Association Of Occupational Factors Research Articles

1.G. Workshop: The German National Cohort (NAKO): Design, current state, and first results

Abstract This workshop aims to give an overview of design, methods and first results of the largest cohort study in Germany: the German National Cohort (NAKO).This organized session will consist of one overview presentation and three presentations on selected topics: mental disorders, COVID-19, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in the NAKO. NAKO is a multidisciplinary, population-based cohort study that provides a central resource for population-based epidemiologic research. NAKO aims to investigate the development and aetiology of diseases, identify risk factors and enhance early detection and prevention of diseases with a focus on diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological, psychiatric, and infectious diseases. Between 2014 and 2019, overall 205,415 persons aged 20-74 years were recruited and examined at 18 study centres across Germany. During their visit to the study centre, they participated in a face-to-face interview, completed self-administered, computer-based questionnaires, underwent a battery of biomedical examinations, and provided various biosamples. In addition, whole-body Magnet Resonance Imaging (MRI) was performed on 30,861 participants using dedicated 3 Tesla MRI scanners at 5 study centres. The whole-body MRI protocol focuses on brain and cardiac structures, musculoskeletal system and body fat distribution. In 4-5 year intervals, all study participants are re-invited for examinations at the study centres. The programme for the first re-examination (including MRI scanning) was similar to the baseline programme. Thereby, longitudinal information on changes in risk factor profiles and in vascular, cardiac, metabolic, neurocognitive, pulmonary and sensory function is collected. Since October 2018, 77,896 participants have been re-examined, including 11,382 with additional MRI examination. A supplemental COVID-19 questionnaire collected data on 161,849 participants of NAKO during the first COVID-19-related lockdown in Spring 2020. This survey started on 30 April 2020 and ended on 30 June 2020. The questionnaire included questions on general state of health, Sars-CoV-2 symptoms and test results, and on changes in behavioural, psychosocial and socioeconomic factors as well as social contacts and occupational situation during the pandemic. Thus, psychological and socioeconomic effects of the pandemic situation can be addressed. Moreover, questions on pandemic-related aspects including the history of infection, severity and long-term health impacts of COVID-19 were added to the regular study programme in the study centres as of July 2021. The longitudinal design of NAKO provides the unique opportunity to compare the participants’ situation before and during the pandemic. The presentations describe the main design of the NAKO and exemplary results of main research questions, e. g., on mental health, association of occupational factors with COVID-19, and MRI findings. Key messages • The workshop introduces the design and collected data of the NAKO to foster collaboration between scientists, enabling further harmonization of data collection between large cohort studies. • The workshop aims to facilitate (future) joint scientific exploitation of this unique epidemiological resource of population-based data.

Association of Occupational Factors and Dementia or Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Several existing studies have reported that occupational factors might play an important part in cognitive function with aging. We aim to explore the associations between modifiable occupational factors and risk of dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Adopting random-effect models, this study conducted primary analyses for all occupational factors and subgroup analyses for the effect of occupation type based on prospective cohort and case-control studies searched from PubMed and EMBASE databases up to March 2020. Among the 38,111 identified literatures, 9 studies on occupation type, 4 studies on work complexity, and 30 studies on occupational exposure were included. In terms of occupation type, mental work conferred a 44% reduced risk (95% CI = 0.34-0.94, I² = 85.00%, p < 0.01) for MCI. In terms of work complexity, higher work complexity conferred a 5% reduced risk (95% CI = 0.91-1.00, I² = 57.00%, p < 0.01) for dementia. In terms of occupational exposure, high strain and passive job in the longest-held job conferred a 1.21- and 1.15-fold excess risk (95% CI = 1.05-1.39 I² = 62.00%, p < 0.05; 95% CI = 1.05-1.26 I² = 31.00%, p = 0.23; respectively) of cognitive decline. Besides, magnetic field exposure conferred a 1.26-fold excess risk (95% CI = 1.01-1.57, I² = 69.00%, p < 0.01) for dementia. Novel prevention strategies based on occupational factors may hold promise against dementia and MCI.

