Physical Job Demands Research Articles

Colleagues affect healthy eating and exercise behavior

Abstract Exercising and eating healthy are not just an individual choice, but influenced by the social environment. Family members, friends or neighbors influence (un)healthy choices individuals make, yet little is known about other important contacts: colleagues. Many people spend at least 8 hours a day at work, mostly surrounded by the same colleagues. As a third of daily calories are consumed in the workplace and a lot of time is spent sitting there, colleagues could be important in shaping the (un)healthy choices employees make. We study to what extent colleagues influence each other's eating and exercise behavior. We focus on two pathways: colleagues can encourage a healthy lifestyle or act as role models whose behavior can be observed and copied. We use the European Sustainable Workforce Survey, with data on 4345 employees in 402 teams in 113 organizations. We measured healthy eating as how often employees eat fruit and vegetables. We measured exercise by the number of days in the past week employees did sports/physical activity for more than 30 minutes. Colleague encouragement was assessed by the extent to which employees said their colleagues encourage them to eat healthy food or exercise frequently. We computed colleague behavior by taking the average fruit and vegetable consumption, and exercise, of all colleagues in a team. We fitted multilevel models with employees nested in teams and controlled for gender, age, education, working hours, job physical demands, self-rated health, sector and country. Preliminary results show colleague encouragement for healthy eating positively affected fruit consumption (p<.01), colleague fruit consumption did not(p=.62). Both colleague encouragement (p<.01) and colleague vegetable consumption (p=.04) positively relate to vegetable consumption. Colleague encouragement positively (p=.03), and colleague exercise behavior (p<.01) negatively, affected exercise. Worksite health interventions should emphasize the role colleagues may play. Key messages Next to family, friends and neighbors, also colleagues influence each other’s eating and exercise behavior. Worksite health interventions should the role colleagues may play into account when attempting to improve employee health.

The physical activity paradox: a longitudinal study of the implications for burnout

PurposeThis study investigates the independent and interactive associations of physical job demands and three types of off-job physical activity (during transportation, household, and recreation) with burnout. We use a recently proposed new conceptualization and assessment of burnout including core and secondary burnout symptoms. We predicted that physical job demands would be positively and the three types of off-job physical activity would be negatively related to burnout. Further, we hypothesized that the negative relations between the three types of off-job physical activity and burnout would be stronger for employees with low (vs. high) physical job demands.MethodsTo test our hypotheses, we conducted a two-wave survey study among a heterogeneous sample of full-time workers (N = 355), using a longitudinal design with a half-year time lag. We tested cross-sectional, prospective and longitudinal relations.ResultsHierarchical regression analyses partly confirmed our predictions. Cross-sectionally and prospectively, it was shown that physical job demands were positively related to burnout symptoms. In addition, off-job physical activity was negatively related to primary and secondary burnout symptoms among employees with low physical job demands and positively related to burnout symptoms among employees with high physical job demands. However, these relationships disappeared when investigated longitudinally.ConclusionTogether, these findings suggest that not all off-job physical activities can prevent burnout, and that potential positive effects of physical activity during off-job time may depend on employees’ physical activity level at work.

Workplace Barriers Experienced by People With Arthritis And Rheumatic Conditions at Risk Of Pre-Mature Employment Cessation

<h3>Research Objectives</h3> To describe workplace barriers reported on the Work Experience Survey for Rheumatic Conditions (WES-RC), an intervention tool used in the recent Work It clinical trial. <h3>Design</h3> This is a descriptive study using data from the intervention arm of the Work It RCT, which examined an intervention delivered by occupational and physical therapists to people with arthritis. <h3>Setting</h3> General community. <h3>Participants</h3> Employed individuals with self-reported arthritis or rheumatological conditions, working at least part-time, and who lived/worked in Massachusetts. <h3>Interventions</h3> N/A. <h3>Main Outcome Measures</h3> Descriptive statistics of the WES-RC domains were computed including: include getting ready for work, workplace access, physical job demands, mental job demands, time/energy and emotional job demands, relationships with people at work, working conditions, and company policies, and job/career/home life. <h3>Results</h3> The mean age for the study sample (N=143) was 50.3. 73% female, 66% white, 68% single, and 59% had a college degree. Osteoarthritis was the most reported condition (43%). Doing stairs at home and lifting/carrying were the top barriers in getting ready to work reported by 44% and %43 of participants, respectively. Stairs and walking to work were the top barriers for workplace access, reported by 40%, and 28% of participants, respectively. Sitting for prolonged periods of time (physical job demands), reported by 55% of participants, remembering (mental job demands) reported by 30% of participants. Feeling self-conscious about a health condition was reported by 37% of participants. Cold temperature and air conditioning were the top barriers in working conditions/company policy reported by 43% of the participants. Getting household work and/ or shopping done, and consideration of what work options if needed or wanted to change jobs were the top barriers in job/career/home life, reported by 34% and 29% of the participants respectively. <h3>Conclusions</h3> The WES-RC identifies many problematic areas that fall within the expertise of occupational and physical therapy. With an RCT supporting the use of this tool, this could be useful to clinicians during practice to identify areas of need for patients. <h3>Author(s) Disclosures</h3> We have no disclosures to declare.

