Health enhancing physical activity: Factors influencing engagement patterns in children

Physical inactivity and the development of increasingly sedentary lifestyles are recognised as a community health concern, the origins of which can be traced from childhood lifestyle behaviours. Physical activity engagement patterns in children are multidimensional and occupational therapists are philosophically well suited to profiling these activity patterns. To do so requires a broad understanding of the complex, interrelated contextual, interpersonal, intrapersonal and temporal aspects of occupational performance. In this paper, the SCOPE-IT model (Synthesis of Child Occupational Performance and Environment — In Time) is used as a conceptual framework for describing these factors. This is undertaken with the purpose of alerting occupational therapists and others who work with children to key factors that influence the development of healthy lifestyles where there is an optimal balance between physically active and sedentary pursuits. Achieving temporal balance in core areas of occupational performance underpins physical and mental health and has implications for disease prevention.     

Obesity,Health and Quality of Life: A Conversation to Further the Vision in Occupational Therapy

ABSTRACT

Occupational therapy is one of the most powerful professions to support the development of healthy lifestyles, promote health and well-being and empower individuals, communities and populations, especially those impacted by or at risk for obesity. Development of healthy lifestyles enhances and promotes quality of life. This article discusses the need for occupational therapy professionals to explore the many possibilities that enable lifestyle change for people at risk for or who are obese or overweight. Embracing and integrating health promotion and wellness into everyday practice, particularly for those impacted by obesity, is emphasized.     

A pilot study of a pulmonary rehabilitation programme evaluated by four adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

The purpose of this qualitative study was to analyse participants' perceptions of a pulmonary rehabilitation programme, which combined occupational therapy with physical therapy. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from four adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who attended an outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation programme in New York City. Features of the occupational therapy programme reported to be valuable were biofeedback and clinician support. Participants reported more control of dyspnoea, improved mental health and confidence in performing daily activities, less fatigue, more physically active lifestyles and hope for the future. Limitations of the study were that participants were interviewed only once and themes were not verified with participants. The study results also cannot be generalized. Further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of occupational therapy in promoting self-management and coping skills and restoring occupational performance in adults with COPD. Participants' responses provide additional support for developing cognitive-behavioural protocols in occupational therapy and measuring their effectiveness in relieving anxiety symptoms and promoting dyspnoea management.     

Changes in health habits of female shift workers

This paper examines the effects of shift work on the lifestyles of female factory workers. As an indicator of healthy lifestyle habits, we used a scoring system (referred to below as the 'health score') based on Lester Breslow's health habits. The 'health score' of the women was higher than that of the men, but the shift workers' score was lower than that of the non-shift workers (p<0.01). In addition, the score of workers who had changed from non-shift work to double-shift work was remarkably low (p<0.01). These results suggest that, while the female shift workers manage to maintain relatively healthy lifestyles in comparison with the males, they have more difficulty maintaining these habits than do female workers who do not perform shift work. It can be concluded that, in addition to heightening women's consciousness of their own health, surrounding entities such as the work environment, the home, and the community in general need to pay due care to Japan's female shift workers.     

Predictors of Canadian legislators' support for tobacco control policies

It is clear that regulatory strategies can be effective in reducing tobacco use. Because legislators ultimately determine whether many of these policies are enacted, they are a key focus for tobacco policy research. This study identifies political and personal predictors of Canadian legislators' support for tobacco control policies. Data are from a 1996-97 survey of federal, provincial and territorial legislators. Multivariate regression analysis was used to assess relationships between five groups of variables (political factors including political ideology, personal characteristics, tobacco experiences, tobacco knowledge, interest group saliency) and support for tobacco control based on an 11-item scale. Support for tobacco control varied by political party. Support was higher among legislators who thought government had a duty to promote healthy lifestyles, knew second-hand smoke could cause lung cancer, knew tobacco caused more deaths than alcohol, and said they wanted more contact with medical associations about tobacco issues. Support was lower among current smokers and those with tobacco industry jobs in their ridings. The findings indicate that political party membership cannot be ignored in enlisting legislator support for tobacco control. It also appears that legislators who oppose tobacco control measures may not be opposed to tobacco control per se, but are more generally opposed to a government role in health promotion. Thus, public health professionals and tobacco control advocates need to be more attentive to the way tobacco control issues are framed for particular legislators. Further, meetings with health groups about tobacco issues would be welcomed by many legislators; non-governmental organizations and other health advocates could work to increase tobacco knowledge among legislators.     

