Employment Grants Support Return to Work: Recipients' Perspectives on a New Intervention

To compare the relationship of the 7-item Work Ability Index (WAI) and the single-item Work Ability Score (WAS) with individual and work-related factors, and to investigate the predictive role of these two work ability assessments for health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This is a cross-sectional study. 407 of 445 employees working on a construction project in Shiraz, Iran consented to participate in an anonymous survey. 381 surveys were returned completed. Correlation analyses were used to evaluate relationships between WAI and WAS, and the total score and four domains of the WHOQOL-BREF, our measure of HRQOL, and individual and work-related variables. Hierarchical multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to compare WAI and WAS in predicting HRQOL and its four dimensions. WAI and WAS were both significant predictors of HRQOL and its four dimensions and the explained variance was very similar. The WAI and WAS explained 46% and 44% of the variance related to the HRQOL, respectively. WAI and WAS explained 36-38% and 35-37% of the variance related to dimensions of the HRQOL, respectively. There were significant relationships of both WAS and WAI with job type, work schedule, smoking, and exercise habit. The WAS and WAI showed a very similar relationship with participants' individual and work-related factors and HRQOL. The Work Ability Score is a valid and suitable measure for assessment of work ability among Iranian workers. Use of this simple measure could be advantageous to reduce demands on research participants and in workability assessments.

Background:People with chronic inflammatory arthritis (IA) (in this study IA includes rheumatoid arthritis (RA), axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA)) often have a reduced work ability. Consequently, they are...

Associations between work ability, health-related quality of life, physical activity and fitness among middle-aged men

Work ability may be considered as an important aspect of well-being and health status. One of the most important factors in association with work ability is health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The aim of this study has been to determine the association between work ability, individual characteristics and HRQoL of female workers. The design of this study has been cross-sectional. The work ability index (WAI) and Short-Form General Health Survey (SF-12) questionnaires were used to collect data. Three hundred and twenty female workers were selected from food supplier factories in Karaj. One-way analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation analysis, independent sample t-test and multiple linear regression methods were used to analyze data. Mean (M) and standard deviation (SD) of the WAI stood at 35.02 and 5.57, respectively. The categories of the WAI for women being as follows: 8.8% poor, 62% moderate, 25.4% good and 3.7% excellent. Mean±SD for the physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) of quality of life was 58.84±11.12 and 57.45±9.94, respectively. There was a positive significant association between the PCS and MCS with the WAI (p = 0.0001). Workers with higher education had a better work ability (p = 0.002) and shift-work workers had a worse work ability (p = 0.03). Work ability of majority of women was moderate. Considering mean age of studied women (27.6 years old), this work ability is not satisfactory. Physical and mental components of the HRQoL were the important factors associated with work ability.

This study investigated the association between the work ability index (WAI) and the single-item question on work ability among women working in human service organizations (HSO) currently on long-term sick leave. It also examined the association between the WAI and the single-item question in relation to sick leave, symptoms, and health. Predictive values of the WAI, the changed WAI, the single-item question and the changed single-item question were investigated for degree of sick leave, symptoms, and health. This cohort study comprised 324 HSO female workers on long-term (>60 days) sick leave, with follow-ups at 6 and 12 months. Participants responded to questionnaires. Data on work ability, sick leave, health, and symptoms were analyzed with regard to associations and predictability. Spearman correlation and mixed-model analysis were performed for repeated measurements over time. The study showed a very strong association between the WAI and the single-item question among all participants. Both the WAI and the single-item question showed similar patterns of associations with sick leave, health, and symptoms. The predictive value for the degree of sick leave and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was strong for both the WAI and the single-item question, and slightly less strong for vitality, neck pain, both self-rated general and mental health, and behavioral and current stress. This study suggests that the single-item question on work ability could be used as a simple indicator for assessing the status and progress of work ability among women on long-term sick leave.

Objectives:Self employment is increasing but it is not yet known how its different forms affect health, quality of life, and work ability. We compared the work ability, subjective quality of...

Adding more years to the work careers of an aging workforce – what works?

