Nutrition and shiftwork: the use of meal classification as a new tool for qualitative/quantitative evaluation of dietary intake in shiftworkers

Established nutritional science methods and a new concept for meal–classification were applied to shiftworker (rotating 3-shift) data. The frequency of meals and snacks of different nutritional quality as a function of work schedule was evaluated, as well as the content of selected nutrients (energy, fat, sucrose, dietary fibres, ascorbic acid) in these meals and snacks. The results do not indicate that rotating 3-shift work affects the nutritional quality of the diet or the frequency of different types of meals and snacks. A qualitative classification of meals and snacks might be a cost–effective strategy for data–evaluation in field studies of shift workers' eating habits when quantitative estimations of the dietary intake are to be complicated.     

Main and interactive effects of shiftwork, age and work stress on health in an Italian sample of healthcare workers

Among healthcare workers, shiftwork (mostly if nightwork is also included), ageing and work-related stress may be factors leading to impaired health. Such risk factors may also operate in interaction, resulting in an even increased harm for health. The present study aims at evaluating these relationships in a sample of 1842 hospital workers in Northern Italy. Subjects were mainly women, 33.1% were aged > or = 45 yr, and they were almost evenly distributed between dayworkers and rotating shiftworkers (nights included). Shiftwork was associated with poor sleep, while it was protective against gastrointestinal disorders, poor work ability and job dissatisfaction. Work stress was the risk factor with the highest relevance for poor health. Ageing was associated with lower physical health. Few significant interactions were observed. Shiftwork with nights and high work stress significantly interacted in increasing the risk for poor sleep. The "healthy worker effect" may have played a strong role in study findings.     

Sleep patterns,shiftwork, and individual differences: a comparison of onshore and offshore control-room operators

Abstract

The sleep patterns of offshore control-room operators were compared with those of personnel carrying out similar work onshore, taking into account individual differences in age, number of years of shiftwork, and neuroticism. The dependent variables were self-reported sleep quality and duration for day-shift (D-S) and night-shift (N-S) work, and during leave periods (L-P) Offshore workers reported longer N-S sleep duration, and lower D-S sleep quality than those onshore, but the two groups did not differ in L-P measures. The effects of environmental differences (onshore versus offshore) on sleep patterns were more marked than those of the two different shift systems (weekly rotation and fast rotation) in operation onshore. Age was negatively related to both duration and quality of sleep; over and above age, number of years of shiftwork was negatively related to sleep duration. Neuroticism was also negatively related to sleep duration and, more strongly, to sleep quality. These findings are discussed in relation to the literature on shiftwork and sleep in general, and the characteristics of the offshore environment in particular     

The associations between psychosocial workload and mental health complaints in different age groups

The objective of the present study was to explore associations between psychosocial workload and mental health complaints in different age groups. A questionnaire was sent to 2021 employees of a Dutch railway company. Six aspects of psychosocial workload (work pressure, mental workload, emotional workload, autonomy, social support from colleagues and social support from supervisors) and three mental health outcomes (work-related fatigue, stress and burnout) were assessed. Associations between the aspects of psychosocial workload (distributed into tertiles) and health complaints were analysed by logistic regression analysis in four age groups (22–35, 36–45, 46–55 and 56–66 years old). In all age groups, worse work pressure was a significant risk factor for having mental health complaints. Worse emotional load in the younger employees and lack of social support in older employees were associated with a higher risk of having mental health complaints. Age-specific preventive measures should be implemented on both individual and group levels.

Statement of Relevance: With an ageing workforce, understanding relationships between age and work-related health ailments is increasingly important. This study found that emotional workload in younger and lack of social support in older employees were associated with a higher risk of mental health complaints. Work pressure was a risk factor in all age groups.     

