Female Manual Workers Research Articles

Carpal tunnel syndrome in the workplace. Triggers, coping strategies, and economic impact: A qualitative study from the perspective of women manual workers

BackgroundCarpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) may lead to significant work limitations, especially in female manual workers. There is scarce evidence on the perspective of female manual workers with CTS. PurposeTo explore the perspective of female workers who suffer from CTS regarding triggers, coping strategies, and economic impact. Study designA qualitative phenomenological study was conducted involving 18 manual workers with CTS diagnosed by the neurology service of a public hospital. MethodsPurposive sampling was applied, and data were collected using in-depth interviews and researchers' notes. An inductive thematic analysis was applied to identify themes reflecting the participants' experience. Guba and Lincoln criteria were applied to establish the trustworthiness of the data. ResultsThe mean age of participants was 40.06 years (SD 9.86). Four themes were identified: (a) coping with work limitations; (b) work activities that aggravate symptoms; (c) relationships at work; and (d) the economic burden of CTS. The effect of work on CTS, daily constraints, work situations that trigger the symptoms, and the strategies used by participants to adapt to their work are described. In addition, they recounted how relationships with managers and coworkers are modified and how CTS affects family finances. ConclusionsThe findings describe aggravating factors among working women, coping strategies used, and the social and occupational impact of CTS.

Effect of work experience and upper-limb muscle activity on grip strength of manual workers

Objectives. The current study correlated grip strength (GS) measurements with upper-limb muscle activity (UMA) for three different experience levels of manual workers (beginner, intermediate and advanced). Methods. A total of 182 male and female manual workers were chosen, and GS was assessed in some contexts using a digital handgrip dynamometer. Results. The GS values change significantly depending on the amount of experience of the workers. The difference in GS for different UMA demonstrates that continuous exposure to hand tools in different conditions of the hands (twisting, bending, etc.) significantly impacts manual arm strength. Conclusions. These findings suggest that repetitive use of hand tools in various manual operations (cutting, digging, pruning, spading, etc.) causes GS to vary significantly. In addition, beginner experience-level individuals exhibited much lower GS values in the dominant hand, whereas advanced experience-level workers had the greatest strength. Thus, for generating higher forces, professionals (advanced and intermediate levels) choose to execute safer activity (i.e., more neutral positions) than beginners.

Differences in Cancer Mortality Rate Depending on Occupational Class among Japanese Women, 1995-2015.

Background:Although it is known that cancer mortality rate varies depending on occupations in Japan, differences in female cancer mortality rate depending on occupational classes have not been analyzed using the Vital Statistics in Japan. In this study, we analyzed the Vital Statistics data in Japan from 1995 to 2015, and revealed differences in cancer mortality rate depending on occupational classes among Japanese women. Methods:The Vital Statistics data by occupations from 1995 to 2015 were obtained from the “Report of Vital Statistics : Occupational and Industrial Aspects” in Japan, and data on mortality for cancer in all sites, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, gallbladder and extrahepatic bile duct cancer, pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, and uterine cancer were used. We classified main occupation categories into non-manual workers and manual workers, and calculated age-standardized mortality rate for each of the occupational class, year, age group, and type of cancer and its annual percent change. Results:Age-standardized mortality rates for non-manual workers (222.0 per 100,000 persons in 1995 and 143.8 per 100,000 persons in 2015) were higher in cancer in all sites than those for manual workers (127.6 per 100,000 persons in 1995 and 103.7 per 100,000 persons in 2015) throughout the years. However, age-standardized mortality rates showed a significant decreasing trend between 1995 and 2015 for non-manual workers, and the absolute value of annual percent change was higher in non-manual workers than in manual workers. As a result, a difference in age-standardized mortality rates for cancer in all sites between the two types of occupational classes decreased throughout the years. Conclusion:A further study investigating differences in physical or behavioral characteristics of female non-manual and manual workers is needed in order to understand the key factors for the higher cancer mortality rate in non-manual workers.

