Trainability of cold induced vasodilatation in fingers and toes

Subjects that repeatedly have to expose the extremities to cold may benefit from a high peripheral temperature to maintain dexterity and tissue integrity. Therefore, we investigated if repeated immersions of a hand and a foot in cold water resulted in increased skin temperatures. Nine male and seven female subjects (mean 20.4; SD 2.2 years) immersed their right (trained) hand and foot simultaneously in 8°C water, 30 min daily for 15 days. During the pre and post-test (days 1 and 15, respectively) the left (untrained) hand and foot were immersed as well. Pain, tactile sensitivity and skin temperatures were measured every day. Mean (SD) toe temperature of the trained foot increased from 9.49°C (0.89) to 10.03°C (1.38) (p < 0.05). The trained hand, however, showed a drop in mean finger temperature from 9.28°C (0.54) to 8.91°C (0.44) (p < 0.001) and the number of cold induced vasodilation (CIVD) reactions decreased from 52% during the first test to 24% during the last test. No significant differences occurred in the untrained extremities. Pain diminished over time and tactile sensitivity decreased with skin temperature. The combination of less CIVD responses in the fingers after training, reduced finger skin temperatures in subjects that did show CIVD and the reduced pain and tactile sensitivity over time may lead to an increased risk for finger cold injuries. It is concluded that repeated cold exposure of the fingers does not lead to favorable adaptations, but may instead increase the injury risk

Measuring flourishing @ work interventions:the development and validation of the Flourishing-at-Sork Scale

This study aimed to validate a scale that could be used to measure the effectiveness of interventions aimed at enhancing flourishing at work. A cross-sectional survey design was used, with a stratified random sample of 779 employees in a company in the fast-moving consumer goods industry. The Flourishing-at-Work Scale and Job Demands-Resources Scale were administered. The results supported a 10-factor model of flourishing at work, including a general flourishing factor. The 10 factors included positive affect, low negative affect, and job satisfaction (three factors that represent dimensions of emotional well-being), autonomy, competence, relatedness, engagement, meaningful work, and learning (which can be regarded as dimensions of psychological well-being), and social well-being. The reliabilities of the overall scale and the 10 subscales were acceptable. The results showed that specific types of flourishing (or the lack thereof) explained variance in covariates (overload, negative work-home interaction, and advancement) over and above the variance already explained by the global quantity of flourishing. The Flourishing-at-Work Scale can be used as a valid and reliable tool to measure the impact of interventions developing a flourishing workforce

The application of salutogenesis to work

Work is both detrimental and health promoting. Antonovsky accentuated the distinction between eliminating stressors and developing health-enhancing job characteristics. He elaborated on job characteristics that potentially relate to a sense of coherence, offering a dense description of a workplace where individuals experience meaningfulness, manageability, and comprehensibility. This chapter presents models, measures, and intervention approaches that relate to the double nature of work and to both its pathogenic and its salutogenic qualities. Hereby, the view of Antonovsky is enhanced, insofar that health-promoting, salutogenic job characteristics are not solely understood as buffering the pathogenic effects of stressors at work, but have a direct effect on positive health outcomes. Antonovsky’s original model is first specified and simplified for the context of work. Then, Antonovsky’s line of thinking is related to frameworks researching job resources and demands. After a review of the prevalence of salutogenic measures in worksite health promotion, the point of making salutogenesis more visible in work-related research and practice is elaborated upon. This is illustrated with a practical example of a survey-feedback process promoting salutogenic work. Finally, the implications and challenges for practice and future research on salutogenic work are discussed