International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health最新文献

{"title":"Physical work environment in an activity-based flex office: a longitudinal case study.","authors":"Viktoria Wahlström, Maria Öhrn, Mette Harder, Therese Eskilsson, Anncristine Fjellman-Wiklund, Anita Pettersson-Strömbäck","doi":"10.1007/s00420-024-02073-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00420-024-02073-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to investigate and explore Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) management, office ergonomics, and musculoskeletal symptoms in a group of office workers relocating from cell offices to activity-based flex offices (AFOs).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The analysis was based on qualitative interview data with 77 employees and longitudinal questionnaire data from 152 employees.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Results indicate that there was a need to clarify roles and processes related to the management of OHS. Self-rated sit comfort, working posture, and availability of daylight deteriorated and symptoms in neck and shoulders increased after the relocation and seemed to be influenced by many factors, such as difficulties adjusting the workstations, the availability of suitable workplaces, and age, sex, and individual needs.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Research on the long-term effects of physical work environments and management of (OHS) issues after implementing activity-based flex offices is sparse. This study demonstrates the importance of planning and organising OHS issue management when implementing an AFO, and to carefully implement office ergonomics among office workers.</p>","PeriodicalId":13761,"journal":{"name":"International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health","volume":" ","pages":"661-674"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11245412/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140957298","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Vulnerability profiles of workers and the relation with burnout symptoms: results from the Netherlands working conditions survey.","authors":"Luuk Bouwens, Sander K R van Zon, Roy Peijen, Marloes Vooijs","doi":"10.1007/s00420-024-02071-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00420-024-02071-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Unfavorable working conditions may place workers in a vulnerable position in the labour market, but studies on the clustering of these factors and their relation to burnout symptoms are lacking. This study aims to identify subgroups of workers in potentially vulnerable positions in the labour market and examine whether burnout symptoms differ across the established subgroups.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study utilizes cross-sectional data from 2019 of the Netherlands Working Conditions Survey (n = 55,283). Working conditions included employment contracts, working hours, multiple jobs, tenure, physical strain, autonomy, and workload. Burnout symptoms were measured with five items on a 7-point Likert scale. Latent Class Analysis was used to identify vulnerability subgroups based on working conditions and educational level. Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to examine whether burnout symptoms differed between the identified subgroups.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Three out of nine subgroups (i.e., classes 4, 6, and 7) presented combinations of multiple unfavourable working conditions. The vulnerability of class 4, characterized by low educational level, physically demanding work, low autonomy, and a high workload, was underscored by a significantly higher burnout symptom score (M = 2.91;SD = 0.97) compared to all other subgroups. Subgroups 3 (M = 2.69;SD = 1.43) and 8 (M = 2.41;SD = 1.41), without striking unfavourable conditions, had the second and third highest scores on burnout symptoms.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Determining vulnerability in the labour market is not straightforward as not all profiles that presented clusters of unfavourable working conditions scored high on burnout symptoms, and vice versa. Future research should investigate whether findings are similar to other mental health outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":13761,"journal":{"name":"International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health","volume":" ","pages":"651-660"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11245419/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141154704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of work-directed interventions on return-to-work in people on sick-leave for to common mental disorders-a systematic review.","authors":"Elisabeth Brämberg, Elizabeth Åhsberg, Gunilla Fahlström, Elisabet Furberg, Carl Gornitzki, Anna Ringborg, Peter Skogman Thoursie","doi":"10.1007/s00420-024-02068-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00420-024-02068-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>To evaluate the body of evidence of the effects of work-directed interventions on return-to-work for people on sick leave due to common mental disorders (i.e., mild to moderate depression, anxiety, adjustment disorders and reactions to severe stress).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The systematic review was conducted in accordance with an a priori developed and registered protocol (Prospero CRD42021235586). The certainty of evidence was assessed by two independent reviewers using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We reviewed 14,794 records published between 2015 and 2021. Of these, eight RCTs published in eleven articles were included in the analysis.</p><p><strong>Population: </strong>Working age adults (18 to 64 years), on sick leave due to mild to moderate depression, anxiety, adjustment disorders or reactions to severe stress.</p><p><strong>Intervention: </strong>Work-directed interventions.</p><p><strong>Comparator: </strong>No comparator, Standard care, or other measures.</p><p><strong>Outcome: </strong>return to work, number of days on sick leave, income. Overall, the effects of work-focused CBT and work-focused team-based support on RTW resulted in increased or faster return-to-work compared with standard care or no intervention (low certainty of evidence). The effects of Individual Placement and Support showed no difference in RTW compared with standard care (very low certainty of evidence).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Interventions involving the workplace could increase the probability of RTW. Areas in need of improvement in the included studies, for example methodological issues, are discussed. Further, suggestions are made for improving methodological rigor when conducting large scale trials.