The associations between psychosocial workload and mental health complaints in different age groups

The objective of the present study was to explore associations between psychosocial workload and mental health complaints in different age groups. A questionnaire was sent to 2021 employees of a Dutch railway company. Six aspects of psychosocial workload (work pressure, mental workload, emotional workload, autonomy, social support from colleagues and social support from supervisors) and three mental health outcomes (work-related fatigue, stress and burnout) were assessed. Associations between the aspects of psychosocial workload (distributed into tertiles) and health complaints were analysed by logistic regression analysis in four age groups (22-35, 36-45, 46-55 and 56-66 years old). In all age groups, worse work pressure was a significant risk factor for having mental health complaints. Worse emotional load in the younger employees and lack of social support in older employees were associated with a higher risk of having mental health complaints. Age-specific preventive measures should be implemented on both individual and group levels. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: With an ageing workforce, understanding relationships between age and work-related health ailments is increasingly important. This study found that emotional workload in younger and lack of social support in older employees were associated with a higher risk of mental health complaints. Work pressure was a risk factor in all age groups.     

The relationship between work ability and oxidative stress in Japanese workers

Work ability is based on the balance between personal resources and work demand. This study focused on the personal resources component of work ability. The aims of this study were to elucidate the association between work ability and cardiovascular (CV) risk factors, particularly oxidative stress, and to estimate the effect of a community-implemented lifestyle modification programme on work ability and CV risk factors. Urinary 8-iso-prostaglandin F_2α (PGF_2α), a biomarker of oxidative stress, was negatively correlated with psychological resources, as measured by the Work Ability Index (WAI). Overall WAI score was unchanged following the programme, while CV risk factors and antioxidative activity improved. A reduction in PGF_2α levels was correlated with an improvement in subjective work ability relative to job demands, as assessed by a WAI item. Taken together, the results suggest that lifestyle modification programmes enhance the personal resources component of work ability and are associated with a reduction in oxidative stress.     

Standardized low-load repetitive work: evidence of different motor control strategies between experienced workers and a reference group

The purpose of this laboratory study was to evaluate the possible differences in motor strategies to a new standardized low-load repetitive work task in between healthy experienced workers and a reference group. Work task event duration, i.e. working rhythm, cutting forces, surface electromyographic (EMG) activity from four shoulder muscles, postural activity, and arm and trunk movements in 3D were recorded during low-load repetitive work simulation. The experienced group showed lower EMG activity and frequency contents (P<0.05), more abducted position of the upper arm and forward flexion of the trunk prior to work simulation (P<0.05), and increased arm and trunk range of motion (P<0.05) compared with the reference group. The results highlight that experienced butchers have a different motor strategy compared with a reference group, i.e. more variable form of coordination pattern. Furthermore, the initial implementation of a possible protective motor strategy by experienced workers might be a very important prognostic factor.     

Individual differences in circadian rhythm parameters and short-term tolerance to shiftwork: a follow-up study

The relationship between individual differences in the phase and amplitude of circadian rhythms and tolerance to shiftwork has been the subject of several studies. Those studies recorded circadian rhythms and shiftwork tolerance at approximately the same time. The present study aimed to examine the predictive relationships between the amplitude, phase, and mesor of 24 h rhythms obtained before exposure to shiftwork, and subsequent indices of tolerance measured after one and three years of shiftwork. The results revealed some stable relations between the various rhythm parameters and subsequent tolerance measures. Workers who had a higher mesor of positive moods, and a lower mesor of negative moods and fatigue, before entering shiftwork tended to tolerate shiftwork better. Further, those whose heart rate rhythm showed an earlier acrophase had better subsequent sleep quality scores, while those with a smaller amplitude of their temperature, negative mood and fatigue rhythms showed better night-shift tolerance.     

Police officers attitude to different shift systems: association with age, present shift schedule, health and sleep/wake complaints

It is often claimed that shift workers give priority to long series of days off and therefore prefer compressed work schedules at the expense of what is optimal for long-term health. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the attitude to six new shift systems among a randomly selected sample of police officers. The results showed that the most popular shift system was a rapidly, forward, rotating schedule with at least 16 h of rest between shifts, despite that it had fewer days off compared with some of the compressed shift systems. However, the individual differences were large and many individuals (32%) disliked the rapidly rotating shift system. Young age was associated with a positive attitude to the rapidly rotating shift system. The attitude to the shift system was also influenced by the present schedule, and shift systems that were similar to the present work hours received more positive evaluation. Sleep and health complaints showed no association with the attitude to the shift systems. In conclusion, the shift workers attitude to the new schedules was partly in agreement with the ergonomic recommendations of the design of three-shift systems that will facilitate sufficient sleep and minimize negative health consequences.     

