Barriers and Facilitators of Re-Employment among Senior Workers:Prospective Cohort Study

Re-entering the labour market after a period of unemployment can be challenging for seniors. This study investigates personal as well as circumstantial barriers and facilitators of re-employment. Unemployed seniors in Denmark (≥50 years, n = 1636) from the first wave (mid-2018) of the SeniorWorkingLife study were prospectively followed until March 2020 in national registers on labour market participation. Using weighted logistic-regression-modelled odds ratios (ORs), we estimated the association between personal and circumstantial factors at baseline and re-employment during follow-up. During follow-up, 28% re-entered paid employment. The desire to have a job (reference: not having the desire to have a job) increased the likelihood of re-employment (OR 2.35, 95% CI 1.14–4.85). Contrastingly, a higher age (60–63 vs. 50–54 years; OR 0.36, 95% CI 0.16–0.79) and poor health (OR 0.32, 95% CI 0.16–0.61) decreased the likelihood of re-employment. Sex, education and belief that age constitutes a barrier to re-employment were not associated with the likelihood of re-employment. Unemployed seniors desiring to have a job are more likely to get a job. However, a higher age and poor health are important barriers that should be taken into account, e.g., by ensuring employment opportunities for these groups in society

The Interplay between Multimorbidity, Physical Work Demands and Work Ability:Cross-Sectional Study among 12,879 Senior Workers

Background: Aging increases the risk of chronic diseases, which can challenge the ability to work and thereby push senior workers out of the labour market. This study investigates the association between non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and work ability among workers ≥50 years (senior workers) with physically demanding and sedentary work, respectively. Methods: In the SeniorWorkingLife study, 12,879 senior workers replied to a questionnaire survey on work and health in 2018. Associations between the type and number of NCD and work ability (scale 0–10) were modelled using a general linear model adjusting for potential confounders and combined with model-assisted weights from national registers. Results: A higher number of NCD (multimorbidity) was progressively associated with a lower work ability (trend test, p-value < 0.001). Physical work influenced the association between the number of NCDs and work ability. For specific diseases, mental disorders, including burn-out syndrome (least square mean difference (LSMD): −1.46, 95% CI: −1.61 to −1.32) and stress ( LSMD: −1.18, 95% CI: −1.29 to −1.07), demonstrated a stronger association with a lower work ability compared with somatic diseases, such as back diseases (LSMD: −0.72, 95% CI: −0.80 to −0.64). Conclusions: Multimorbidity was progressively associated with a lower work ability in senior workers, especially among those with physical work

Influence of occupational risk factors for road traffic crashes among professional drivers:systematic review

This systematic review focuses on factors associated with occupational road crashes among professional drivers of commercial vehicles, e.g. trucks, buses and taxis. PubMed, MEDLINE and Google Scholar were searched, and quality assessment followed guidelines developed by the British Sociological Association medical sociological group. Sixty-six cross-sectional studies and one cohort study were included, of which 18, 45 and 3 studies were categorised as high-, moderate- and low-quality studies, respectively. Twenty-seven significant risk factors for road crashes were divided into six domains: (1) organisational, (2) individual driver characteristics, (3) qualifications, (4) driver conditions, (5) driving behaviour, and (6) external. The most frequently investigated factors were age (individual driver characteristics domain), sleepiness and substance use (driver conditions), driving duration and time of driving (organisational). More recently studied risk factors were management support (organisational), years of experience (qualifications), health parameters (driver conditions), vehicle speed and distracting activities, e.g. use of phone or navigation tools while driving (driving behaviour). The review identified overall risk factor domains and occupation-specific risk factors suitable for targeting and prioritising organisational preventive safety efforts. To obtain a more in-depth understanding of the antecedents of road crashes, future prospective studies are encouraged that evaluate preventive strategies for occupational road crashes.</p

Association Between Pain Coping and Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression, and work absenteeism in people with upper limb musculoskeletal disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: To determine the prospective association of pain coping strategies and symptoms of anxiety and depression with work absenteeism in people with upper limb musculoskeletal disorders. Data Sources: A systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases was conducted from inception to September 23, 2022. Study Selection: Prospective observational studies of adults with upper limb musculoskeletal disorders were included. Included studies had to provide data on the association of pain coping strategies (catastrophizing, kinesiophobia, self-efficacy or fear avoidance) or symptoms of anxiety and depression with work absenteeism. Data Extraction: Study selection, data extraction, and assessment of methodological quality (Newcastle Ottawa Scale) were performed by 2 independent authors. Random-effects models were used for quantitative synthesis. Data Synthesis: Eighteen studies (n=12,393 participants) were included. Most studies (77.8%) reported at least 1 significant association between 1 or more exposure factors (pain coping strategies or symptoms of anxiety and depression) and work absenteeism. Meta-analyses showed a statistically significant correlation between the exposure factors of catastrophizing (r=0.28, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.15 to 0.40; P<.0001) and symptoms of anxiety and depression (r=0.23, 95% CI: 0.10 to 0.34; P=.0003) with work absenteeism. The correlation between self-efficacy and work absenteeism was non-significant (r=0.24, 95% CI: -0.02 to 0.47; P=.0747). Conclusions: Rehabilitation teams should consider assessing catastrophizing and symptoms of anxiety and depression to identify patients at risk for work absenteeism. Addressing these variables may also be considered in return-to-work programs for individuals with upper limb disorders