Childhood general mental ability and midlife psychosocial work characteristics as related to mental distress, neck/shoulder pain and self-rated health in working women and men

Psychosocial work characteristics including high demands, lack of control and poor social support have consistently been linked to poor health as has poor general mental ability (GMA). However, less is known about the relationships between stable individual factors such as GMA, psychosocial work characteristics and health. Objective: The present study investigated how childhood mental ability and psychosocial work characteristics relate to health in terms of mental distress, neck/shoulder pain (NSP) and self-rated health (SRH). Methods: Data on childhood GMA, occupational level, self-reports of demands, control and social support and health (mental distress, NSP and SRH) in midlife came from working women (n=271) and men (n=291) included in a Swedish school cohort. Hierarchical regression analyses, controlling for occupational level, were used to examine associations between childhood GMA, self-reports of high demands, low control and poor social support and the three health indicators. Taking into consideration the gendered labor market and variations in health patterns between women and men, gender specific analyses were performed. Results: There were no significant associations between childhood GMA and health indicators. Further, there were no significant interactions between GMA and psychosocial work factors. As regards the strength of the associations between GMA, psychosocial work factors and health, no consistent differences emerged between women and men. Conclusions: In a cohort of healthy and working middle-aged women and men, self-reports of current psychosocial work characteristics seem to be more strongly linked to health, than are stable childhood factors such as GMA.     

北京市怀柔区职业人群健康素养调查

目的掌握北京市怀柔区职业人群健康素养水平,探索职业人群健康素养的影响因素,为政府制定卫生政策和干预策略提供依据。方法采取多阶段整群随机抽样的方法抽取在单位任职3个月以上的、在北京居住达半年以上、年龄15～69岁的常住职业人口551人作为被调查对象进行问卷调查。调查内容主要包括基本知识和理念、健康生活方式与行为、基本技能等。结果该区职业人群具备健康素养的总体水平为6.4%。从健康素养的3个内容来看,具备基本知识理念、健康生活方式与行为、基本技能的人口比例分别为18.0%、5.6%、13.4%;职业人群具备5类健康问题的相关素养比例由高到低分别是科学健康观45.2%、安全与急救素养25.2%、传染病预防与素养18.9%、基本医疗素养3.4%、慢性病预防素养2.0%。批发和零售行业人群健康素养水平为0.4%;20岁年龄组健康素养水平为0.5%、40岁年龄组人群健康素养水平为零;6个问题的正确回答率低于20%。结论该区职业人群健康素养水平很低,应大力推进健康促进与健康教育工作,开拓提高职业人群健康素养水平的思路和方法,提高健康素养水平需要职业人群自身的参与,逐步提高全民健康素养水平。     

Health impairment of system engineers working on projects with heavy workload

It has been reported that many system engineers must work hard to produce computer systems, and some of them suffer from health impairment due to their hard work. The purpose of the present cross-sectional study was to investigate the situation of impaired health status of system engineers in projects with high job strain. Countermeasures against health impairment of the subjects in the projects with high job strain in practices of occupational health fields are discussed. The study subjects were five superiors and their 35 subordinates working on computer system projects with high job strain at a large computer systems corporation in the Tokyo area. The control group was comprised of three superiors and their 18 subordinates in the same corporation. From July to November, 2006, the above were interviewed by six occupational health nurses, who evaluated their health and recorded their health evaluation scores. The problems involved in producing the computer systems were sometimes very difficult to solve, even if they spent long hours working on them. The present study detected a tendency showing that healthy superiors' subordinates were unhealthy and unhealthy superiors' subordinates were healthy in the overload projects with high job strain, while this was not detected in the control groups. A few employees whose health deteriorated were faced with very hard jobs in the overload projects. This means that heavy workloads were unevenly distributed in the overload projects among superiors, and their subordinates, and the health of a few members with heavy workloads deteriorated due to the heavy workload. In order to improve such a situation, it may be important not only to commit the necessary number of employees whose working ability is high to the section but also to even the workload in the overload project by informing all members of the project the health impairment of a few members due to heavy workload, from the viewpoint of the practice of occupational health and risk management.     