Factors associated with returning to work after long term absence due to mental disorders

If there is a chance for a person’s ability to work to be restored through treatment or rehabilitation, a temporary disability pension may be granted in Finland. We examined the personal, socio-economic and healthcare-related factors associated with return to work (RTW) after the receipt of temporary disability pension. The study material contains comprehensive register data of individuals who were granted a temporary disability pension due to a mental disorder (ICD10: F10–F69, F80–F99) for the first time between 2010 and 2012 (N = 8615). We applied clustering analysis in order to reveal different patterns of returning to work after receipt of temporary disability pension and utilized multinominal regression analysis to examine gender-specific determinants for RTW and partial RTW in a controlled setting. Being a lower-grade employee remarkably promoted RTW for women (OR 7.85 95% CI 5.35–11.51), as did being a manual worker for men (OR 5.47 95% CI 3.48–8.78). Moreover, both active male (OR 3.51 95% CI 2.19–5.61) and female manual workers (OR 2.44 95% CI 1.66–3.59) had a higher probability of partial RTW compared to people who were initially unemployed. In addition, psychotherapy and vocational rehabilitation were associated with an increased probability of RTW. After 3 years from the initial temporary pensioning, almost two-thirds of the study population (69% of men and 64% of women) still had a temporary or by then a permanent disability pension due to a mental disorder. This and further research could improve the ability to recognize those subjects more likely to return to work than others.

A Clinical and Neurophysiological Analysis of Idiopathic Carpal Tunnel Syndrome with Respect to Gender and Occupation.

Background:Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) predominantly affects women. Previous studies observed more intense symptoms among women without a corresponding increase in disease severity and attributed it to reporting bias. In this study, we examined whether women are inherently more vulnerable to work related median nerve dysfunction at wrist and whether reported CTS symptoms among women correspond to the degree of median neuropathy at wrist.Methods:A cross-sectional study was designed for outpatients (aged 25-59 years) diagnosed with CTS. Occupational categorisation was done based on the analysis of their individual job tasks. Symptom severity (Boston Symptom Severity Scale – SSS), functional disability (Boston Functional Status Scale - FSS), and clinical (Hi – Ob scale) and neurophysiological severity (NCS grade) were determined, compared among occupational groups and were statistically analysed.Results:A total of 454 patients (348 women and 106 men; F: M ratio 3.28:1) were included. Among them, 191 were housewives. Female manual workers and housewives reported significantly more intense symptoms with a corresponding increase in clinical and electrophysiological severity (p < 0.001) when compared to female non-manual workers. However, no significant difference in symptoms, clinical or neurophysiological severity was found between male non-manual and manual workers. Among manual workers, women were more symptomatic than men, but clinical and neurophysiological severities were significantly higher only in the older age groups.Conclusion:The differential vulnerability of the female population to hand-intensive work predisposes them to severe median nerve dysfunction at wrist with proportionately higher CTS symptoms. Therefore, working women need focussed attention for remedial measures.

Will Delayed Retirement Affect the Health of Chinese Workers? A Study from the Perspective of Sustainability of Physical Health

This article presents the important research findings of our study on whether delayed retirement will affect the health of Chinese workers from the perspective of sustainability of physical health. The treatment group is those who continue to work after the current statutory retirement age and the control group are those who no longer work after current statutory retirement age, and the physical health of these people is used as a dependent variable. The samples are selected from the following six regions of China: Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Beijing, Zhengzhou, and Shenyang. Quantitative studies of physical health status of the samples are carried out. The study illustrates that for female manual workers who are younger than 63 years old, female non-manual workers who are younger than 66 years old, male manual workers who are younger than 64 years old, and male non-manual workers who are younger than 67 years old, delaying retirement, and continuing to stay in work has no effect on their physical health. After these chronological age stages, however, it has significant impact on their health. These research findings have significant impact and value for the design of China’s delayed retirement policy.