Musculoskeletal disorders in hospital nurses: a comparison between two hospitals

Nursing staff members of a urban general hospital (GH) and a small oncological department (OD) were surveyed to determine the prevalence of occupational related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), the specific disabilities, accidents at work, and working time lost. All subjects had a medical examination to evaluate osteoarthicular disease and selected cases were invited to X-ray examinations. The purpose of this study was to compare MSDs in the two groups of nurses working in two hospitals with different work organization in the same geographical area, Pordenone in Italy. In the previous year 48% GH and 33% OD nurses reported back pain due to work, 29·4 and 16·1% respectively have had X-ray or orthopaedic examinations, 19·2% and 9·1% had been away from work because of back pain. All these differences are statistically significant. The analysis of musculoskeletal pain sites and working tasks in the two hospital workers shows no differences in distribution. Great difference exists when analysing the numbers of patients assisted by a nurse: 0·57 and 1·27 nurse/patients respectively in GH and OD. Our data indicate a high overall frequency of occupational back pain, similar to other studies in Europe. The comparison between the two hospitals suggests factors associated with the disorder: work tasks and particularly nurses/patients ratio are more important factors than age and length of exposure. Different work distribution, shift organization, a better ratio between nurses and patients, an improvement of equipment provision, and specific nurse-training with application of ergonomic methods could improve work efficiency radically and decrease injury rates.     

Directional relative position between objects in image processing: a comparison between fuzzy approaches

The importance of describing relationships between objects has been highlighted in works in very different areas, including image understanding. Among these relationships, directional relative position relations are important since they provide an important information about the spatial arrangement of objects in the scene. Such concepts are rather ambiguous, they defy precise definitions, but human beings have a rather intuitive and common way of understanding and interpreting them. Therefore in this context, fuzzy methods are appropriate to provide consistent definitions that integrate both quantitative and qualitative knowledge, thus providing a computational representation and interpretation of imprecise spatial relations, expressed in a linguistic way, and including quantitative knowledge. Several fuzzy approaches have been developed in the literature, and the aim of this paper is to review and compare them according to their properties and according to the types of questions they seek to answer.     

Neck and shoulder complaints among sewing-machine operators: a study concerning frequency, symptomatology and dysfunction

The occupation of sewing-machine operators (SMO) involves monotonous and repetitive tasks, performed in a work position equivalent to a static component of muscular load on the neck and shoulder. The present study concerns the occurrence of neck-shoulder problems in a population of SMO. A total of 224 SMO from four textile factories in the western part of Sweden were subjected to a comprehensive questionnaire about demographic, vocational, medical and psychosocial data. The Nordic Ministry Questionnaire specifically directed towards neck-shoulder complaints showed a prevalence rate during the last 12 months of 75% and during the last seven days a rate of 51%. Daily problems were experienced by 26%. Some 27% had had problems leading to restraints in work time and 37% in leisure time. Those SMO screening positive were clinically examined in an attempt to describe the clinical picture behind the complaints. Diagnoses were made according to specific criteria. The tension neck syndrome (TNS) was most frequent, followed by the cervical syndrome. In half of those examined, symptoms and findings were too unspecific for diagnosis. A positive correlation between the TNS and working hours per week suggests a daily prolonged static load on the neck and shoulder to be of importance for neck-shoulder problems among the SMO.     

Computer attitude as a moderator in the relationship between computer anxiety,satisfaction, and stress

The present study empirically examines the relationship between computer anxiety, job satisfaction, career satisfaction, and stress. Based on self-efficacy theory and self-worth theory of achievement-motivation, it is hypothesized that the relationship between computer anxiety and job satisfaction is curvilinear and attitude towards computer moderates such relationship. The relationship between computer anxiety and career satisfaction and job stress were empirically examined in this study. Two hundred and thirty undergraduate students (125 female and 105 male students) at a university in south-western part of Louisiana completed computer anxiety, computer attitude, job satisfaction, career satisfaction and stress surveys. Hierarchical moderated regression results support that the attitude towards computer acts as a moderator in the relationship between (i) computer anxiety and stress, (ii) computer anxiety and job satisfaction, and (iii) computer anxiety and career satisfaction. Implications for management are discussed.     

