Self-perceived Fatigue Research Articles

Analyzing safety behaviors of temporary construction workers using structural equation modeling

Currently, the construction industry in Korea reports the highest frequency of industrial accidents, mostly among temporary workers. Domestic and international disaster-related reports indicate that temporary workers have high risk associated with working environments as a major cause of accidents. We established relationships between the individual and organizational factors that affect temporary workers’ safety behaviors using structural equation modeling (SEM). SEM is used to estimate simultaneously the cause-and-effect relationships between many independent variables and dependent variables. A questionnaire was administered to temporary construction workers, and the following results were obtained. First, personal characteristics had a partial effect on job stress and a direct effect on safety culture. Second, personal characteristics and job stress had a direct effect on self-perceived fatigue. Third, personal characteristics and safety culture had a direct effect on safety climate, and personal characteristics also had an indirect effect. Finally, personal characteristics had no direct effect on safety behavior, but did have indirect effects. Job stress had both a direct and indirect effect. Safety culture had no direct effect, but did have an indirect effect. Also, safety climate had a significant direct effect. These findings can be used as preliminary data to develop additional safety programs for temporary construction workers.

The amount of weight loss after a 6 month multidimensional obesity treatment program has implications on body composition parameters and self-perceived fatigue

The amount of weight loss after a 6 month multidimensional obesity treatment program has implications on body composition parameters and self-perceived fatigue

Osteopathic manipulative treatment for self-reported fatigue, stress, and depression in first-year osteopathic medical students.

During medical education, many students experience psychological distress, including symptoms such as fatigue, stress, and depression. To evaluate the effect of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) on self-perceived fatigue, stress, and depression in first-year osteopathic medical students. This randomized controlled pilot study with repeated measures was conducted at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine-Bradenton in Florida during the fall 2012 semester. First-year osteopathic medical students voluntarily enrolled in the study and were randomly assigned to directed OMT (D-OMT), nondirected OMT (ND-OMT), or control groups. The D-OMT and ND-OMT groups received treatment by osteopathic physicians weekly for 4 weeks. The control group received no treatment. All groups completed the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), the Self-Perceived Stress Scale (SPSS), and the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) depression scale before treatment (pretest), after 2 treatments (midtest), and after 4 treatments (posttest). All participants self-reported as white and single, with both sexes equally represented, and had an mean age of 24 years. Analysis of ESS scores revealed a statistically significant decrease in the D-OMT group from pretest and posttest scores and a statistically significant increase in the ND-OMT group from pretest to midtest but not from pretest to posttest scores. No statistically significant differences were noted in the control group scores on this measure. No statistically significant differences were seen in the SPSS or PHQ-9 scores from pretest to midtest or pretest to posttest in any of the 3 groups. The D-OMT regimen used in the current study produced a statistically significant decrease in self-perceived fatigue in first-year osteopathic medical students. Osteopathic manipulative treatment represents a potential modality to reduce self-perceived distress in medical students. Further research is warranted.

Association among measures of mobility-related disability and self-perceived fatigue among older people: a population-based study.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between self-perceived fatigue with different physical functioning tests and functional performance scales used for evaluating mobility-related disability among community-dwelling older persons.Method:This is a cross-sectional, population-based study. The sample was composed of older persons with 65 years of age or more living in Cuiabá, MT, and Barueri, SP, Brazil. The data for this study is from the FIBRA Network Study. The presence of self-perceived fatigue was assessed using self-reports based on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale. The Lawton instrumental activities of daily living scale (IADL) and the advanced activities of daily living scale (AADL) were used to assess performance and participation restriction. The following physical functioning tests were used: five-step test (FST), the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), and usual gait speed (UGS). Three models of logistic regression analysis were conducted, and a significance level of α<0.05 was adopted.Results:The sample was composed of 776 older adults with a mean age (SD) of 71.9 (5.9) years, of whom the majority were women (74%). The prevalence of self-perceived fatigue within the participants was 20%. After adjusting for covariates, SPPB, UGS, IADL, and AADL remained associated with self-perceived fatigue in the final multivariate regression model.Conclusion:Our results suggest that there is an association between self-perceived fatigue and lower extremity function, usual gait speed and activity limitation and participation restriction in older adults. Further cohort studies are needed to investigate which physical performance measure may be able to predict the negative impact of fatigue in older adults.