The influence of occupational class and physical workload on working life expectancy among older employees.

Objective:This study investigates the impact of physical workload factors and occupational class on working life expectancy (WLE) and working years lost (WYL) in a sample of older Finnish workers.Methods:A 70% random sample of Finns in 2004 was linked to a job exposure matrix for physical workload factors and register information on occupational class and labor market status until 2014. Transitions between being at work, time-restricted work disability, unemployment, economic inactivity, disability retirement, retirement and death were estimated. A multistate Cox regression model with transition-specific covariates was used to estimate the WLE and WYL at age 50 up to 63 years for each occupational class and physical workload factor for men and women (N=415 105).Results:At age 50, male and female manual workers had a WLE of 10.13 and 10.14 years, respectively. Among both genders, manual workers had one year shorter WLE at age 50 than upper non-manual employees. This difference was largely attributable to unemployment (men: 0.60, women: 0.66 years) and disability retirement (men: 0.28, women: 0.29 years). Self-employed persons had the highest WLE (11.08 years). Men and women exposed to four or five physical workload factors had about one year lower WLE than non-exposed workers. The difference was primarily attributable to ill-health-related reasons, including disability retirement (men: 0.45 years, women: 0.53 years) and time-restricted work disability (men: 0.23, women: 0.33 years).Conclusions:Manual workers and those exposed to physical workload factors had the lowest WLE. The differences in WYL between exposure groups can primarily be explained by ill-health-based exit routes.

Are legal values gendered? Gender differences in support for judicial independence in Hong Kong

Gender allegedly influences attitude and behaviour. Compared to the vast literature on gender and political culture, the role of gender in shaping legal values remains under-researched. Based on data from a 2015 survey in Hong Kong, this study fills a gap by ascertaining the gender effect on support for judicial independence. It found that, despite the significance of migrant status, education level and occupation, gender alone predicts support for judicial independence. Second, all things being equal, women are less supportive of judicial independence than men. Third, Hong Kong-born male professionals with tertiary education and China-born female manual workers with primary education or below registered the highest and lowest degree of support for judicial independence, respectively. Given the steady inflow of Mainland Chinese migrants after the city returned to Chinese rule in 1997, many of them wives of Hong Kong husbands, these findings raised questions about the former British colony's evolving legal culture.

Differences in Metabolic Syndrome Prevalence by Employment Type and Sex.

Workers may sometimes do the same work, but differ in their risk of health-related problems depending on whether the employment type is standard or non-standard. Furthermore, even with similar job and employment types, there may be differences in risk factors for health-related problems depending on sex. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) by employment type and sex using data from the Fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES Ⅴ) (2010–2012) and KNHANES Ⅵ (2013–2015) conducted by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, 9523 adult wage workers (5523 standard workers and 4000 non-standard workers) aged ≥ 19 years were analyzed. To determine MetS prevalence odds ratios according to employment type, logistic regression analysis was performed disaggregated by sex. The prevalence of MetS significantly increased with age (p < 0.001), being married (p < 0.05), current smoking status (p < 0.05), and high-risk drinking (p < 0.001) among male subjects. The prevalence of MetS significantly increased among female manual workers (p < 0.001), those with lower educational level and household income (p < 0.001). Non-standard workers of either sex showed higher MetS prevalence than standard workers; only females showed significant difference (p < 0.001). Female non-standard workers showed 1.44, 1.33, and 1.34 (all p < 0.001) times higher odds of MetS prevalence in Models 1, 2, and 3, respectively, compared to standard workers, suggesting a difference in risk factors of MetS according to sex. Also, that employment type affects MetS prevalence suggests that employment pattern is an important risk factor especially in females. Therefore, to manage MetS in female non-standard workers, individual health care as well as social effort may be necessary.

Occupational class and the changing patterns of hospitalization for affective and neurotic disorders: a nationwide register-based study of the Finnish working-age population, 1976-2010.