Suddenly Working From Home!

Abstract. The Corona crisis and the lockdown in the spring of 2020 had various effects on working life in Europe. In this three-wave study, we assessed the trajectories of job demands and resources of 302 employees 2 weeks before the lockdown, over 1 week after lockdown start, and 6 weeks following the beginning of the lockdown. We applied a pre-post follow-up design with 129 employees who switched to telecommuting and a control group of 173 employees who remained in their on-site workplace. Results from the repeated-measures MANCOVA indicate that, despite various general changes to job characteristics because of the Corona crisis, telecommuting changes contributed to significant changes only in communication opportunities and – before Bonferroni correction – in physical job demands. These results may imply that the most visible massive switch to telecommuting of many employees during the first phase of the Corona crisis is only one explanatory factor for general changes to job characteristics.

Effectiveness of an ergonomics training program on musculoskeletal disorders, job stress, quality of work-life and productivity in office workers: a quasi-randomized control trial study

Objectives. The increasing prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), especially in the neck and upper limbs, among office workers is an important issue related to health and job productivity. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of an ergonomics training intervention on MSDs, quality of work-life and occupational psychosocial stresses among office workers. Methods. This quasi-randomized trial study was conducted in Isfahan, Iran in 2019. Outcome measures were measured in a follow-up period of 1, 3 and 6 months after the intervention. The results were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance. Results. The interventions performed had a significant effect on neck, left shoulder, right wrist and left thigh discomfort. These interventions also had a significant effect on social support and physical job demands. Significant changes were detected in quality of work-life, chance of growth and security, social integration in organization and social relevance of work in life, although these changes decreased in quality of work-life. No significant differences were detected in the other measured outcomes. Conclusion. The implementation of ergonomic interventions was effective in reducing MSDs in the neck and upper limbs. It is recommended to conduct continuous training courses to control the risk of ergonomic factors affecting body discomfort.

Investigating association between job stress dimensions and prevalence of low back pain among hospital nurses.

There are a few studies conducted on job stress dimensions and their relationship with Low Back Pain (LBP) among Iranian nurses. The aim of the current study was to investigate the association between job stress dimensions assessed via Demand-Control-Social Support (DCS) and Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) models and prevalence of LBP among Iranian hospital nurses. In this cross-sectional study, 495 randomly selected nurses of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS) participated. Demographic/occupational questionnaire, the Persian version of the Job Content Questionnaire (P-JCQ) and the Persian version of the ERI Questionnaire (P-ERIQ) were used for data collection. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 19) using descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test, and logistic regression. The LBP prevalence was found to be 69.9%. The means±standard deviations of job stress dimensions were obtained as follows: decision latitude: 64.67±6.82, physical job demands: 15.52±2.6, social support: 23.18±3.65, psychological job demands: 38.02±4.98, effort: 8.73±2.62, reward: 23.12±5.31, over-commitment: 12.25±3.09, and effort-reward ratio: 0.86±0.3. The findings revealed that the work experience (OR = 1.56), psychological job demands (OR = 1.082), and effort-reward ratio (OR = 3.43) were predictors for LBP among the study population. The prevalence rate of LBP among studied nurses was high. About half of nurses had high psychological demands, low decision latitude and low social support. Based on the effort-reward ratio, nurses had experienced high level of stress. Interventional programs and coping strategies for reduction of work-related stress and, subsequently, prevention of LBP are recommended among hospital nurses.

Application of two job indices for general occupational demands in a pooled analysis of case-control studies on lung cancer.