일부 치위생과 학생의 임상실습 시 경험하는 피로수준에 관한 연구

본 연구는 임상실습을 경험한 치위생과 재학생 262명을 대상으로 피로수준을 파악하여 임상실습을 효과적으로 수 행할 수 있도록 하고자 2013년 1월부터 9월까지 구조화된 설문지를 이용하여 조사 분석하였다. 다음과 같은 결과를 얻었다. 1. 조사대상자의 피로수준의 하위영역별 평균점수는 전반적 피로도가 <TEX>$41.74{\pm}9.06$</TEX>점, 일상생활기능장애가 <TEX>$28.34{\pm}7.03$</TEX>점, 상황적 피로도가 <TEX>$22.45{\pm}7.21$</TEX>점으로 나타났다. 2. 피로수준은 주관적 건강상태가 건강하지 못하다는 군에서(p=0.000), 전공만족도가 불만족군에서(p=0.000), 임상실습만족도가 불만족군에서(p=0.000) 임상실습기간은 5주 이상 군에서(p=0.000), 1일 평균 환자수는 100명 이상인 군에서(p=0.000), 직원갈등은 갈등이 있는 군에서(p=0.000), 규칙적 운동여부는 규칙적인 운동을 하지 않는 비운동군에서(p=0.016) 유의하게 높았다. 3. 다중회귀분석을 실시한 결과, 피로수준에 영향을 미치는 요인으로는 주관적인 건강상태, 임상실습만족도, 임상실습기간, 1일 평균 환자수, 직원갈등이 유의한 변수로 선정되었으며 이들 변수에 대한 설명력은 44.5%였다. 이상의 연구결과를 종합하여 볼 때 치위생과 학생들의 피로수준을 감소시켜 임상실습을 효율적으로 수행할 수 있도록 하기 위해서는 임상실습교육자들이 공동체 의식을 가지고 임상실습 시 피로 개선을 위한 프로그램 개발 및 실천과 같은 노력이 시급할 것으로 본다. 또한 피로에 영향을 주는 다양한 변수를 확인하는 추후 심층연구가 필요할 것으로 생각된다. The purpose of this study was to examine the self-perceived fatigue among 262 dental hygiene students, who have recently experienced clinical practice. In this study, a structured self-reported questionnaire was used to assess and analyze the severity of fatigue among the population. This study was performed from January to September in 2013 to effectively encompass clinical practice. The results are as follows: The self-perceived fatigue of the subjects was significantly higher in a subjective unhealthy group than a subjective healthy group (p=0.000), in a group that was unsatisfied with their program than a group that was satisfied with it (p=0.000), in a group that had dissatisfaction in clinical practice than a group that had satisfaction with it (p=0.000), in a group that had over five weekly of clinical practice than a group that didn't (p=0.000), in a group that had more than 100 patients a day than a group that didn't (p=0.000), in a group that had conflicts between fellow staff than those who didn't (p=0.000), in a group that did not exercise regularly than a group that did (p=0.016). The result of using multiple regression analysis revealed that the variable factors affecting the degree of the self-perceived fatigue were; subjective health status, satisfaction with a clinical practice, the length of clinical practice, the number of patients, and staff conflicts. These variable factors have the explanatory power of 44.5%. In conclusion, to decrease fatigue and allow students in clinical practice to perform effectively, clinical practice educators need to actively participate as a community and develop programs that will decrease the fatigue of students. In addition, in-depth research is needed on the effects of outside factors and variables affecting fatigue.

Speech-related fatigue and fatigability in Parkinson's disease

This study tested the assumption that speech is more susceptible to fatigue than normal in persons with dysarthria. After 1 h of speech-like exercises, participants with Parkinson's disease (PD) were expected to report increased perceptions of fatigue and demonstrate fatigability by producing less precise speech with corresponding acoustic changes compared to neurologically normal participants. Twelve adults with idiopathic PD and 13 neurologically normal adults produced sentences with multiple lingual targets before and after six 10-min blocks of fast syllable or word productions. Both groups reported increasing self-perceived fatigue over time, but trained listeners failed to detect systematic differences in articulatory precision or speech naturalness between sentences produced before and after speech-related exercises. Similarly, few systematic acoustic differences occurred. These findings do not support the hypothesis that dysarthric speakers are particularly susceptible to speech-related fatigue; instead, speech articulation generally appears to be resistant to fatigue induced by an hour of moderate functional exercises.