This study aimed to examine the long-term changes and socioeconomic disparities in hospitalization for affective and neurotic disorders among the Finnish working-age population from 1976 to 2010. Register-based study, consisting of a 5-year follow-up of 3,223,624 Finnish working-age (18-64-year old) individuals in seven consecutive cohorts. We calculated the hazard ratios of psychiatric hospitalization for different occupational classes using Cox regression models. The risk of hospitalization for affective and neurotic disorders increased in all occupational classes after the economic recession in the 1990s, and then decreased in the 2000s. Before the 2000s, the risk was the highest among manual workers. In the 2000s the disparities between upper-level non-manual employees and other occupational classes increased. Hospitalization rates remained high among female manual workers and non-manual lower-level employees. This study revealed important similarities and differences between occupational classes in terms of long-term changes in hospitalization for affective and neurotic disorders. The results suggest that the labor market changes and healthcare reforms during the 1990s and 2000s in Finland have been more beneficial for higher than for lower occupational classes.

Social disparities in food preparation behaviours: a DEDIPAC study

BackgroundThe specific role of major socio-economic indicators in influencing food preparation behaviours could reveal distinct socio-economic patterns, thus enabling mechanisms to be understood that contribute to social inequalities in health. This study investigated whether there was an independent association of each socio-economic indicator (education, occupation, income) with food preparation behaviours.MethodsA total of 62,373 adults participating in the web-based NutriNet-Santé cohort study were included in our cross-sectional analyses. Cooking skills, preparation from scratch and kitchen equipment were assessed using a 0–10-point score; frequency of meal preparation, enjoyment of cooking and willingness to cook better/more frequently were categorical variables. Independent associations between socio-economic factors (education, income and occupation) and food preparation behaviours were assessed using analysis of covariance and logistic regression models stratified by sex. The models simultaneously included the three socio-economic indicators, adjusting for age, household composition and whether or not they were the main cook in the household.ResultsParticipants with the lowest education, the lowest income group and female manual and office workers spent more time preparing food daily than participants with the highest education, those with the highest income and managerial staff (P < 0.0001). The lowest educated individuals were more likely to be non-cooks than those with the highest education level (Women: OR = 3.36 (1.69;6.69); Men: OR = 1.83 (1.07;3.16)) while female manual and office workers and the never-employed were less likely to be non-cooks (OR = 0.52 (0.28;0.97); OR = 0.30 (0.11;0.77)). Female manual and office workers had lower scores of preparation from scratch and were less likely to want to cook more frequently than managerial staff (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001). Women belonging to the lowest income group had a lower score of kitchen equipment (P < 0.0001) and were less likely to enjoy cooking meal daily (OR = 0.68 (0.45;0.86)) than those with the highest income.ConclusionLowest socio-economic groups, particularly women, spend more time preparing food than high socioeconomic groups. However, female manual and office workers used less raw or fresh ingredients to prepare meals than managerial staff. In the unfavourable context in France with reduced time spent preparing meals over last decades, our findings showed socioeconomic disparities in food preparation behaviours in women, whereas few differences were observed in men.

Socioeconomic Factors Associated with Knowledge on Tuberculosis among Adults in Ethiopia.