Objectives:We investigated general job demands as a risk factor for lung cancer as well as their role in the association between occupational prestige and lung cancer.Methods:In 13 case–control studies on lung cancer, as part of the international SYNERGY project, we applied indices for physical (PHI) and psychosocial (PSI) job demands – each with four categories (high to low). We estimated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for lung cancer by unconditional logistic regression, separately for men and women and adjusted for study centre, age, smoking behavior, and former employment in occupations with potential exposure to carcinogens. Further, we investigated, whether higher risks among men with low occupational prestige (Treiman’s Standard International Occupational Prestige Scale) were affected by adjustment for the job indices.Results:In 30 355 men and 7371 women, we found increased risks (OR) for lung cancer with high relative to low job demands in both men [PHI 1.74 (95% CI 1.56–1.93), PSI 1.33 (95% CI 1.17–1.51)] and women [PHI 1.62 (95% CI 1.24–2.11), PSI 1.31 (95% CI 1.09–1.56)]. OR for lung cancer among men with low occupational prestige were slightly reduced when adjusting for PHI [low versus high prestige OR from 1.44 (95% CI 1.32–1.58) to 1.30 (95% CI 1.17–1.45)], but not PSI.Conclusions:Higher physical job demands were associated with increased risks of lung cancer, while associations for higher psychosocial demands were less strong. In contrast to physical demands, psychosocial demands did not contribute to clarify the association of occupational prestige and lung cancer.

Leisure-Time Physical Activity and General Health Mitigate Effects of Job Demands on Nonrestorative Sleep: CDC National Healthy Worksite Project.

We sought to determine if leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) modified the adverse relationship between high job demands and nonrestorative sleep (NRS). We conducted a multivariate logistic regression analysis among workers from the cross-sectional National Healthy Worksite Project (n = 4683) using self-report Likert-Scale data on psychological and physical demands of jobs, LTPA and general health in relation to NRS. Not engaging in LTPA was associated with NRS for workers with jobs at the lowest or highest levels of the physical demand scale (OR 1.64, 95% CI: 0.96-2.81, OR 2.06, 95% CI: 0.95-4.45; respectively) in comparison to those who met LTPA recommendations. When assessing psychological demands, poor general health was associated with NRS at all levels of the scale independent of LTPA. LTPA may reduce NRS for workers with jobs at either extreme of physical demands.

The Effects of Physical, Emotional, and Cognitive Demands on Academic Leaders’ Performance in Malaysian Research Universities

This study attempted to investigate the possible impact of physical, emotional, and cognitive job demands on burnout among Malaysian academic leaders at Research Universities (RU). Another objective of the study was to study the direct and mediating role of burnout on the job performance of the target population. Through a quantitative study and by using a five-Likert point, 250 academic leaders in Malaysian Research Universities (MRUs) were surveyed. The obtained primary data were subject to quantitative analysis through outer loading of the items using Smart PLS software. The exploratory and confirmatory tests applied to the primary data earlier to the inferential tests started with testing the direct hypotheses structured followed by the indirect effect. Findings indicated that based on the model extracted and the loaded factors, it was found that cognitive, emotional, and physical demands have a significant impact on burnout. Burnout also showed a significant effect on in-role and extra-role performance of the academic leaders and an indirect effect of burnout between job demands and job performance was observed. As an implication, this study can have pedagogical implications for educational policymakers, education syllabus designers, and academic leaders. Assessing the interaction role of gender type suggests further research, which benefit the policymakers in diversifying the job demand for each type.

Promoting Opioid Awareness Through a Union-Based Peer Training Model.

Work factors, including physical job demands, appear to be risk factors for opioid overdoses. We collaborated with unions representing workers in high-risk occupations and offered resources to develop tailored educational interventions for their members. An ironworkers' local, a statewide nurses' union, and a Teamsters local union participated, at levels higher than we had anticipated. The three unions trained 285 workers, including apprentices, stewards, and those nearing retirement. Short surveys assessed pre- and post-training knowledge, attitudes, confidence in helping others, and related domains. Seventy percent of respondents reported heavy or very heavy physical demands at work, and one-half had experienced work-related pain. After training, participants reported more knowledge about opioids, less concern about stigma related to help-seeking, and more ability to provide help to a co-worker struggling with opioids. Peers with recovery experience provided a unique contribution to training. Tailored job-specific and peer-delivered educational interventions may be able to reduce the potential impact of opioids on working people.