An investigation of attention, executive, and psychomotor aspects of cognitive fatigability

Objective: Self-perceived mental fatigue is a common presenting symptom in many neurological diseases. Discriminating objective fatigability from self-perceived mental fatigue might facilitate neuropsychological diagnosis and treatment programs. However clinically valid neuropsychological instruments suitable for assessment of fatigability are still lacking. The prime aim of the study was to investigate aspects of cognitive fatigability and to identify properties of neuropsychological tests suitable to assess fatigability in patients with persistent cognitive complaints after mild brain injury. Another aim was to investigate whether cognitive fatigability captured by neuropsychological measures is influenced by depression or sleep disturbances. Method: Twenty-four patients with persistent cognitive symptoms after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), (aged 18–51 years) and 31 healthy controls (aged 20–49 years) underwent neuropsychological testing measuring three cognitive fatigability domains: Attention fatigability was assessed using the Ruff 2 & 7 Selective Attention Test, executive fatigability using the Color Word Test (Stroop), and psychomotor fatigability using the Digit Symbol Substitution Test from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–Third Edition (WAIS–III). Subjective fatigue was measured using the Fatigue Severity Scale and a questionnaire of everyday consequences of fatigue. Depression was screened using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and sleep disturbances using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Results: The patients reported significantly more mental fatigue and performed worse on tests of psychomotor and executive fatigability than the healthy controls. Furthermore, the cognitive fatigability measures were not influenced by depression or sleep disturbances, as was the case in self-reported fatigue. Conclusion: Tests demanding executive or simultaneous processing of several neuropsychological functions seem most sensitive in order to capture cognitive fatigability. Clinical tests that can capture fatigability enable a deeper understanding of how fatigability might contribute to cognitive complaints and problems in maintaining daily activities.

Improving physiological and psychological status in a hemodialysis patient: a nursing experience using an exercise training program

Exercise training during hemodialysis has been found to improve functional capacity, nutritional status, cardiovascular risk factors, depression, and well being in hemodialysis patients. This report describes a nursing experience that applied exercise training to improve activity intolerance, powerlessness, and ineffective health maintenance in a hemodialysis patient. The care period was from May 11 to July 27, 2012. The author collected information using observation, interview, physical examination, and medical record review and identified patient care problems including activity intolerance, powerlessness, and ineffective health maintenance. In addition to providing individual nursing interventions, the author designed a stationary bicycle installed at the end of the bed. The patient was asked use the bicycle to exercise 30 mins per time, three times per week for a period of 12 weeks during the patient's hemodialysis period. Before and after a 12-week of exercise training, collected the 6-minute walk test (6MWT), self-perceived improvement, and self-reported depression scales were performed prior to and after completion of the intervention. Hematological triglyceride, albumin, and hemoglobin data were collected each week. Heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation were examined prior to and after the intervention to ensure patient safety. After the 12-week intervention, the average heart rate achieved 40-60% of the maximum heart rate and the heart rate peaked between 85 and 121 bpm. Moreover, the 6MWT distance increased from 210 m to 255 m, triglyceride decreased from 622 mg/dL to 173 mg/dL, and self-perceived fatigue and depression markedly improved. This nursing experience is shared with nurses caring for patients with similar conditions.