In Finland, testing cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max) is popular in health promotion programs and work ability evaluations. The most common instruments used for this purpose are the submaximal cycle ergometer test, and the 2-km walking test. However, limited data exist on the associations between VO2max and wellbeing in working age adults. The aim of the study was to evaluate how the measured (cycle ergometer) and the estimated (walking test) VO2max and walking performance are associated with health-related quality of life and work ability. The subjects were 104 middle-aged men workers (45-55 years old), mostly from the construction and manufacturing industries. VO2max was directly measured by a maximal exercise test on a cycle ergometer. The 2-km walking test parameters were the walking time, predicted VO2max, and fitness index. Health-related quality of life was assessed with the RAND-36 questionnaire which was further divided into physical dimensions (P-RAND-36) and mental dimensions (M-RAND-36). Perceived work ability was assessed with the work ability index (WAI) in a subgroup of 51 subjects. The 2-km walking test parameters significantly predicted the score on P-RAND-36 (r2=0.18, p=0.001), and correlated significantly with WAI. The directly measured VO2max was not associated with P-RAND-36, M-RAND-36 or WAI. The inexpensive 2-km walking test may be more useful when evaluating the quality of life and work ability, compared to the more expensive direct measurement of one's cardiorespiratory fitness in a laboratory.

BackgroundThis study aimed to explore the associations between health-related quality of life and work ability with the oral health status of patients with chronic liver disease.Material and MethodsA cross-sectional study included 150 patients with chronic liver disease, consecutively seen at University Hospital, Salvador, Brazil. Oral health was evaluated by the Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index and by the presence of gingivitis and periodontitis. Salivary flow was “reduced” when <1.0 mL/min. Health-related quality of life was evaluated by using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey questionnaire (SF-36); work ability was evaluated by the Work Ability Index questionnaire.ResultsAll health-related quality of life indicators were systematically lower among the 99 patients with reduced salivary flow than among the 51 patients with normal salivary flow. Physical Functioning, Role-Physical, and Physical Component Summary scores were strongly correlated (P< 0.005 or less) with the number of Missing Teeth and with DMFT index. Reduced salivary flow was associated (P< 0.05) with poor work ability. Patients with poor or moderate work ability presented higher (P< 0.001) means of the DMFT index than those with good or excellent work ability.ConclusionsPatients with chronic liver disease who present poor oral health presented low health-related quality of life and poor work ability. These findings reinforce the need of these patients for specialized stomatological care. Key words:Xerostomia, dental health surveys, hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease.

Aims: The main aim of the present study was to identify factors influencing health-related quality of life (HRQoL), as measured by EQ-5D-5L, in individuals 1 year after the acute phase of COVID-19. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 75 participants (51% females), 1 year after confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (76% hospitalised). Associations between HRQoL, measured by patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs): EQ-5D-5L, and factors of interest, including persistent symptoms, comorbidities, work ability index (WAI), lung function, six-minute walking test (6MWT), and dyspnoea-12 (D-12) questionnaire, were assessed by an analysis of variance (ANCOVA) model (adjusted by various factors of interest) with post hoc pairwise comparison. Results: In the ANCOVA, lower HRQoL was significantly associated with not having a university education (mean difference [MD] with 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.115 [0.013–0.217]), a higher number of persistent symptoms (for 10 vs. 1–3 symptoms: −0.153 [−0.291, −0.015]), lower work ability (for poor vs. excellent: −0.283 [−0.445, −0.120]), any comorbidity (0.077 [0.015–0.138]), and affective distress in the D-12 (0.257 [0.096–0.417]). No significant sex differences in HRQoL and the level of care at the acute infection were shown. In descriptive analysis, lower HRQoL was significantly associated with age under 55, sick leave, more dyspnoea in D-12, and poorer work ability. Conclusions: Work ability, comorbidities, persistent symptoms, and affective distress were associated with lower HRQoL at 1-year follow-up after COVID-19. No significant differences in HRQoL were observed between sexes. Our study highlights the need to address HRQoL in post-COVID-19 rehabilitation and broader public health planning.