Associations between occupational factors and self-rated health in the national Brazilian working population

BackgroundThe literature remains seldom on the topic of self-rated health (SRH) among the national working populations of emerging countries. The objectives of the study were to examine the associations of occupational factors with SRH in a national representative sample of the working population in Brazil.MethodsThis study relied on a cross-sectional sample of 36,442 workers, 16,992 women and 19,450 men. SRH was the studied health outcome. Sixteen occupational factors related to four topics were studied: employment characteristics, working time/hours, psychosocial work factors and physical and chemical work exposures. The associations between occupational factors and SRH were studied using logistic regression models with adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics (age, ethnicity and marital status). The analyses were performed for each gender separately and using weights.ResultsThe prevalence of poor SRH was 26.71%, this prevalence being higher among women (29.77%) than among men (24.23%). The following risk factors for poor SRH were found among men and women: working as a self-employed worker, clerk/service worker, manual worker, part-time (≤ 20 h/week), exposure to work stress, exposure to high physical activity and exposure to sun. The risk factors for poor SRH among women only were: working as a domestic worker and exposure to noise, and among men, working in the agriculture sector.ConclusionsOur study suggested that occupational factors related to both physical and psychosocial work environment may be associated with SRH in the working population in Brazil. Improving working conditions may be beneficial for health at work in Brazil.

Occupational factors and low back pain: a cross-sectional study of Bangladeshi female nurses

BackgroundThe suffering from low back pain (LBP) is very common among nurses. The high prevalence rates of LBP are observed in many countries. Many back injuries are due to individual and work-related factors. Our aim is to investigate whether there is an association of occupational factors with LBP among the female nurses who are currently working in tertiary hospitals of Bangladesh.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study with 229 female nurses from two selected tertiary hospitals in Bangladesh. Data was collected through face-to-face interview using a standard structured questionnaire on four different measures of LBP along with questions on socio-demographic, occupational factors, physical and psychological factors.ResultsPrevalence rates of LBP that lasted for at least 1 day, chronic LBP, intense pain and sought medical care because of LBP during the last 12 months were 72.9, 31.8, 24.4 and 36.2%, respectively. The multiple logistic regression analyses indicates that insufficient supporting staffs, overtime working hours and manual lifting in a working environment are associated with LBP. Besides, age and parity are found positively associated with chronic LBP.ConclusionThe prevalence of LBP among nurses in Bangladesh is high and should be actively addressed. Certain occupational factors play a key role in developing LBP among nurses. Nurses to patients ratio should be taken into consideration to reduce the occurrence of LBP among nurses employed in hospitals.

Gender and age disparities in the associations of occupational factors with alcohol abuse and smoking in the French working population

Background This study assessed the associations of short-term employment, physical and psychological occupational demands, and job dissatisfaction with alcohol abuse (using the Audit-C test) and daily smoking among working French men and women in different age groups. Methods The sample included 13,241 working people, 18–29, 30–39, and 40–59-years-old, randomly selected in France and interviewed by phone. Occupation, type of employment, physical demands, psychological demands, job dissatisfaction, gender, age, educational level, and income were considered. Data were analyzed with logistic models. Results Alcohol abuse affected 20.4% of men and 7.5% of women; smoking 32.1% and 24.2%, respectively. Their patterns of association with the occupational factors varied with gender and age. Job dissatisfaction was the leading factor among young men (adjusted odds ratio for alcohol abuse and smoking: 1.71 and 2.02), whereas short-term employment was the leading factor among young women (1.69 and 1.58), this pattern being reversed in older generations. The pattern of associations of physical and psychological demands with outcomes is more complex, but overall psychological demands were more important for women (especially the younger ones) than men, especially for smoking (OR > 1.6). Smoking within 5 min after waking was much more common among male and female smokers with these occupational factors, suggesting a potential dependency. Conclusions Workers with short-term employment and occupational demands are subject to a higher risk for alcohol abuse and smoking with high gender and age disparities. Gender and age should be considered when designing measures to prevent substance abuse related to occupation.