Background. Ethiopia is among highly tuberculosis affected countries. This might be related to low level of awareness on the disease in the population. The objective of the study was to determine the level of tuberculosis knowledge and socioeconomic factors associated with it. Methods. The 2011 Ethiopia health and demographic survey data were used. Overall tuberculosis knowledge score was computed to evaluate the outcome variable. Multivariable logistic regression was employed to identify independent socioeconomic factors associated with low tuberculosis knowledge. Results. The overall tuberculosis knowledge was low, 44.05% (95% CI: 42.05–46.24%) among women and 32.3% (95% CI: 30.34–34.32%) among men. Rural women (AOR = 1.22) and youth, no formal education (women: AOR = 3.28, men: AOR = 7.42), attending only primary education (women: AOR = 1.95, men: AOR = 3.49), lowest wealth quintiles (women: AOR = 1.4, Men: AOR = 1.28), unskilled female manual workers (AOR = 4.15), female agricultural employee (AOR = 2.28), and lack of access to media (women: AOR = 1.52, men: AOR = 1.71) are significantly associated with low tuberculosis knowledge. Conclusion. The level of tuberculosis knowledge among adults in Ethiopia is low and varied by socioeconomic groups. Tuberculosis control programs should consider appropriate strategies for tuberculosis education, promotion, communication, and social mobilization to address the rural women, youths, the poor, less educated people, and unskilled workers.

Working Life and Retirement Expectancies at Age 50 by Social Class: Period and Cohort Trends and Projections for Finland.

The balance between the amount of time spent in work and in retirement underlies the long-term sustainability of the social security system. We examined socioeconomic differences in how increasing longevity is distributed between labor market statuses in Finland. We used register data and the Sullivan method to analyze life expectancy at age 50 spent in different labor market statuses over the period 1989-2012 and across cohorts born in 1938-1953. We projected the future mortality and labor market participation rates of partially observed cohorts. Both working life expectancy at age 50 and the share of remaining life spent in work have increased across periods following the recession of the early 1990s, and across successive cohorts. The trends were similar across the social classes, but there were large differences in the numbers of years spent in various states: for the most recent period and the youngest cohort, we find that compared with upper non-manual employees, male and female manual workers were expected to spend 3.6-3.7 fewer years in work, 1.7-4.7 fewer years in statutory retirement, and 3.2-3.9 more years in other forms of nonemployment. Our finding that the share of remaining life at age 50 spent in work is increasing implies that pressure on the welfare system is not as severe as is commonly thought.

The contribution of major diagnostic causes to socioeconomic differences in disability retirement

The aim of this study was twofold: to investigate socioeconomic differences in disability retirement (DR) due to major diseases and find out which diseases contribute most to the overall socioeconomic differences in DR. The data were longitudinal register-based (10% sample of Finns) from Statistics Finland. These data included 258 428 participants aged 35-64 years during the follow-up. The participants were employed or unemployed before the follow-up period 1997-2010. Of all participants, 14 303 men and 13 188 women ended up in DR during the follow-up. Socioeconomic status was categorized into upper- and lower-class non-manual employees, manual workers, and self-employed persons. Cox models were used to estimate hazard ratios for DR due to different diseases. Compared to upper-class non-manual employees, DR was especially high for manual workers whose retirement diagnoses included psychoactive substance use, musculoskeletal diseases (MSD), or cardiovascular diseases. Socioeconomic differences in DR were stronger for younger age groups and men versus women. For females and males, the largest part of the excess DR among manual workers compared to upper-class non-manual employees was due to MSD. In the age group 54-64 years, the contribution of MSD to the total excess was >50% among male manual workers and 75% among female manual workers. Excess DR due to mental disorders concerned only 35-54-year-old manual workers (among 23% men and 26% women). The contribution of MSD to the total excess DR among lower socioeconomic groups was large. Prevention of MSD among manual workers would likely reduce socioeconomic differences in DR.