Work ability (WA) is an important concept in occupational health research and for over 30 years assessed worldwide with the Work Ability Index (WAI). In recent years, criticism of the WAI is increasing and alternative instruments are presented. The authors postulate that theoretical and methodological issues need to be considered when developing alternative measures for WA and conclude that a short uni-dimensional measure is needed that avoids conceptual blurring. The aim of this contribution is to validate the short and uni-dimensional WAI components WAI 1 (one item measuring “current WA compared with the lifetime best”) and WAI 2 (two items assessing “WA in relation to the [mental/physical] demands of the job”). Cross-sectional and 12-month follow-up data of two large samples was used to determine construct validity of WAI 1 and WAI 2 and to relate this to respective results with the WAI. Data sources comprise nurses in Europe investigated in the European NEXT-Study (Sample A; Ncross-sectional = 28,948 and NLongitudinal = 9462, respectively) and nursing home employees of the German 3Q-Study (Sample B) where nurses (N = 786; 339, respectively) and non-nursing workers (N = 443; 196, respectively) were included. Concurrent and predictive validity of WAI 1 and WAI 2 were assessed with self-rated general health, burnout and considerations leaving the profession. Spearman rank correlation (ρ) with bootstrapping was applied. In all instances, WAI 1 and WAI 2 correlated moderately, and to a similar degree, with the related constructs. Further, WAI 1 and 2 correlated with WAI moderately to strongly with ρ ranging from 0.72–0.76 (WAI 1) and 0.70–0.78 (WAI 2). Based on the findings and supported by theoretical and methodological considerations, the authors confirm the feasibility of the short measures WAI 1 and WAI 2 for replacing WAI at least in occupational health research and employee surveys.

The face plays a central role in interpersonal relationships. Individuals with congenital or acquired facial deformities might experience difficulties with interpersonal relationships. Treatment should seek to improve their quality of life and work ability. To analyze the health-related quality of life and work ability of individuals with facial deformities. Study with mixed, quantitative and qualitative methods. We conducted semi-structured interviews on health-related quality of life and its implications for work with 16 individuals with facial deformities, eight cases of congenital and eight of acquired deformities, cared at specialized services in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The Work Ability Index (WAI) and 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey were administered. Thematic analysis led us to detect two categories of themes associated with facial deformities: interpersonal relationships and work ability; and quality of life and access to treatment. The participants with acquired facial deformities exhibited lower educational level and income, and lower quality of life and WAI scores compared to the ones with congenital deformities. All the participants with congenital deformities had received some form of rehabilitation and their social relationships were less impaired. Individuals with acquired facial deformities exhibited poorer work ability and quality of life compared to the ones with congenital deformities. Early rehabilitation of congenital deformities seems to considerably improve work ability and health-related quality of life.

Background: A recent study have described that persons with Polymyositis (PM) and Dermatomyositis (DM) experience reduced work ability (1). Information about whether the reduced work ability affect quality of life is lacking. Objectives: To describe self-rated work ability with two different assessment and quality of life in persons with PM and DM. To investigate correlations between self-rated work ability and quality of life Methods: Participants were identified through the Swedish Myositis Network registry (SweMyoNet). Of 78 possible participants, 48 agreed to participate in this study. The median (IQR) age were 57 (45-61) years with a median disease duration of 6 (2-14) years. Fifty-three percent of the participants were women. Seventy-seven percent were working, and the remaining were on sick-leave. Self-rated work ability was measured by the questionnaire Work Ability Index (WAI) and the Work Ability Score (WAS) which is a single item question. Quality of life by the SF-36. Results: Self-rated work ability measured by WAI in persons with PM and DM varied between poor work ability and good work ability. The median value of the group was 34 which indicates less good work ability. Self-rated work ability measured by WAS varied between poor work ability and good work ability. The median of the total group indicates less good work ability. There was a strong correlation between self-rated work ability measured by WAI and WAS (rs 0,879 p=0,01). Quality of life measured by SF-36 were rated lower in persons with PM and DM when compared to the general population in dimensions; Physical Function, Role-Physical, General Health, Vitality and Social function (p≤0.02). There were moderate to high correlations between self-rated work ability measured by both WAI and WAS, and all dimensions of SF-36 (p Conclusion: Persons with PM and DM self-rated their work ability as poor and the quality of life were significantly reduced when compared to the general population. The measures WAI and WAS correlates highly with each other and revealed comparable results indicating that WAS may work as well as WAI as a screening tool to identify reduced work ability. The WAS may also be more feasible with just one single question to use in clinical practice. Our results indicate the importance to measure self-rated work ability in persons with PM and DM in clinical practice.