Hydrotherapy as a recovery strategy after exercise: a pragmatic controlled trial

BackgroundOur aim was to evaluate the recovery effects of hydrotherapy after aerobic exercise in cardiovascular, performance and perceived fatigue.MethodsA pragmatic controlled repeated measures; single-blind trial was conducted. Thirty-four recreational sportspeople visited a Sport-Centre and were assigned to a Hydrotherapy group (experimental) or rest in a bed (control) after completing a spinning session. Main outcomes measures including blood pressure, heart rate, handgrip strength, vertical jump, self-perceived fatigue, and body temperature were assessed at baseline, immediately post-exercise and post-recovery. The hypothesis of interest was the session*time interaction.ResultsThe analysis revealed significant session*time interactions for diastolic blood pressure (P=0.031), heart rate (P=0.041), self perceived fatigue (P=0.046), and body temperature (P=0.001); but not for vertical jump (P=0.437), handgrip (P=0.845) or systolic blood pressure (P=0.266). Post-hoc analysis revealed that hydrotherapy resulted in recovered heart rate and diastolic blood pressure similar to baseline values after the spinning session. Further, hydrotherapy resulted in decreased self-perceived fatigue after the spinning session.ConclusionsOur results support that hydrotherapy is an adequate strategy to facilitate cardiovascular recovers and perceived fatigue, but not strength, after spinning exercise.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01765387

How to identify older patients with cancer who should benefit from comprehensive geriatric assessment?

Abstract Introduction Although many studies describe benefits from the comprehensive assessment of older patients, the lack of geriatricians combined with the increased number of elderly patients revealed the need for screening tools in order to detect cancer patients presenting with geriatric conditions. Objectives (i) To assess the validity of screening tools to detect patients presenting with geriatric conditions. (ii) To analyze the relative contribution of those tools to detect some characteristics of the geriatric profile and the stage of the tumors. Materials and Methods Two hundred eleven consecutive elderly patients were screened for the presence of geriatric conditions using the Identification of Senior At Risk score (ISAR) and the G8 score. Comprehensive geriatric assessment for functional, cognitive, mood, and nutritional status, self-perceived fatigue and comorbidities was performed. Oncological assessment included the Karnofsky performance status (KPS) and tumor staging. Results Both scores detected an average of 80% of frail patients. The PPV and NPV of the scores to detect at least one geriatric condition were respectively 47% and 22% for an ISAR score ≥ 2 and 76% and 10% for a G8 Conclusions High prevalence of geriatric syndromes and comorbidities is associated with positive ISAR and G8 scores but not with the tumor stage.

Iron Status and Self-Perceived Health, Well-Being, and Fatigue in Female University Students Living in New Zealand

Objective: To determine the relationship between iron depletion and self-perceived health, well-being, and fatigue in a female university student population living in New Zealand.Methods: A total of 233 women aged 18–44 years studying at Massey University, Auckland, were included in this cross-sectional analysis. Serum ferritin (SF), hemoglobin (Hb), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were analyzed from a venipuncture blood sample. Participants completed the SF-36v2 General Health Survey (SF-36) and the Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory–Short Form (MFSI-SF) questionnaire, and anthropometric measurements (height and weight) and data on demographics, lifestyle, and medical history were obtained. Characteristics of iron-sufficient (SF ≥ 20 μg/L, Hb ≥ 120 g/L) and iron-depleted (SF < 20 μg/L, Hb ≥ 120 g/L) participants were compared, and multiple regression analyses were carried out to determine predictors of health, well-being, and fatigue using a p value of <0.01 to indicate statistical significance because multiple comparisons were being made.Results: There were no significant differences in self-perceived health and well-being determined using the SF-36 questionnaire between women who were iron sufficient and women who were iron depleted. Although MFSI-SF physical fatigue was significantly lower in those with iron depletion (p = 0.008), it was not predicted by current iron status in a multivariate model controlling for factors expected to be associated with iron status and fatigue (p = 0.037). However, smoking, a history of suboptimal iron status, and having a current medical condition were significant (negative) predictors of MFSI-SF physical fatigue, explaining 22.5% of the variance (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the other measures of fatigue determined using the MFSI-SF between women who were iron sufficient and those who were iron depleted.Conclusions: Women with iron depletion did not differ significantly from women who were iron sufficient with regard to self-perceived health, well-being, or fatigue. Future studies investigating fatigue should control for previous diagnosis of suboptimal iron status, smoking, and presence of a medical condition.

