. The present study is being performed among 75 porters of a central market in Kolkata to ascertain the extent of physical and mental exhaustion among them. SF-12 health status questionnaire followed by another questionnaire involving psychosocial questions were performed among them. The analysis of both the questionnaires clearly revealed that most of the porters are under severe physical exertion as they alone carry about 120 kg load at a time and such activity is repeated at least 40 times throughout the day. They always suffer from pain and discomfort feeling at different body parts and this interferes with their normal work activity to a great extent. Moreover absenteeism means no financial return and even a day's rigourous work fetches meagre income. The inability to support family convincingly even after performing such hazardous tasks makes them feel low. Monotony, boredom, fatigue and mental trauma form an integral part of their daily work schedule.     

Validity of heart-rate based measurements of oxygen consumption during work with light and moderate physical activity

For ergonomic purposes it is useful to quantify the energy expenditure and the level of physical activity imposed on workers. Oxygen consumption (VO?) is often used to calculate energy expenditure and can be used as an indication of physical activity. Twenty-five subjects participated in the study. Oxygen consumption (VO?) in L O?/min and heart-rate (HR) in beats per minute (bpm) were simultaneously measured during different work tasks at each individual's workplace. Ninety-one different work tasks with light or moderate physical activity were included (physical activity was classified by the VO? measurements). Estimated oxygen consumption (L O?/min) was then calculated by using the HR measurements in bpm combined with individual HR-VO? equations established in a laboratory. Although heart-rate based estimations of individual oxygen consumption showed relatively low precision, heart-rate measurements in combination with individual exponential HR-VO? equations can be used to discriminate between work involving light physical activity and work involving moderate physical activity.     

Effects of physical and mental demands on shoulder muscle fatigue

Mental demands have been associated with increased risk of injuries; however, its influence on muscle fatigability remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the interaction of mental workload and physical workload on muscle fatigability during repetitive shoulder work. Twelve young participants, balanced by gender, performed shoulder abduction exercises until exhaustions at three levels of physical workload (low (5% maximum voluntary contraction (MVC)), moderate (35% MVC), and high (55% MVC)) in the absence and presence of a mental arithmetic test. Endurance time and rate of strength decline were employed as indicators of muscle fatigue. Concurrent physical and mental processing was found to adversely decrease muscle endurance by ~25% at the moderate intensity level. Furthermore, concurrent demands were associated with faster rate of strength decline compared to the control, irrespective of the physical intensity level. Findings from the current study provide evidence of the adverse effects of mental workload on muscle capacity (i.e., endurance and fatigue). It is therefore important to consider potential changes in worker capacity with concurrent physical and cognitive demands before designing work tasks/products.     

The assessment of functional work capacity in the South African mining industry

Overall physical work fitness is a prerequisite in numerous industries. Apart from improved productivity, it remains fundamental with regards to the maintenance of good health and safety. To address worker fitness in the mining industry, AngloGold Ashanti and Anglo Platinum Mining Houses developed a Functional Work Capacity (FWC) test battery. The FWC test battery consists of 19 work simulations representing the required functional work capacity to cope with all types of physical work tasks and work environments in the mining industry. This assessment tool is not only used to evaluate injured or medically affected workers for alternative placement but also to ensure that the new employee is placed in a job matching his physical capacity. This paper reviews the design process and application of the FWC test battery in the mining industry.     

Work ability among nursing personnel in public hospitals and health centers in Campinas--Brazil

Nursing personnel is essential in hospital, health centers and enterprises and is the large work force in health system. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a large city in two public hospitals and five health centre with the objective of to evaluate the work ability and health aspects of nursing staff. The sample was composed by 570 workers. The Work Ability Index - WAI and a questionnaire with socio-demographic, health and life style data was applied. The majority of workers was women (83%), married (50.4%), and was working in night shift work (65.6%); 61.4% was auxiliary nursing, 22.3% was registered nurses (RN). The average age was 38.9 years (SD 7.8) and the Body Mass Index mean was 25.8 (SD 5.3). Only 17.2% referred to practice at least 150 minutes of physical exercise five times per week or more. 26.8% had a second job. The work ability mean was 39.3 (SD 5.3) points. Age had a negative correlation with WAI (p=0.0052). Public hospital and health centre workers had poor work ability score when compared with workers from another branches. Public policies related to workplace health promotion need to be implemented in public hospital and health centre to improve the work ability.     