VLSI, MCM, and WSI: a design comparison

Three IC technologies result in different outcomes-performance and cost-in two case studies. The author compares their designs in terms of silicon area, substrate size, and power consumption     

Dynamic problem selection in air traffic control training: a comparison between performance,mental effort and mental efficiency

The differential effects on training and training outcome of four methods of problem selection were investigated in a computer-based training for air traffic control. In one method, training problems were given to the participants in a fixed predetermined sequence, from simple to complex. In the other methods, problems were selected dynamically, based on three different learner variables. These were mental effort, performance and mental efficiency, which is a variable that combines mental effort and performance measures to determine problem efficiency. After the training, transfer was measured. The hypothesis that dynamic problem selection would lead to more efficient training than non-dynamic problem selection was confirmed. The second hypothesis, that dynamic problem selection based on mental efficiency would lead to more efficient training and better transfer than dynamic problem selection based on performance or mental effort alone was not supported. However, the efficiency measures of the three variables were distorted by the differential effects of these variables on the acquisition phase. A possible explanation for the results is that selection based on performance stimulates rule automation, whereas selection based on mental effort or mental efficiency leads to schema acquisition.     

Biomechanical differences between expert and novice workers in a manual material handling task

The objective was to verify whether the methods were safer and more efficient when used by expert handlers than by novice handlers. Altogether, 15 expert and 15 novice handlers were recruited. Their task was to transfer four boxes from a conveyor to a hand trolley. Different characteristics of the load and lifting heights were modified to achieve a larger variety of methods by the participants. The results show that the net moments at the L5/S1 joint were not significantly different (p > 0.05) for the two groups. However, compared with the novices, the experts bent their lumbar region less (experts 54° (SD 11°); novices 66° (SD 15°)) but bent their knees more (experts approx. 72° (SD approx. 30°); novices approx. 53° (SD approx. 33°), which brought them closer to the box. The handler's posture therefore seems to be a major aspect that should be paid specific attention, mainly when there is maximum back loading.

Statement of Relevance: The findings of this research will be useful for improving manual material handling training programmes. Most biomechanical research is based on novice workers and adding information about the approach used by expert handlers in performing their tasks will help provide new avenues for reducing the risk of injury caused by this demanding physical task.     

Immersive and desktop virtual reality in virtual fashion stores: a comparison between shopping experiences

Virtual Reality - With the high growth and prosperity of e-commerce, the retail industry needs to explore new technologies that improve digital shopping experiences. In the current technological...     

Playing vibrotactile music: A comparison between the Vibrochord and a piano keyboard

A novel vibrotactile musical input device called the Vibrochord, which is designed to deliver patterns of vibration to the skin, not to the ear, through the use of a vibrotactile display called the Emoti-Chair, is evaluated using proposed evaluation frameworks. Findings show that the mixture of frameworks used in this study provided valuable insight into the design of this novel musical device. Results obtained through the implementation of a mixture of these frameworks show that the Vibrochord facilitated an increased accuracy rate over the traditional piano keyboard, when inexperienced vibrotactile musicians tried to repeat vibrotactile patterns or “melodies”.     

Climatic stress in the workplace: its effect on thermoregulatory responses and muscle fatigue in female workers

The present study was designed to determine the differences in thermoregulatory responses and the levels of muscle fatigue in the seated worker, performing a task involving a light metabolic load (typing), versus the standing worker, undertaking a task of a heavier metabolic load (lifting), in different climatic conditions (neutral and hot, humid). The results showed that environmental heat significantly influenced the cardiovascular and thermoregulatory systems in workers performing both light and heavy work tasks. In addition, environmental heat was shown to influence the magnitude of the frequency shift during the fatiguing muscle contraction in the typists rather than the lifters. These results suggest that: (1) performance of even sedentary workers performing a light manual task may be deleteriously affected by environmental heat; and (2) environmental heat may be of secondary importance to the nature of the task investigated on the level of muscle fatigue.