Smoking,Diet, and Health Behaviors among Lead-exposed Blue-collar Workers

Abstract

The objectives of the study were to compare dietary intake by smoking levels in blue-collar Israeli workers occupationally exposed to lead and thus identify additional areas for health-enhancing intervention in addition to smoking cessation. One hundred and eighty-seven male industrial employees who were exposed to lead through their work were screened at the worksite to evaluate health status and dietary intake. Smokers had higher intakes of fat, cholesterol, calcium, riboflavin, and vitamin E per day. They were consuming more meat and high fat dairy products. Dose-response relationships were shown for fat and energy intake by smoking level. Thus, smoking is associated with other adverse health behaviors. When conducting epidemiologic or occupational studies, analyses should include adjustment for the fact that the lifestyles of smokers may also be unhealthy in other ways.     

Occupational stress in nurses in psychiatric institutions in Taiwan

Nurses are known to be exposed to occupational stress. However, occupational stress is not well documented for nurses in psychiatric institutions in Taiwan. A cross-sectional study was conducted to explore the work-related stress and risk factors of nurses in psychiatric institutions in Taiwan. A structured questionnaire was distributed to nurses at five state-owned psychiatric hospitals in Taiwan in 2001. Demographic information, working environment, and personal health status were inquired. Occupational stress was assessed based on the Chinese version of Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ). General health status and mental health were evaluated by the International Quality of Life Assessment Short Form-36 (IQOLA SF-36). A total of 573 questionnaires were disseminated to nurses and 518 (90.4%) were satisfactorily completed by nurses, including 408 female full-time nurses who had been in their current work for more than 6 months. In the past one month, 17.2% of nurses reported being under significant stress often or always. Assault episodes were reported by 45.1% of nurses in the past 6 months. Among the nurses, 16.9%, 25.2%, 50.0%, and 7.8% belong to the "High strain", "Low strain", "Active", and "Passive" groups, respectively. Perceived occupational stress was associated with young age, widowed/divorced/separated marital status, high psychological demand, low workplace support, and threat of assault at work. Lower general health score was associated with low job control, high psychological demand, and perceived occupational stress. A lower mental health score was associated with low job control, high psychological demand, low workplace support, and perceived occupational stress. We concluded that nurses in psychiatric institutions are under significant stress related to work factors.     

Well-being of mothers with infant children: a preliminary comparison of employed women and homemakers

In general, research has demonstrated that employment has positive or neutral effects on women's mental and physical health. Stressors unique to full-time employed mothers of infants, however, may diminish their well-being. This study compared perceived stress levels and health-promotive lifestyles in a sample of full-time employed mothers and homemaking mothers. As expected, full-time employed mothers of infants reported greater perceived stress in their lives and less healthy lifestyles when they were compared with homemakers. The most frequently reported sources of stress for employed mothers of infants were conflicts or problems about returning to work. Findings support the hypothesis that full-time employed mothers of infants may adopt a pattern of self-neglect to cope with work overload.     

Health among hospital employees in Europe: a cross-national study of the impact of work stress and work control

This article analyses the effect of working conditions on the health of hospital employees across Europe. Hospital employees often have demanding jobs that increase their stress levels and, consequently, their risk of health problems. Work control - typified by employee autonomy and working time flexibility - helps them cope with high levels of work stress. Researchers have traditionally studied the relationship between working conditions, coping strategies and occupational health from an individual perspective. We argue that the individual work-health relationship is closely connected with the social and institutional context. This study explores how work stress and work control influence the health of hospital employees and aims to understand cross-country differences in this respect. Using data on over 1500 hospital employees who participated in the study 'Quality of work and life in a changing Europe' (2007) in eight European countries, we used ordinal regression analyses to test a range of hypotheses. The results show that work stress has a negative effect on the health of hospital employees, while work control is not found to have any effect on their health. Comparative analyses reveal that the effects of working conditions on health vary across European countries. While working overtime is more closely related to poorer health in Eastern European countries, we found evidence of a positive relationship between job autonomy and health in Western Europe only, indicating that circumstances in the working environment have differing effects on employee health in Eastern and Western Europe.     