Sociodemographic Determinants of Occupational Risks of Exposure to COVID‐19 in Canada

The activities performed by Canadian workers in some occupations may increase the risk of exposure to infectious diseases such as COVID‐19. This research note explores how occupational exposure risks vary by labor force characteristics using publicly available Canadian data in combination with a data set providing information on the level of physical proximity and frequency of exposure to infections or diseases faced by workers in different occupations. The results show important sociodemographic differences. First, women work in occupations associated with significantly higher average risks of exposure to COVID‐19 than men. This is driven by their overrepresentation in high‐risk broad occupational categories such as health occupations. Second, older workers (65 years or more), a group vulnerable to COVID‐19, appear to work in occupations requiring performing activities characterized by a lower level of physical proximity than their younger colleagues, with minimal differences in the frequency of exposure to diseases or infections. Finally, workers in low‐income occupations are employed in occupations that put them at greater risk of exposure to COVID‐19 than other workers. This is especially the case for women, immigrants, and members of visible minority groups in low‐income occupations. More broadly, this research note provides insights into the health‐related dimension of the literature on occupational tasks and labor market stratification.     

A comparison of self-perceived physical and psycho-social worker profiles of people with direct work injury, chronic low back pain, and cumulative trauma

This study investigated the psycho-social factors among injured workers and the influence of their psycho-social profile on the readiness of return to work. Sixty-four subjects with injuries on the upper limbs or lower limbs, low back pain, or cumulative trauma disorder were recruited. The workers' profiles (self-perceived physical health, mental health, and work readiness) together with the impact and types of work injury on the workers' perceived wellness were measured. The regression model of work readiness was constructed to develop a theoretical background for predicting work readiness based on different factors. The results showed that injured workers with chronic injury such as low back pain or cumulative trauma had poorer self-perception of physical health and psycho-social/mental health compared to those with direct trauma. The regression analysis further affirmed that self-perceived pain and physical functioning were significant factors influencing the readiness for returning to work. Workers with low back pain were found to have lower motivation for returning to work. Other factors such as the non-verbal intelligence of the injured workers, their anxiety level, and the support they received from family members were found to have some indirect impact on their ability to return to work, but this was not statistically proven.     

Moral harassment of public schools teachers

Programs geared towards the occupational health of public workers, that include the prevention of moral harassment, have been created in Santa Catarina. Any institution identified for its poor records in regards to moral harassment will end up having its image tainted before society at large. This is due to its use of arbitrary and embarrassing means for accomplishing everyday tasks. This article aims to consider Workplace Psychological Harassment (WPH), its risks and implications for the health of public workers. The methodology chosen was a teacher's case study, which consisted of document research, interviews, anamnesis and observation, all in order to relate both theory and practice. The results indicate that WPH is a complex phenomenon, which can be studied in a variety of ways. WPH risks the biopsychosocial health of the worker, causing the deterioration in social-professional relations, illness, and incapacity, as well as higher costs and certain degradation in production. It is difficult to prove incidents and their impact. Nevertheless, this research concluded that WPH has harmful consequences for the physical and mental health of workers, and is in the ergonomic field, since part of this profession's role is to seek understanding of work in order to reorganize it.     

The Role of Cognitive and Noncognitive Skills in Overeducation

Using the National Education Longitudinal Study, this paper investigates the role of cognitive and noncognitive skills in overeducation. The results indicate that noncognitive skills as well as cognitive skills substitute for education but the substitutability decreases with an increasing level of attained education. Also, both types of skills are positively related to wages, and their returns depend on number of years of required education. In contrast, they play a modest role in job satisfaction and in receiving trainings. Finally, workers who have attained more education than their cognitive and noncognitive skills predict behave just like overeducated workers.     

Cognitive and behavioural assessment of people with traumatic brain injury in the work place: occupational therapists' perceptions

Cognitive and behavioural impairments, in the absence of severe physical disability, are commonly related to poor return to work outcomes for people with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Along with other health professionals, occupational therapists make judgements about cognitive and behavioural dimensions of work capacity of clients with TBI during the return to work process. Unlike many physical functional capacity evaluations, there is no standard method that therapists use to assess the ability of people with TBI to perform cognitive operations required for work. Little is known about what information occupational therapists use in their assessment of cognitive and behavioural aspects of client performance within the work place. This study employed qualitative research methods to determine what information is utilised by 20 therapists who assess the work capacity of people with TBI in the workplace. Results indicated that the process of making judgements about cognitive and behavioural competence within the work place is a multifaceted process. Therapists triangulate client information from multiple sources and types of data to produce an accurate view of client work capacity. Central to this process is the relationship between the client, the job and the work environment.     

