Determinants of Health of the Working Population: Conditions and Nature of Work

Abstract

Introduction: Health of the working population is a prerequisite for successful general economic development and improvement of labor productivity and the quality of life of workers. According to the World Health Organization, most countries lose 4 to 6 % of their gross national product due to health problems related to poor working conditions. Our objective was to analyze the relationship between subjective characteristics of health of the working population (self-rated health status, the presence of chronic diseases, frequency and severity of diseases, and days lost due to sickness) and conditions and nature of their work (occupation, physical activity at work). Materials and methods: The study was based on data of a regular stage of sociological monitoring of physical health of the population in the Vologda Region carried out by the Vologda Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2018. The statistical significance of the relationships was estimated using descriptive statistics (a method of multivariate analysis) using tools of the SPSS software package. Results: We found that the best self-rated health status was reported by the respondents satisfied with their working conditions, having little physical activity or walking in the workplace. The worst self-rated health status was reported by those dissatisfied with their working conditions, engaged in unskilled physical labor or sedentary work. It is extremely important to introduce the system of monitoring employee assessments of working conditions and health status using questionnaire-based surveys, to apply and disseminate the most effective health-saving techniques in the workplace taking into account the importance of psychological comfort.