Long-lasting obesity predicts poor work ability at midlife: a 15-year follow-up of the northern Finland 1966 birth cohort study

Objective: To investigate the effect of adulthood obesity on work ability in early midlife during a 15-year follow-up. Methods: The study population included men and women (n = 5470), born in northern Finland in 1966. Participants evaluated their current perceived work ability compared with their lifetime best at the age of 46. Participants’ weight and height were measured at 31 years and self-reported at 46 years, and body mass indexes were calculated. Results: Obesity at both ages, and developing obesity between the ages of 31 and 46 increased the relative risk of poor work ability at 46 years among sexes, and among those in both low and high physically strenuous work. Conclusions: Long-term obesity and developing obesity in mid-adulthood increase the risk of poor work ability. Thus, the promotion of healthy behaviors by policies, healthcare services, and at workplaces is important

A participatory physical and psychosocial intervention for balancing the demands and resources among industrial workers (PIPPI): study protocol of a cluster-randomized controlled trial

Background: Need for recovery and work ability are strongly associated with high employee turnover, well-being and sickness absence. However, scientific knowledge on effective interventions to improve work ability and decrease need for recovery is scarce. Thus, the present study aims to describe the background, design and protocol of a cluster randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of an intervention to reduce need for recovery and improve work ability among industrial workers. Methods/Design: A two-year cluster randomized controlled design will be utilized, in which controls will also receive the intervention in year two. More than 400 workers from three companies in Denmark will be aimed to be cluster randomized into intervention and control groups with at least 200 workers (at least 9 work teams) in each group. An organizational resources audit and subsequent action planning workshop will be carried out to map the existing resources and act upon initiatives not functioning as intended. Workshops will be conducted to train leaders and health and safety representatives in supporting and facilitating the intervention activities. Group and individual level participatory visual mapping sessions will be carried out allowing team members to discuss current physical and psychosocial work demands and resources, and develop action plans to minimize strain and if possible, optimize the resources. At all levels, the intervention will be integrated into the existing organization of work schedules. An extensive process and effect evaluation on need for recovery and work ability will be carried out via questionnaires, observations, interviews and organizational data assessed at several time points throughout the intervention period. Discussion: This study primarily aims to develop, implement and evaluate an intervention based on the abovementioned features which may improve the work environment, available resources and health of industrial workers, and hence their need for recovery and work ability

Perceived Work Ability in the Light of Long-Term and Stress-Related Unhealthy Behaviors-a Prospective Cohort Study

Background Most of the few studies that exist on the longitudinal associations between health behaviors and work ability target to single health behaviors. Purpose To investigate how lifetime clusters of unhealthy behaviors associate with perceived work ability in early midlife. Methods The study population consisted of 46-year-old men and women (n=3107) born in Northern Finland in 1966. Their current perceived work ability compared to lifetime best, and their unhealthy behaviors (physical inactivity, smoking, and alcohol consumption) were assessed by questionnaires. We determined clusters of unhealthy behaviors at the ages of 14, 31, and 46 and created lifetime development trajectories of health behaviors. We also assessed stress-related eating and drinking at the ages of 31 and 46. Cross-tabulations and multivariate logistic regression models were used to investigate the associations between clusters of health behaviors, stress-related eating and drinking, and work ability at 46 years. The analyses were controlled for basic education and physical strenuousness of work, psychosocial job characteristics, perceived work ability, and BMI (kg/m2 ) at 31 years. Results Four health behavior trajectories emerged: always healthy, moderate (reference group), deteriorated. and always unhealthy. Among men, always unhealthy behaviors [OR (95 % confidence interval) 2.81 (1.35, 5.86)], and among women, deteriorated health behaviors [1.67 (1.07, 2.58)] associated with poor perceived work ability at 46 years. In addition, stress-related eating and drinking associated independently with poor perceived work ability at 46 years [men 2.58 (1.62, 4.12) and women 2.48 (1.70, 3.61)]. Conclusion Long-lasting and stress-related unhealthy behaviors increase the risk of poor work ability in midlife

Personal health technologies in employee health promotion:Usage activity, usefulness, and health-related outcomes in a 1-year randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Common risk factors such as obesity, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, stress, and sleep deprivation threaten the wellness and work ability of employees. Personal health technologies may help improve engagement in health promotion programs and maintenance of their effect. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated personal health technologies in supporting employee health promotion targeting multiple behavioral health risks. We studied the relations of usage activity to demographic and physiological characteristics, health-related outcomes (weight, aerobic fitness, blood pressure and cholesterol), and the perceived usefulness of technologies in wellness management. METHODS: We conducted a subgroup analysis of the technology group (114 subjects, 33 males, average age 45 years, average BMI 27.1 kg/m(2)) of a 3-arm randomized controlled trial (N=352). The trial was organized to study the efficacy of a face-to-face group intervention supported by technologies, including Web services, mobile applications, and personal monitoring devices. Technology usage was investigated based on log files and questionnaires. The associations between sustained usage of Web and mobile technologies and demographic and physiological characteristics were analyzed by comparing the baseline data of sustained and non-sustained users. The associations between sustained usage and changes in health-related outcomes were studied by repeated analysis of variance, using data measured by baseline and end questionnaires, and anthropometric and laboratory measurements. The experienced usability, usefulness, motivation, and barriers to using technologies were investigated by 4 questionnaires and 2 interviews. RESULTS: 111 subjects (97.4%) used technologies at some point of the study, and 33 (29.9%) were classified as sustained users of Web or mobile technologies. Simple technologies, weight scales and pedometer, attracted the most users. The sustained users were slightly older 47 years (95% CI 44 to 49) versus 44 years (95% CI 42 to 45), P=.034 and had poorer aerobic fitness at baseline (mean difference in maximal metabolic equivalent 1.0, 95% Cl 0.39 to 1.39; P=.013) than non-sustained users. They succeeded better in weight management: their weight decreased -1.2 kg (95% CI -2.38 to -0.01) versus +0.6 kg (95% CI -0.095 to 1.27), P=.006; body fat percentage -0.9%-units (95% CI -1.64 to -0.09) versus +0.3%-units (95% CI -0.28 to 0.73), P=.014; and waist circumference -1.4 cm (95% CI -2.60 to -0.20) versus +0.7 cm (95% CI -0.21 to 1.66), P=.01. They also participated in intervention meetings more actively: median 4 meetings (interquartile range; IQR 4–5) versus 4 meetings (IQR 3–4), P=.009. The key factors in usefulness were: simplicity, integration into daily life, and clear feedback on progress. CONCLUSIONS: Despite active initial usage, less than 30% of subjects continued using Web or mobile technologies throughout the study. Sustained users achieved better weight-related outcomes than non-sustained users. High non-usage attrition and modest outcomes cast doubt on the potential of technologies to support interventions

[Lymphogranuloma venereum. An old disease in a new dress]

Lymphogranuloma venereum is a sexually transmitted disease caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, serotypes L1, L2 and L3. The classical clinical manifestation is a painful inguinal lymphadenopathy, resulting without treatment in severe complications. Over the last years, however, the emergence of massive ulcerative proctitis has been observed, especially in men who have sex with men. Because the clinical symptoms are unspecific, Chlamydia trachomatis should actively be looked for. Reliable and rapid molecular tests have now been established to diagnose lymphogranuloma venereum. The therapeutic recommendation is tetracycline for 3 weeks. We present 5 cases to illustrate this disease