Immediate Weightbearing After Operative Treatment of Bimalleolar and Trimalleolar Ankle Fractures: Faster Return to Work for Patients with Nonsedentary Occupations

The goal of this study was to compare immediate weightbearing (IWB) and traditional weightbearing (TWB) postoperative protocols in unstable ankle fractures, as this has not been compared in prior works. We hypothesize that an immediate weightbearing protocol after ankle fracture fixation will lead to an earlier return to work. An ankle fracture registry was reviewed for operatively treated unstable bimalleolar and trimalleolar ankle fractures at an ambulatory surgery center and followed up at associated outpatient clinics. All fracture cases reviewed occurred from 2009 to 2015. Immediate weightbearing patients were placed into a controlled ankle motion (CAM) boot and allowed to fully bear weight the day of surgery. Traditional weightbearing patients were placed into a CAM boot with 6 weeks of non-weightbearing. Demographics, fixation technique, and injury characteristics were surveyed. Physical job demand was stratified for 69 patients meeting the inclusion criteria (34 IWB and 35 TWB). The main outcome of this study was measured as the time to return to work. Subgroup analysis of patients with nonsedentary jobs demonstrated a significantly earlier return to work for the IWB group (5.7 versus 10.0 weeks, p = .04). Multivariate regression analysis identified a statistically significant 2.25-week (p = .05) earlier return to work for the IWB group after adjustment for occupational physical demand, demographics, fracture characteristics, and participation in a light work period before full work return. In patients with nonsedentary jobs, an IWB protocol after operative management of bimalleolar and trimalleolar ankle fractures resulted in an earlier return to work compared with traditional protocols.

Relationships Between Job Satisfaction and Job Demand, Job Control, Social Support, and Depression in Iranian Nurses.

Nurses often experience a wide variety of stressful situations. Excessive work stress influences the physical and mental health of nurses and decreases their life quality and professional efficacy. In addition, high levels of psychological stress may cause job dissatisfaction and job strain. The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between several work-related risk factors and job satisfaction in Iranian nurses. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 730 nurses from four public hospitals in, respectively, northern, southern, eastern, and western Iran. Variables in the job demand-control-support (JDCS) model were measured using the Job Content Questionnaire, and job satisfaction was measured using the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire. The mean score for job satisfaction was 62.94 ± 14.24, which is considered moderate. Nurses with a low level of job satisfaction had significantly higher psychological and physical job demands (p < .05). Significant relationships were found between job satisfaction and several dimensions of the JDCS model, including psychological job demands (β = -0.11, p < .001), physical job demands (β = -0.86, p = .004), skill discretion (β = 0.48, p = .033), decision authority (β = 0.43, p = .028), and supervisor support (β = 1.85, p = .004). The sociodemographic and JDCS model variables used in this study explained 42% of the variation in job satisfaction (R2 = .42). Enhancing the job satisfaction of nurses is possible by creating a balance between job demands, job control, and social support.

Physical activity and personal factors associated with nurse resilience in intensive care units.

To assess intensive care nurses' resilience and identify associated personal factors and physical activity behaviours using a job demands-recovery framework. Currently, there is inconsistent evidence as to whether nurse resilience is associated with personal factors or with physical activity at work or during leisure time. A cross-sectional study was conducted with nurses from four intensive care units in Auckland, New Zealand. An online survey was conducted to collect nurses' personal information and assess their resilience levels using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 25. Participants were nurses working at least 32hr fortnightly and providing direct patient care. Physical activity was objectively measured using a pair of accelerometers worn on the back and thigh over four consecutive days (two workdays followed by two nonworkdays). Bivariable and multivariable regression were used to identify personal factors and physical activity behaviours associated with resilience (followed the STROBE checklist). A total of 93 nurses were included in the study. The participants' average resilience level was low. Resilience was positively associated with the objectively measured physical job demands factors: occupational physical activity, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity at work and dynamic standing at work. Resilience was negatively associated with one objectively measured recovery factor: sleep during leisure time. In multivariable modelling, being married and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity at work were positively associated with resilience, while not having religious beliefs and sleep during leisure time were negatively associated with resilience. Resilient nurses have a greater tolerance to high physical activity at work and lower sleep duration during leisure time. Strategies are needed to improve intensive care nurses' resilience levels. Results may help managers gain a better understanding of the ICU nurses' characteristics associated with resilience, leading them to develop strategies for improving ICU nurse resilience.

The Effects of Job Characteristics on Retirement.