‘Moving In’: Difficulties and Support in the Transition to Higher Education for In-service Social Care Students

This paper reports on the difficulties and supports experienced by social care practitioners within the educational institution during their transition to higher education. A life transition such as entering higher education causes stress for individuals and social support is essential in successfully dealing with this stress (Anderson et al., 2012). Fifteen social care practitioners were interviewed twice during and once at the end of their first academic year in college. Findings indicate that participants were reluctant to approach staff for help despite anxiety about classes and assignments. Discussion and debate in class helped learning and contributed to feelings of being valued. ‘Moving in’ was a slow process with a physical and emotional impact for which they were unprepared. Student peers were a source of emotional and cognitive support but developing relationships took time. By the end of the transition phase participants noted changes and gains in themselves and their work practices. Recommendations are made to aid the transition to higher education for in-service social care practitioners.     

Ergonomics analyses of five joineries located in Florianópolis-SC, using the LEST Method

Considering the goal of Ergonomic Work Analysis to establish, from the point of view of workers, safe, healthy, comfortable and efficient environments, this study propose to analyze the work situation of machine operators at five joineries from Florianópolis-SC. For this, it was applied the LEST Method to evaluate the task made by the operators, considering the physical, cognitive and organizational work environment. As results, it was identified the main ergonomics problems of these workstations, presenting an ergonomic diagnosis and their implications on health and safety of workers. As result, it was concluded that the main ergonomics problems at joineries are related with noise, with constant load of weight and with the postures taken. Besides these problems, others were diagnosed, for example, the pressure for workers to comply strictly the task stipulated and also the poor training and capacity of workers.     

Ratings of health and quality of life by young working people: are there occupational or education-based differences?

The study examines differences in self-rated health and perceived quality of life (QoL) among young working people according to occupation and education level. Subjects were extracted from a cross-sectional data set, covering questionnaire responses of people aged 20-74 years from the Swedish region of Osterg?tland, and addressing individual environmental and health conditions. The emphasis was on males and females in paid employment aged 20-34 (n = 863). Differences in self-rated health items and in perceived QoL were subjected to a series of t-tests. Two measures of individual socioeconomic position were considered - occupation and education. No education-based differences were found, and there were few differences based on occupation. Among males, manual workers reported significantly higher scores with regard to pain and physical function than did non-manual workers. Male and female manual workers scored significantly lower on current perceived QoL than non-manual workers. In the case of females, the differences between manual and non-manual workers also applied to former perceived QoL. Yet, after applying the Bonferroni correction, none of the differences observed remained significant. In line with some earlier studies, it appears that -- among young working adults -- the manners in which health status and QoL are perceived are not strongly conditional on socioeconomic position.     

Musculoskeletal symptoms and work ability among agricultural machinery operators

Those subjects whose employment has physical demands present more frequently musculoskeletal symptoms than others. The agricultural sector activities include tasks with important physical demands that may have a negative impact in the workers health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of musculoskeletal symptoms and its association with work ability in agricultural machinery operators. It is a cross-sectional study. The participants (n = 204) answered a self-administered questionnaire on demographics, work and lifestyle characteristics, Work Ability Index and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Symptoms Questionnaire. The response rate was 89.78%. The mean age of the workers was 32.3 years, and 47.1% of them reported musculoskeletal symptoms at least one body part over the past 12 months. Those subjects who presented work ability index <37 points, 87.5% reported some kind of musculoskeletal symptom. This study showed that the work ability was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) correlated to musculoskeletal symptoms presence. It is recommended that measures to promote and improve the work ability are designed and deployed based on musculoskeletal disorders prevention.     

Impacts of introducing a new tool for the manual harvesting of sugar cane: the ergonomic analysis contribution

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of introduction a new work tool on health and productivity of manual harvesting sugarcane workers. In this study it was performed aErgonomic Work Analysis (EWA) to analyze the work tool changes.The study included sugarcane workers, drivers, fiscals, and technical's safety at work.During the analysis process, 134 questionnaires were applied,aimed to identify the constraints that such workers are submitted,to evaluate the tool introduced, in order to propose modifications to improve it.The results showed a decrease in perceived exertion and discomfort, without compromising the cut quality. The main contributions of Ergonomic Work Analysis were the possibility of bringing the logic of the worker, in order to understand the inherent real work characteristics, to the process of developing the new tool. Besides, it was also noted that this methodology, based on the analysis workers activity in a real usage, as an application tool in design projects, providing innovations from the workers perspective.     

Successful aging: how does physical activity influence engagement with life?

With the increasing number of individuals over the age of 65?years worldwide, it is critical for society to recognize the importance of helping seniors maintain their health, physical, and cognitive functioning as well as their engagement with life. These three dimensions provide the foundation for successful aging (SA). The positive role of engagement with life has been understated to date in the literature. This review highlights the components of SA with particular emphasis on engagement and how physical activity positively impacts engagement which in turn positively influences health and physical function.