Objective: Being able to work is important for health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and little is known about work life after radical treatment for prostate cancer (PCa). The aim was to investigate work status (WS) and work ability (WA) after radical prostatectomy (RP) or active surveillance (AS) for PCa, and to identify factors associated with reduced WA.Materials and methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study of 606 men treated with RP (n = 442) or AS (n = 164) at two Norwegian general hospitals. In 2017, they were asked to complete questionnaires measuring adverse effects (AE), HRQoL, aspects of work life and psychological factors at a median of 4.1 (range 1.3–8.1) years after diagnosis. Clinical data were retrieved from medical records. WS was categorized into employed, unemployed or retired. WA was rated using the Work Ability Index. Regression analyses were performed to find factors associated with reduced WA.Results: WS was similar for the RP and AS groups at diagnosis and survey. There was a small reduction in WA from diagnosis to survey and the difference between the RP and AS groups was non-significant. Older age, poorer self-rated health, poorer incontinence score, more chronic fatigue, and increased anxiety and depressive symptoms were associated with reduced WA, while treatment method, urinary bother and use of pads were not.Conclusion: The impact of RP and AS on WS and WA was almost similar. Age and psychological variables were more strongly associated with reduced WA than cancer-related variables.

Background Inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) is a chronic disease usually diagnosed in early adulthood and characterized by unpredictable flare-ups and debilitating symptoms that can interfere with the patient's ability to work and perform daily activities. In fact, since work disability is difficult to quantify, several scores have been developed for this purpose. The Work Ability Index(WAI) is a validated practical tool to measure the work capacity of patients. The objective of this study was to assess work performance in patients followed for IBD using the WAI psychometric tool, and to identify predictive factors of work disability. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study including working patients followed for IBD, over a 9-months period. We collected sociodemographic, clinico-biological and evolutionary data. Quality of life was assessed by the IBDQ questionnairy. Work capacity was assessed using the WAI, a short 7-item questionnairy, which classified work performance into four categories: poor (score between 7-27), moderate(28-36), good(37-43) and excellent(44-49). Results We included 45 patients: 80% Crohn disease and 20% ulcerative colitis. The mean age was 44 years[20-72], the sex-ratio M/F was 0.7, and the mean of follow-up time was 9 years[1-18]. The average number of working hours per week was 38.84 [9-60]. The mean absenteeism during the last twelve months was 49.6 days [0-240] and the average number of hospitalization days was 30.7 [0-150]. The mean WAI value was 32.58, which corresponds to a moderate work performance. Assessment of work performance according to the WAI questionnaire showed that 38% of patients (N=17) had poor work ability, 24% (N=11) moderate work ability, 33% (N=15) good work ability and only two patients had an excellent work ability. In univariate and multivariate study, predictive factors of disability at work in IBD patients were: Furthermore, the assessment of health-related quality of life by the IBDQ questionnairy showed a mean IBDQ value of 160.78 which corresponds to a moderate score relating a quality of life; 224 being the maximum score obtainable reflecting an optimal quality of life. In the analytical study and using Spearman's test, a statistically significant correlation was found between the WAI and IBDQ with a p-value &amp;lt;0.0001 and a correlation coefficient r=0.7, reflecting the impact of work life on quality of life. Conclusion In our study, one third of patients had poor work capacity. Risk factors for poor performance were disease severity, presence of osteoarticular extraintestinal manifestation, and patients with children. The only protective factor identified was a high level of education. Thus, the Work Ability Index can be used as a screening tool to identify the need for rehabilitation.