Reliability of simulator driving tool for evaluation of sleepiness, fatigue and driving performance

Study objectiveTo compare the impact of extended wakefulness (i.e., sleepiness) and prolonged driving (i.e., fatigue) at the wheel in simulated versus real-life driving conditions. DesignParticipants drove on an INRETS-MSIS SIM2 simulator in a research laboratory or an open French highway during 3 nocturnal driving sessions. A dose–response design of duration of nocturnal driving was used: a 2h short driving session (3–5 AM), a 4h intermediate driving session (1–5 AM) and an 8h long driving session (9 PM–5 AM). ParticipantsTwo groups of healthy male drivers (20 for simulated driving and 14 drivers for real driving; mean age±SD=22.3±1.6 years), free of sleep disorders. MeasurementsNumber of inappropriate line crossings, self-rated fatigue and sleepiness were recorded in the last hour of driving sessions to control the effects of prior waking time and time of day. ResultsCompared to the daytime reference session, both simulated and real driving performance were affected by a short nocturnal driving session (P<.05 and P<.001, respectively). Extension of nocturnal driving duration affected simulated performance nonlinearly and more severely than that of real driving (P<.001).Compared to the daytime reference session, short nocturnal simulated and real driving sessions increased self-perceived fatigue and sleepiness. Real and simulated driving conditions had an identical impact on fatigue and sleepiness during extended periods of nocturnal driving. ConclusionsIn healthy subjects, the INRETS-MSIS SIM2 simulator appropriately measures driving impairment in terms of inappropriate line crossings related to extended wakefulness but has limitations to measure the impact of extended driving on drivers’ performance.

Fatores clínicos, funcionais e inflamatórios associados à fadiga muscular e à fadiga autopercebida em idosas da comunidade

Fatigue is a common and nonspecific symptom associated with chronic health problems in the elderly. The modifications and adaptations of the aging process associated with complex and multidimensional nature of fatigue favors the interaction of multiple factors in the genesis of this phenomenon. To investigate the association of clinical, functional and inflammatory factors with muscle fatigue and self perceived fatigue in elderly women. Participated in the study one hundred and thirty five community elderly women, all sedentary, with a mean age of 71.2±4.57. A structured questionnaire and functional testing were used to evaluate clinical and functional characteristics. Plasma concentrations of inflammatory mediators (IL-6 and sTNFR1) were measured by ELISA method. Muscle fatigue was measured by isokinetic dynamometer and self-perceived fatigue was measured by a visual analog scale. Statistical analysis was performed by multiple linear regression and Spearman correlation coefficient with statistical significance of 5%. The regression models showed that the variables age, body mass index, physical activity level, functional capacity and peak torque were associated with muscle fatigue (R²=0.216, p<0.01). Self-perceived fatigue was associated with number of comorbidities, depression, physical activity level, functional capacity, peak torque and perceived health (R²=0.227, p<0.01). This study showed a psychophysical interaction of the fatigue, by identifying the main factors associated with muscle fatigue and self-perceived fatigue in elderly women. These findings demonstrate the importance of evaluation and treatment of modifiable factors in both muscle fatigue and self-perceived fatigue, seeking a better physical and functional performance of elders.

The Effects of Therapeutic Instrumental Music Performance on Endurance Level, Self-Perceived Fatigue Level, and Self-Perceived Exertion of Inpatients in Physical Rehabilitation

The present study investigated the effects of a Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) sensory-motor rehabilitation technique, Therapeutic Instrumental Music Performance (TIMP) as compared to Traditional Occupational Therapy (TOT), on endurance, self-perceived fatigue, and self-perceived exertion of 35 hospitalized patients in physical rehabilitation. The present study attempted to examine whether an active musical experience such as TIMP with musical cueing (i.e., rhythmic auditory cueing) during physical exercises influences one's perception of pain, fatigue, and exertion. All participants were diagnosed with a neurologic disorder or had recently undergone orthopedic surgery. Investigators measured the effects of TOT and TIMP during upper extremity exercise of the less affected or stronger upper extremity. Results showed no significant difference on endurance measures between the 2 treatment conditions (TIMP and TOT). Statistically significant differences were found between TIMP and TOT when measuring their effects on perceived exertion and perceived fatigue. TIMP resulted in significantly less perception of fatigue and exertion levels than TOT. TIMP can be used foran effective sensory-motor rehabilitation technique to decrease perceived exertion and fatigue level of inpatients in physical rehabilitation.