Promotion of a healthy work life at small enterprises in Thailand by participatory methods

The major problems of small enterprises include unfavourable working conditions and environment that affect safety and health of workers. The WISE (Work Improvement in Small Enterprises) methodology developed by the ILO has been widely applied to improve occupational safety and health in small enterprises in Thailand. The participatory methods building on local good practices and focusing on practicable improvements have proven effective in controlling the occupational hazards in these enterprises at their sources. As a result of applying the methods in small-scale industries, the frequency of occupational accidents was reduced and the working environment actually improved in the cases studied. The results prove that the participatory approach taken by the WISE activities is a useful and effective tool to make owner/managers and workers in small enterprises voluntarily improve their own working conditions and environment. In promoting a healthy work life at small enterprises in Thailand, it is important to further develop and spread the approach.     

木质家具生产企业职业病危害现状调研

目的通过对上海市37家木质家具生产企业作业现场职业卫生现场调查和职业病危害因素的检测,了解木质家具生产企业作业现场职业病危害现状情况,并针对行业特点及关键控制点制定行业职业危害防护规范。方法进行职业卫生现场调查与职业病危害因素检测。结果木质家具生产企业存在的主要职业病危害因素为木粉尘、甲苯、二甲苯、乙苯、丙酮、丁酮、乙酸乙酯、乙酸丁酯、环己酮、甲醛、噪声等,本次调研检测中存在木粉尘、甲苯、二甲苯、乙苯、甲醛、噪声的浓度或强度检测结果超过国家职业卫生接触限值标准、职业卫生防护工程设施配置不完善或效果不佳、个体防护用品配置不当或缺失的情况。结论木质家具生产企业职业病危害程度较严重,部分职业病危害防护设施和个人防护用品配备不到位,反映该行业的企业职业病危害防护不规范,因此制定该行业职业病危害防护规范并加强行政监管部门执法监督很重要。     

An occupational therapy programme in a religious community in South Africa: a historical narrative

The purpose of this paper was to describe an occupational therapy programme that addressed the needs of younger nuns as they faced the difficulties of caring for older nuns in a Dominican old-age home in South Africa. Weekly occupational therapy group sessions with the younger sisters over a 1-year period enabled them to cope with an elderly population who were struggling to adapt to life in an old-age home. Activity groups and individual sessions were run concurrently with the older sisters. Aspects addressed included: dealing with loss, exploring meaningful activity, communication, healthy lifestyles, community involvement and life review. No formal outcome measures were used. Informal evidence of the effectiveness of the programme is the occupationally healthy community observed 20 years later. The younger enablers are now the care receivers and play an integral part in sustaining the programme. Although the Dominican community has specific needs and practices, there is a parallel to other groups of older adults adjusting to a care setting. This programme can serve as a model to facilitate the quality of life of caregivers and residents. The programme outcomes support the principles of occupational science by demonstrating the importance of engaging in meaningful activities to maintain health and well-being.     

Smoking, diet, and health behaviors among lead-exposed blue-collar workers.

The objectives of the study were to compare dietary intake by smoking levels in blue-collar Israeli workers occupationally exposed to lead and thus identify additional areas for health-enhancing intervention in addition to smoking cessation. One hundred and eighty-seven male industrial employees who were exposed to lead through their work were screened at the worksite to evaluate health status and dietary intake. Smokers had higher intakes of fat, cholesterol, calcium, riboflavin, and vitamin E per day. They were consuming more meat and high-fat dairy products. Dose-response relationships were shown for fat and energy intake by smoking level. Thus, smoking is associated with other adverse health behaviors. When conducting epidemiologic or occupational studies, analyses should include adjustment for the fact that the lifestyles of smokers may also be unhealthy in other ways.     

Promoting prevention with economic arguments – The case of Finnish occupational health services

Background  

Both social and ethical arguments have been used to support preventive occupational health services (OHS). During the 1990s it became more common to support political argumentation for occupational health and safety by converting the consequences of ill health at work into monetary units. In addition, OHS has been promoted as a profitable investment for companies, and this aspect has been used by OHS providers in their marketing.     