Along with data about actual, desired and anticipated job characteristics, this paper uses a novel data element, the subjective conditional probability of working at age 70, to estimate the causal effects of job characteristics on retirement in the U.S. Having flexible work hours is the most consistent predictor of retirement preferences and expectations: if all current workers had flexible hours, the fraction working at age 70 would be 0.322, but it would be just 0.172 if none had this option. Job stress, physical and cognitive job demands, the option to telecommute, and commuting times were additional predictors of retirement expectations.

A Study of Longitudinal Trajectories of Health and Job Demand on Retirement Age

In this paper, we characterized health trajectories over an 18-year period for a cohort of American workers. We used administrative data to track monthly, health-related events for six chronic diseases (asthma, arthritis, diabetes, depression, ischemic heart disease, and hypertension) including the diagnoses of new disease, hospitalizations, and outpatient visits. Using these data, we first used sequence and cluster analysis to characterize long-term trajectories of health and to group workers according to their patterns of work experience. We then modeled the relationship of these health trajectories to retirement age, accounting for baseline underlying health, as well as a number of demographic and job-related characteristics. Finally, we consider the role of physical and psychosocial job demand in retirement age. Our analysis produces a number of findings that should be of interest to those studying retirement policy. In our data, workers can be categorized into a small number of distinct work trajectories. While the majority of workers in this sample remain relatively healthy for much of the observation window, others exhibit patterns of health-related events that are often marked by hypertension and/or arthritis. We find that clusters characterized with health events related to hypertension and arthritis are likely to retire later, not earlier. We offer a possible interpretation that these numerous health-related events are signaling the proper management of these chronic diseases, allowing workers to extend their working life. Moreover, we find an association with job demands and retirement, even after controlling for health. Specifically, we find that increases in exposure to heat are associated with lower retirement age, as is less decision-making autonomy. The limitations of this paper include the lack of a representative sample, a relatively small sample size, and the strong incentives of retirement pensions in this cohort that may overwhelm other factors related to retirement decisions.

Opioid use disorder, job strain, and high physical job demands in US workers

Little is known about the work environmental risk factors for opioid use disorder (OUD) in working populations. The purpose of this study is to examine whether adverse physical and psychosocial working conditions are associated with OUD in a working population of the United States (US). Among the participants of the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) II Study (2004-2006), 2134 workers (1059 men and 1075 women; mean age, 51years) were chosen for this study. OUD was measured with self-administered questions in line with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSD-5). Physical demands (physical efforts, heavy lifting, and crouching/stooping/kneeling) and psychosocial work stressors (skill discretion, decision authority, job control, psychological job demands, supervisor and coworker support at work, job insecurity, and work hours) were measured with a standard questionnaire. The prevalence of OUD was 3.8%. In multivariate analyses, low skill discretion, high psychological job demands, job strain (a combination of low control and high demands), and high physical job demands were significantly associated with OUD. The multivariate prevalence ratios for OUD by job strain and frequent heavy lifting were 1.98 (1.27-3.10) and 2.23 (1.22-4.10), respectively. Job strain was more strongly associated with OUD in men, while high physical job demands were more strongly associated with OUD in women. This study implies that adverse physical and psychosocial working conditions may be important risk factors for OUD in US working populations. Future longitudinal and mechanistic studies are urgently warranted.

Upper extremity strength: Normative reference data among uninjured employees.

Extremity strength testing is used to determine the ability of industrial employees to perform a physically demanding occupation safely, evaluate post-injury impairment, and monitor return to function after injury. There is an unmet clinical need for a robust and granular source of normative reference values to serve as a resource for baseline data on upper extremity isometric strength. Develop normative reference data for upper extremity strength among industrial employees and investigate associations between strength and physical job demands. Upper extremity strength data from 107,102 industrial employees were collected post-hire. In this study, isometric tests for pinch; hand grip; wrist pronation and supination; and flexion of the wrist, elbow, and shoulder strength were retrospectively analyzed in relationship to sex, age, and job level. Associations between strength scores and five levels of work, defined the United States Department of Labor's Dictionary of Occupational Titles by level of physical difficulty (1-5), were determined. Higher strength scores were positively associated with more physically demanding job levels (P < 0.001), and there was a progressive increase in strength scores with increased physical job demands for both sexes (P = 0.0002). All strength scores differed significantly by decade of age (P < 0.001). All scores except for pinch strength demonstrated a moderate or high positive correlation with job level (r≥0.50). The normative reference upper extremity strength data collected in this study for industrial employees may be useful for evaluating rehabilitation and recovery following injury or illness. In order to utilize normalized strength data as a post-injury reference, it is important to consider job level in addition to age and sex, as these variables are highly correlated with baseline upper extremity strength.