Long Work Hours and Obesity in Korean Adult Workers

The present study was designed to identify the association between work hours and obesity in Korean adult manual and nonmanual workers, and to determine whether there is a gender difference in this association. The study was conducted using Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data collected between 2007 and 2010. Individuals aged below 25 or over 64 years, pregnant women, part-time workers, soldiers, housewives and students were excluded. The total number of individuals included in the analysis was 8,889 (5,241 male and 3,648 female subjects). The outcome variable was obesity, defined as body mass index ≥25 kg/m(2). Variables considered in the model were age, education, income, marital status, alcohol drinking, smoking, daily energy intake, physical activity, sleep hours per day, the type of job, work hours, and work schedule. Work hours were categorized as <40, 40-48 (reference), 49-60, and >60 hours per week. In the multiple SURVEYLOGISTIC regression analyses, the adjusted odds ratio of obesity for long work hours (>60 hours per week) in male manual workers was 1.647 (95% confidence interval 1.262-2.151). Long work hours did not significantly increase the odds ratio for obesity in male nonmanual workers and female manual and nonmanual workers. More than 60 work hours per week increased the risk of obesity in Korean male manual workers. This result might be helpful in preventing obesity in Korean adult workers, especially male manual workers.

Education-related differences in physical performance after age 60: a cross-sectional study assessing variation by age, gender and occupation

BackgroundHaving a low level of education has been associated with worse physical performance. However, it is unclear whether this association varies by age, gender or the occupational categories of manual and non-manual work. This study examined whether there are education-related differences across four dimensions of physical performance by age, gender or occupational class and to what extent chronic diseases and lifestyle-related factors may explain such differences.MethodsParticipants were a random sample of 3212 people, 60 years and older, both living in their own homes and in institutions, from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care, in Kungsholmen, Stockholm. Trained nurses assessed physical performance in grip strength, walking speed, balance and chair stands, and gathered data on education, occupation and lifestyle-related factors, such as physical exercise, body mass index, smoking and alcohol consumption. Diagnoses of chronic diseases were made by the examining physician.ResultsCensored normal regression analyses showed that persons with university education had better grip strength, balance, chair stand time and walking speed than people with elementary school education. The differences in balance and walking speed remained statistically significant (p < 0.05) after adjustment for chronic diseases and lifestyle. However, age-stratified analyses revealed that the differences were no longer statistically significant in advanced age (80+ years). Gender-stratified analyses revealed that women with university education had significantly better grip strength, balance and walking speed compared to women with elementary school education and men with university education had significantly better chair stands and walking speed compared to men with elementary school education in multivariate adjusted models. Further analyses stratified by gender and occupational class suggested that the education-related difference in grip strength was only evident among female manual workers, while the difference in balance and walking speed was only evident among female and male non-manual workers, respectively.ConclusionsHigher education was associated with better lower extremity performance in people aged 60 to 80, but not in advanced age (80+ years). Our results indicate that higher education is associated with better grip strength among female manual workers and with better balance and walking speed among female and male non-manual workers, respectively.

The impacts of recent smoking control policies on individual smoking choice: the case of Japan.

This article comprehensively examines the impact of recent smoking control policies in Japan, increases in cigarette taxes and the enforcement of the Health Promotion Law, on individual smoking choice by using multi-year and nationwide individual survey data to overcome the analytical problems of previous Japanese studies. In the econometric analyses, I specify a simple binary choice model based on a random utility model to examine the effects of smoking control policies on individual smoking choice by employing the instrumental variable probit model to control for the endogeneity of cigarette prices. The empirical results show that an increase in cigarette prices statistically significantly reduces the smoking probability of males by 1.0 percent and that of females by 1.4 to 2.0 percent. The enforcement of the Health Promotion Law has a statistically significant effect on reducing the smoking probability of males by 15.2 percent and of females by 11.9 percent. Furthermore, an increase in cigarette prices has a statistically significant negative effect on the smoking probability of office workers, non-workers, male manual workers, and female unemployed people, and the enforcement of the Health Promotion Law has a statistically significant effect on decreasing the smoking probabilities of office workers, female manual workers, and male non-workers.JEL classificationC25, C26, I18

Selbstberichteter allgemeiner Gesundheitszustand nach Beruf und Alter in der Erwerbsbevölkerung

In occupations, self-rated general health status was examined under special consideration of age. Data from the GEDA 2009 and 2010 surveys (N = 26,303) were analyzed. Professionals had a low prevalence of poor health, whereas unskilled service workers and-among males-unskilled manual workers had a high prevalence. In older workers the prevalence of poor general health was greater than among younger workers. However, the difference in health between young and old was significantly smaller than the general pattern among male managers and women in skilled commercial and administrative occupations. Among male skilled workers and female unskilled manual workers, the difference in health between young and old was greater. The-with increasing age-growing health gap between occupational groups should receive more attention. In order to understand the relationship between work, age and health, targeted longitudinal sectional studies are needed. It might be misleading to adjust associations between work and health by age, because age might moderate this relationship.