Association between attitudes toward health promotion and opinions regarding organ transplants in Japan

Health promotion activities to educate the public about health lifestyles have been performed widely in industrialized countries where chronic adult diseases have become prevalent. According to a basic principle of health promotion activities, the symptoms of many diseases are regarded as the result of inadequate health behavior, curable by modifying health behavior. It is thus possible that an exposure to health promotion activities might instill negative attitudes towards organ transplants, because program participants may conclude that persons who need an organ transplant have become unhealthy as the result of their own poor health habits. In this study, two types of surveys were undertaken to test this hypothesis. The subjects of the first cross-sectional study were 712 male and female Japanese citizens, and those of the second case-control study were 240 female company employees in Japan. In the first study, a logistic regression analysis was used and the following findings were obtained. (1) Compared with the persons who felt that they did not have enough practical knowledge about individual health practices, those who felt that they had adequate knowledge were 0.66 times less likely to support organ transplants. (2) Compared with those who were not willing to spend money on healthful things, the persons who were willing to do so were 0.51 times less likely to support organ transplants. In the second case-control study, it was revealed that the subjects who had negative attitudes towards organ transplants had consistently healthier lifestyles than did those who had positive attitudes towards organ transplants. Based upon the present findings and the nature of the basic principles of health promotion activities, we infer that community health promotion activities have a negative influence upon citizens' opinions of organ transplants. Since these findings have health policy implications, more studies are necessary to conclusively evaluate the effects of health promotion activities upon attitudes toward organ transplants.     

A native american community initiative to prevent diabetes

The increasing prevalence of obesity and diabetes in the Mohawk Community of Akwesasne led to the formation of an advisory group who's mission was to increase community awareness and strengthen the infrastructure necessary to create a community coalition to promote healthy lifestyles. The methodology used to reach these goals included: obtaining an understanding of the community's knowledge, attitudes and behaviors about diabetes, diet and exercise using semi‐structured interviews and focus groups; analyzing data from a case control study of diabetes and it complications using a medical record review; exploring methods for evaluating energy expenditure in children; and identifying influential community members and organizations. In the last 50 years people had become less physically active and high fat, high caloric foods were more available. Community members were concerned about health and the well‐being of their children, had knowledge about healthy lifestyles but lacked confidence and social support for bringing about desired changes. A strong association was documented between diabetes, smoking cigarettes, high blood cholesterol and vascular disease in this community. Approximately 100 persons participated, several hundred received the results in presentations to 17 community organizations, two public fora, letters to participants and articles in local newspapers. Fifty persons and 29 businesses or organizations regarded as strong advocates of healthy lifestyles were identified. From these a community coalition was formed and has initiated programs to reduce dietary fat and increase physical activity in young children.     

Socioeconomic inequalities in health in the working population: the contribution of working conditions

BACKGROUND: The aim was to study the impact of different categories of working conditions on the association between occupational class and self-reported health in the working population. METHODS: Data were collected through a postal survey conducted in 1991 among inhabitants of 18 municipalities in the southeastern Netherlands. Data concerned 4521 working men and 2411 working women and included current occupational class (seven classes), working conditions (physical working conditions, job control, job demands, social support at work), perceived general health (very good or good versus less than good) and demographic confounders. Data were analysed with logistic regression techniques. RESULTS: For both men and women we observed a higher odds ratio for a less than good perceived general health in the lower occupational classes (adjusted for confounders). The odds of a less than good perceived general health was larger among people reporting more hazardous physical working conditions, lower job control, lower social support at work and among those in the highest category of job demands. Results were similar for men and women. Men and women in the lower occupational classes reported more hazardous physical working conditions and lower job control as compared to those in higher occupational classes. High job demands were more often reported in the higher occupational classes, while social support at work was not clearly related to occupational class. When physical working conditions and job control were added simultaneously to a model with occupational class and confounders, the odds ratios for occupational classes were reduced substantially. For men, the per cent change in the odds ratios for the occupational classes ranged between 35% and 83%, and for women between 35% and 46%. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial part of the association between occupational class and a less than good perceived general health in the working population could be attributed to a differential distribution of hazardous physical working conditions and a low job control across occupational classes. This suggests that interventions aimed at improving these working conditions might result in a reduction of socioeconomic inequalities in health in the working population.