Implementing sensor technology applications for workplace health promotion: a needs assessment among workers with physically demanding work

BackgroundWorkers with physically demanding work may be at risk for injury, illness or other adverse health outcomes due to exposure to different occupational hazards, especially at higher age. Sensor technology applications may be useful in the workplace to unobtrusively measure and monitor work exposures and provide workers with real-time feedback or access to data on demand. Many aspects might impede the implementation of sensor technology applications in the workplace, which should be taken into consideration for a successful implementation. Moreover, needs and preferences of workers regarding the use of sensor technology applications during work performance need to be identified. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify worker needs and preferences regarding the use of sensor technology applications in the workplace.MethodsFour on-site focus group sessions were conducted in four different companies among workers with physically demanding work (n = 30). Semi-structured interview schedules were used to identify which work exposures should be measured, by which kind of sensor technology applications, under which (pre)conditions, how to motivate long-term use of sensor technology applications, and which type of feedback is preferred. For data analysis, a content-analysis with an inductive approach was performed.ResultsParticipants mentioned that they want to use wearable sensor technology applications to measure and monitor physical job demands, occupational heat stress, noise and fatigue. Factors associated with quality, comfort and perceived ease of use were identified as potential barriers for implementation in the workplace. Long-term motivation was attributed to the ability to manage and monitor work exposures, positive feedback and data ownership. Participants indicated a need to both receive real-time feedback and access to data on demand.ConclusionsSensor technology applications may support workers with physically demanding work to measure and monitor their work exposures. Potential barriers for implementation such as privacy aspects and quality, comfort and perceived ease of use of sensor technology applications need to be well considered to ensure successful implementation of sensor technology applications in the workplace.

Measuring Work-Related Functioning Using the Work Rehabilitation Questionnaire (WORQ).

The assessment of work-related functioning is a key process in vocational rehabilitation to identify specific domains of disability that can be considered within return to work strategies. The Work Rehabilitation Questionnaire (WORQ) was developed to evaluate work-related functioning based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) framework and is available in different languages. The aim of this study was to assess the French version of the WORQ using item response theory to further validate the scale. Rasch analysis of WORQ and the WORQ-BRIEF (a brief version of the WORQ) was performed using a calibration sample of 221 persons with musculoskeletal injuries. A four-testlet solution indicated the unidimensionality of WORQ, with no differential item functioning for age, education, physical job demands, and injury severity. Reliability was 0.969 and 0.918 for WORQ and WORQ-BRIEF, respectively. The minimal detectable change was calculated to be 4.2% of its operational range for WORQ and 8.5% for WORQ-BRIEF. Consequently, the French version of WORQ can be considered a good measure of work-related functioning in musculoskeletal conditions. WORQ can be used in rehabilitation practice to comprehensively identify the disability and guide clinical decision making and intervention planning. Further studies are needed to evaluate the psychometric properties of WORQ in other health conditions.

Psychological and physical job demands, decision latitude, and work-related social support among Iranian waste collectors

Waste collection is known as a stressful and physically demanding job in low/middle income countries. This study aimed to assess the psychological and physical job demands, decision latitude, and work-related social support among Iranian waste collectors. In this cross-sectional study, field observation, video capture, and unstructured interviews were performed to understand the process of waste collection. Data were collected from 200 waste collectors of Shiraz city using a demographic/work characteristics questionnaire and a job content questionnaire (JCQ). Logistic regression analysis was used for the prediction of independent variables affecting job content dimensions. A p < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results show that the rate of municipal solid waste (MSW) generation in Shiraz city was 0.576 kg/capita/day, which translates into about 1076 tons of waste per day per the current population of 1,869,001. The total amount of MSW produced in Shiraz over a four-year period from 2014 to 2017 were 346,093, 363,505, 392,869, and 400,863 tons, respectively. About half of the waste collectors reported high levels of psychological and physical job demands. More than half were concerned with the low level of decision latitude and social support in the workplace. Night-workers (OR = 3.29) and smokers (OR = 2.75) reported higher psychological job demands than day-workers and non-smokers, respectively. Decision latitude and social support were inversely associated with the level of education (OR = 1.90), and daily working time (OR = 2.46), respectively. Based on the Demand-Control-Support Model, waste collectors were exposed to relatively high levels of job stress associated with occupational risk factors.