Effectiveness of workplace interventions in rehabilitating musculoskeletal disorders and preventing its consequences among workers with physical and sedentary employment: systematic review protocol

Abstract Background Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the leading cause of work disability and sickness absence worldwide. The prevalence of MSDs increases with age, consequently challenging sustainable employability among the growing ageing workforce. Knowledge of feasible and efficient workplace-based interventions to rehabilitate MSD or prevent its consequences is therefore warranted. This systematic review will evaluate the effectiveness of workplace-based interventions on MSDs and its consequences among adult workers with physical and sedentary work tasks, respectively. Methods We will search the following bibliographic databases: PubMed (including the database ‘MEDLINE’) and Web of Science Core Collection (including the databases ‘Science Citation Index Expanded’, ‘Social Sciences Citation Index’ and ‘Arts &amp; Humanities Citation Index’). Manual searches will also be performed. We will include randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs reported in English in which (1) participants are adult workers with MSD, (2) interventions are aiming at rehabilitating pain symptoms of MSD or preventing the consequences of MSD and (3) interventions are initiated and/or carried out at the workplace. The review will adhere to the ‘Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses’ (PRISMA) guidelines for reporting systematic reviews and the Institute for Work and Health (IWH) guidelines for workplace-based interventions. For the primary evaluation of the review, the quality assessment and evidence synthesis will conform to the IWH guidelines. Secondary evaluation will include a meta-analysis (unless the included studies do not allow this due to heterogeneity) and employ the risk of bias domains recommended by Cochrane along with the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach on the studies with pain intensity as an outcome. Discussion This systematic review will provide knowledge on effective workplace-based interventions among physical and sedentary workers with MSD. RCTs are considered the most powerful experimental design in clinical trials, but solely including these may be too restrictive to understand effective workplace-based interventions where randomised and carefully controlled trials (RCTs) are not always possible. In order to maximize practical relevance, the selection process will, therefore, include both RCTs and non-RCTs and the quality assessment and evidence synthesis will conform to IWH guidelines focusing on developing practical guidelines for stakeholders. The result of this work will form the basis for industry-specific evidence-based recommendations on effective workplace-based interventions for rehabilitation of MSDs and its consequences that will later be operationalised into concrete and user-friendly practical tools for workplaces. Systematic review registration International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) number CRD42018116752

Effectiveness of workplace interventions in rehabilitating musculoskeletal disorders and preventing its consequences among workers with physical and sedentary employment: systematic review protocol

Abstract Background Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the leading cause of work disability and sickness absence worldwide. The prevalence of MSDs increases with age, consequently challenging sustainable employability among the growing ageing workforce. Knowledge of feasible and efficient workplace-based interventions to rehabilitate MSD or prevent its consequences is therefore warranted. This systematic review will evaluate the effectiveness of workplace-based interventions on MSDs and its consequences among adult workers with physical and sedentary work tasks, respectively. Methods We will search the following bibliographic databases: PubMed (including the database ‘MEDLINE’) and Web of Science Core Collection (including the databases ‘Science Citation Index Expanded’, ‘Social Sciences Citation Index’ and ‘Arts &amp; Humanities Citation Index’). Manual searches will also be performed. We will include randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs reported in English in which (1) participants are adult workers with MSD, (2) interventions are aiming at rehabilitating pain symptoms of MSD or preventing the consequences of MSD and (3) interventions are initiated and/or carried out at the workplace. The review will adhere to the ‘Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses’ (PRISMA) guidelines for reporting systematic reviews and the Institute for Work and Health (IWH) guidelines for workplace-based interventions. For the primary evaluation of the review, the quality assessment and evidence synthesis will conform to the IWH guidelines. Secondary evaluation will include a meta-analysis (unless the included studies do not allow this due to heterogeneity) and employ the risk of bias domains recommended by Cochrane along with the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach on the studies with pain intensity as an outcome. Discussion This systematic review will provide knowledge on effective workplace-based interventions among physical and sedentary workers with MSD. RCTs are considered the most powerful experimental design in clinical trials, but solely including these may be too restrictive to understand effective workplace-based interventions where randomised and carefully controlled trials (RCTs) are not always possible. In order to maximize practical relevance, the selection process will, therefore, include both RCTs and non-RCTs and the quality assessment and evidence synthesis will conform to IWH guidelines focusing on developing practical guidelines for stakeholders. The result of this work will form the basis for industry-specific evidence-based recommendations on effective workplace-based interventions for rehabilitation of MSDs and its consequences that will later be operationalised into concrete and user-friendly practical tools for workplaces. Systematic review registration International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) number CRD42018116752

Additional file 2: of Effectiveness of workplace interventions in rehabilitating musculoskeletal disorders and preventing its consequences among workers with physical and sedentary employment: systematic review protocol

Search strategy PubMed. (DOCX 20 kb

Additional file 3: of Effectiveness of workplace interventions in rehabilitating musculoskeletal disorders and preventing its consequences among workers with physical and sedentary employment: systematic review protocol

Search strategy Web of Science. (DOCX 15 kb