사무직 남성 근로자의 직무스트레스 및 사회 심리적 요인과 피로수준과의 관련성

본 연구는 사무직 남성 근로자들을 대상으로 이들의 직무스트레스 요인 및 사회심리적 요인과 피로수준 간 의 관련성을 파악하며, 피로수준에 유의하게 영향을 미치는 요인들을 규명하고자 하였다. 조사대상은 50인 이상 300 인 미만 중소규모 사업장 42개소에 근무하고 있는 사무직 남성 근로자 872명으로 하였으며, 자료수집방법은 2009년 2월 1일부터 2009년 4월 30일까지의 기간 동안에 자기기입식 설문조사를 실시하였다. 연구결과, 조사대상자의 직무스 트레스 요인에 따른 피로수준은 업무요구도가 높을수록, 업무의 자율성이 낮을수록, 상사의 지지도가 낮을수록 유의 하게 높았다. 사회심리적 요인에 따른 피로수준은 자기존중감이 높을수록 유의하게 높았다. 다중회귀분석을 실시한 결과, 피로수준에 영향을 미치는 요인으로는 연령, 주관적 건강상태, 근무경력, 결근횟수, 직장생활만족도, 규칙적 운 동유무, 수면시간, 외래진료유무, 업무요구도, 상사의 지지도 및 자기존중감이 유의한 변수로 선정되었다. 위와 같은 연구결과를 볼 때, 직장인의 피로수준은 인구사회학적 특성, 직업관련 특성 및 건강관련행위의 실천여부 뿐만 아니라, 직무스트레스 요인 및 사회심리적 요인과도 유의한 관련이 있음을 시사하였다.

Job Stress and Self-perceived Fatigue in Korean Farmers

Job Stress and Self-perceived Fatigue in Korean Farmers

Effects of a gliadin-combined plant superoxide dismutase extract on self-perceived fatigue in women aged 50–65 years

Fatigue syndromes exist on a continuum of severity from mild and transient to the disabling chronic fatigue syndrome, with oxidative stress linked to its pathogenesis. A thermolabile gliadin-combined plant superoxide dismutase (SOD) extract has shown potential in clinical trials as a therapeutic antioxidant. This study investigated the effects of 12 weeks of 500 mg/day of a SOD/gliadin supplement on fatigue. Thirty-eight women aged 50-65 years with self-perceived fatigue entered this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The primary outcome measure was general fatigue determined by the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI). Secondary outcome measures included other measures of fatigue from the MFI and blood measures of oxidative stress, antioxidant status and hormones. There were no significant (P>0.05) differences between, or within groups, for decreases in general fatigue (active=1.6%, placebo=4.1%). There were no within or between group differences (P>0.05) in other measures of fatigue (physical fatigue, reduced activity, reduced motivation, mental fatigue and total fatigue score). In regard to the biochemical measures, there were non-significant (P>0.05) differences in increases in plasma SOD activity (active=7.1%, placebo=12.2%), plasma GPx activity (active=2.4%, placebo=0.7%), red blood cell GPx activity (active=9.8%, placebo=4.4%). Markers of oxidative stress were decreased but there were no differences (P>0.05) within or between groups; malondialdehyde (active=4.1%, placebo=1.6%), F-2 isoprostanes (active=14.7%, placebo=22.4%). There was a trend (P=0.08) for a decrease in cortisol in the active group (24.6%), however this was not significantly different from the decrease in the placebo participants (4.1%). DHEA differences were not significant (P<0.05) and declined 1.3% in the active group and 14.4% in the placebo group. In summary, the thermolabile SOD/gliadin supplement had no significant effect on self-perceived fatigue, antioxidants, oxidative stress or hormones in women aged 50-65 years.