Differences in working conditions and employment arrangements among migrant and non-migrant workers in Europe

Objective. To determine migrant workers' exposure to select occupational risks and compare it with that of non-migrant workers in Europe. Design. Based on the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS-2005, n=29,654 workers, 31 countries) we examined differential prevalence amongst migrant and non-migrant workers' primary paid jobs in terms of employment arrangements (working >10 hours/day, working >5 days/week, on Sundays, without a contract, changes in the work schedule and not free to decide when to take holidays or days off) and working conditions (exposure to hazards including chemical, physical agents, physical load and psychological conditions). For the purpose of this study, a migrant is defined as a person without nationality of the country of residence (n=926). Adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) for age, economic sector and education were calculated. Results. Differences in employment arrangements and working conditions were noted by migration status, gender and occupational status. Among non-manual workers, migrant males are more exposed than non-migrant males to negative psychosocial conditions – working at a very high speed (aPR 1.23; 95% CI 1.07–1.42) and shift work (aPR 1.66; 95% CI 1.27–2.17) – and adverse employment arrangements: working on Sundays (aPR 1.91; 95% CI 1.42–2.55), variable starting/finishing times (aPR 1.17; 95% CI 1.04–1.32) and changes in work schedule (aPR 1.56; 95% CI 1.30–1.88). Compared with non-migrant males, male migrant manual workers are the group with a greater number of disparities in terms of exposure to negative working conditions. Female migrant non-manual workers are more exposed to psychosocial conditions – working at very high speed (aPR 1.26; 95% CI 1.10–1.44) and shift work (aPR 1.61; 95% CI 1.29–2.01) while female manual migrant workers were more likely to report standing or walking (aPR 2.43; 95% CI 1.98–2.97), not having a contract (aPR 2.94; 95% CI 2.07–4.10) and not being free to decide days off and holidays (aPR 1.25; 95% CI 1.07–1.48) than non-migrants. Conclusion. Migrant workers across Europe are more likely to be exposed to certain working and employment arrangements that may place them at higher risk of future health problems.

Incidence of myocardial infarction among cooks and other restaurant workers in Sweden 1987–2005

The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of myocardial infarction (MI) among cooks and other restaurant workers. A prospective cohort study comprised manual workers in the service sector in the Swedish National Census of 1985, totaling 543 497 women and 233999 men. Restaurant workers were identified by occupational codes. Information on first time MI during 1987-2005 was obtained from nation-wide registers. We used Cox proportional hazards modeling, with separate analyses for men and women, adjusting for age, hypertension, diabetes, and socioeconomic status. Female cooks, restaurant and kitchen assistants, and wait staff all showed a statistically significant increase in risk of MI [hazard ratio (HR) 1.34, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.21-1.48; HR 1.12, 95% CI 1.03-1.21; and HR 1.25, 95% CI 1.06-1.47, respectively]. No increased risk was found among female cold-buffet managers. Among men, there was no statistically significant increase in risk for any of these occupations. The association was not stronger for subjects working ≥5 years. Group level information on smoking habits showed a similar percentage of daily smokers among female cooks compared to female manual workers in general. We found an increased risk of MI among female but not male cooks, restaurant and kitchen assistants, and wait staff. The excess risk may be related to occupational factors, but the results do not clearly support the hypothesis of cooking fumes as a risk factor for MI. Job strain could be a potential explanation for the findings.