환경영향평가 전문가의 직무스트레스 수준 및 관련 요인

A number of recent studies have shown that occupational stress is closely associated with increased fatigue and decreased job satisfaction. This study was designed to assess stress in workers in the field of EIA (environment impact assessment) from July 2009 through september 2009, and questionnaires were uesd to analyze the stress scores and identify the primary factors influencing stress in this occupation. The number of respondents was 272 working in the Capital (Seoul and Kyunggido), Chungcheongdo, Jejudo area. A structured questionnaire was used to evaluate the participants' socio-demographics, job-related factors, health-related behaviors, occupational stress, reaction factor (self-perceived fatigue, job satisfaction) and buffer factor (social support). Occupational stress and self-perceived fatigue were assessed using the Korean Occupational Stress Scale-Short Form (KOSS-SF) and the Multidimensional Fatigue Scale (MFS), respectively. The analysis revealed a strong correlation between occupational stress, job satisfaction, and social support, with occupational stress being associated with an increased risk of fatigue and decreased job satisfaction. In the multiple regression analysis(stepwise), the main factors influencing occupational stress were found to be job satisfaction, supervisor, fatigue, working time, no. of personnel, career. The results of this study suggest that occupational stress is a determinant predictor of self perceived fatigue and job satisfaction. Thus, a strong recommendation is made for a stress management program for reduction of occupational stress, and for the development of relevant experts on the health and quality of life of environment impact assessment workers.

Surgery-Induced Inflammation in Relation to Age, Muscle Endurance, and Self-Perceived Fatigue

Elective abdominal surgery can be considered as a model for an important acute inflammatory trigger in human participants. The aim of the study was to explore the effect of surgery-induced inflammation on muscle strength, endurance, and self-perceived fatigue and its relation with age. Sixty-six elective abdominal surgery patients aged 24-91 years were assessed before and at the second and fourth day after surgical intervention. Outcome parameters were grip strength, muscle endurance, fatigue subscale of the Profile of Mood State and visual analog scale for pain, and the circulating inflammatory mediators C-reactive protein, interleukin (IL)-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). All parameters worsened postoperatively (p < .01) and remained significantly (p < .05) worse until the fourth day postsurgery, except for TNF-alpha (no significant change). Older age was related to higher surgery-induced IL-6 levels at the second (p < .05) and fourth postoperative (p < .01) day and to worse self-perceived fatigue and muscle endurance (both p < .05) at the fourth postoperative day. Higher pain levels at the second day following surgery was related to more self-perceived fatigue (p < .05). Worsening muscle endurance following surgery was significantly related to higher IL-6 release following surgery (p < .01) and self-perceived fatigue (p < .05) at the fourth day following the intervention. Age and surgery-induced increase in circulating IL-6 at Day 4 postsurgery was highest in patients showing both worsened muscle endurance and self-perceived fatigue (p < .05). Surgery-induced inflammation is related to reduced muscle endurance and the sensation of fatigue. Elderly patients suffer from a higher impact of surgery on muscle endurance.

Extended Driving Impairs Nocturnal Driving Performances

Though fatigue and sleepiness at the wheel are well-known risk factors for traffic accidents, many drivers combine extended driving and sleep deprivation. Fatigue-related accidents occur mainly at night but there is no experimental data available to determine if the duration of prior driving affects driving performance at night. Participants drove in 3 nocturnal driving sessions (3–5am, 1–5am and 9pm–5am) on open highway. Fourteen young healthy men (mean age [±SD] = 23.4 [±1.7] years) participated Inappropriate line crossings (ILC) in the last hour of driving of each session, sleep variables, self-perceived fatigue and sleepiness were measured. Compared to the short (3–5am) driving session, the incidence rate ratio of inappropriate line crossings increased by 2.6 (95% CI, 1.1 to 6.0; P<.05) for the intermediate (1–5am) driving session and by 4.0 (CI, 1.7 to 9.4; P<.001) for the long (9pm–5am) driving session. Compared to the reference session (9–10pm), the incidence rate ratio of inappropriate line crossings were 6.0 (95% CI, 2.3 to 15.5; P<.001), 15.4 (CI, 4.6 to 51.5; P<.001) and 24.3 (CI, 7.4 to 79.5; P<.001), respectively, for the three different durations of driving. Self-rated fatigue and sleepiness scores were both positively correlated to driving impairment in the intermediate and long duration sessions (P<.05) and increased significantly during the nocturnal driving sessions compared to the reference session (P<.01). At night, extended driving impairs driving performances and therefore should be limited.