</p>","PeriodicalId":13761,"journal":{"name":"International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health","volume":" ","pages":"597-619"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11245426/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140864393","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Associations between exposure to various air pollutants and risk of metabolic syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Changmao Dai, Xiaolan Sun, Liangqing Wu, Jiao Chen, Xiaohong Hu, Fang Ding, Wei Chen, Haiyan Lei, Xueping Li","doi":"10.1007/s00420-024-02072-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00420-024-02072-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is a widely observed metabolic disorder that is increasingly prevalent worldwide, leading to substantial societal consequences. Previous studies have conducted two separate meta-analyses to investigate the relationship between MetS and air pollutants. However, these studies yielded conflicting results, necessitating a thorough systematic review and meta-analysis to reassess the link between different air pollutants and the risk of developing MetS.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a comprehensive search of relevant literature in databases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science up to October 9, 2023. The search was specifically restricted to publications in the English language. Following the screening of studies investigating the correlation between air pollution and MetS, we utilized random-effects models to calculate pooled effect sizes along with their respective 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We would like to highlight that this study has been registered with PROSPERO, and it can be identified by the registration number CRD42023484421.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study included twenty-four eligible studies. The results revealed that an increase of 10 μg/m³ in annual concentrations of PM₁, PM_2.5, PM₁₀, NO₂, SO₂, and O₃ was associated with a 29% increase in metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk for PM1 (OR = 1.29 [CI 1.07-1.54]), an 8% increase for PM2.5 (OR = 1.08 [CI 1.06-1.10]), a 17% increase for PM₁₀ (OR = 1.17 [CI 1.08-1.27]), a 24% increase for NO₂ (OR = 1.24 [CI 1.01-1.51]), a 19% increase for SO₂ (OR = 1.19 [CI 1.04-1.36]), and a 10% increase for O₃ (OR = 1.10 [CI 1.07-1.13]).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings of this study demonstrate a significant association between exposure to fine particulate matter (PM₁, PM_2.5, PM₁₀), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), ozone (O₃), and the incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Moreover, the results suggest that air pollution exposure could potentially contribute to the development of MetS in humans.</p>","PeriodicalId":13761,"journal":{"name":"International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health","volume":" ","pages":"621-639"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140907873","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pulmonary function assessment among conventional and organic cotton farmers exposed to pesticides in the Central-West region of Burkina Faso.","authors":"Jean Noël Dado Koussé, Sylvain Ilboudo, Abdoul Risgou Ouédraogo, Jean Claude Romaric Pingdwindé Ouédraogo, Moritz Hunsmann, Geoffroy Gueswindé Ouédraogo, Moussa Ouédraogo, Rasmané Semdé, Sylvin Ouédraogo","doi":"10.1007/s00420-024-02075-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00420-024-02075-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Respiratory diseases have been associated with the exposure of populations to some environmental pollutants such as pesticides. To assess effects of pesticides on farmers' respiratory health, this study aimed to evaluate the pulmonary function of cotton farmers exposed to synthetic and natural pesticides in the Central-West region of Burkina Faso.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted from June to July 2022 among 281 conventional and 189 organic cotton farmers. After collecting information on pesticide use conditions, pulmonary function tests (PFTs) were performed on each farmer according to the American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society guidelines, in order to assess chronic respiratory effects among cotton producers. Binary logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with the occurrence of ventilatory changes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Both conventional and organic cotton farmers reported similar chronic respiratory symptoms in different proportions. The main reported were rhinitis (54.45% conventional vs. 34.92% organic), chest pains (41.28% conventional vs. 23.81% organic), cough (33.45% conventional, 24.34% organic), breathlessness (31.67% conventional, 4.23% organic) (p<0.05). 16.18% and 27.50% of conventional male and female cotton farmers, respectively, had a restrictive defect. Among organic cotton farmers, 15.85% and 18.69%, respectively, of males and females had a restrictive defect. Furthermore, a significant increase in the predicted average percentage of FEV1/FVC ratio was observed among organic cotton farmers after salbutamol's use (p = 0.039). The type of cultivated cotton was not associated with ventilatory changes neither in the univariate analysis, nor in the multivariate analysis. Other factors such as farmers' age, BMI and insecticides use frequency per year were also important. Farmers who used insecticides more than 6 times per season had an increased risk of developing an obstructive defect (OR = 1.603; 95%CI: 0.484-5.309) compared to those who used them 6 times or less.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Chronic respiratory signs and ventilatory impairments were found among conventional and, to our knowledge, for the first time among organic cotton producers. However, these health effects were more prevalent among conventional cotton farmers than organic ones.</p>","PeriodicalId":13761,"journal":{"name":"International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health","volume":" ","pages":"681-693"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141081153","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A study of inflammatory biomarkers in crystalline silica exposed rock drillers.","authors":"Dag G Ellingsen, Liv Ingunn Bjoner Sikkeland, May Britt Lund, Nils Petter Skaugset, Bente Ulvestad","doi":"10.1007/s00420-024-02070-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00420-024-02070-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Crystalline silica (CS) exposure can cause serious lung disease in humans, but mechanisms of pulmonary toxicity have not been completely elucidated.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>To assess pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory biomarkers and biomarkers related to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and fibrosis in serum of rock drillers exposed to CS.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Rock drillers (N = 123) exposed to CS and non-specified particulate matter (PM) were compared to 48 referents without current or past exposure to PM in a cross-sectional study.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The rock drillers had been exposed to CS for 10.7 years on average. Geometric mean (GM) current exposure was estimated to 36 µg/m³. Their GM concentration of matrix metalloproteinase 12 (MMP-12) was significantly higher (16 vs. 13 ng/L; p = 0.04), while interleukin (IL) 6 and IL-8 were significantly lower compared to the referents. Also pentraxin 3 was significantly lower (3558 vs. 4592 ng/L; p = 0.01) in the rock drillers. A dose-response relationship was observed between cumulative exposure to CS and MMP-12, the highest exposed subgroup having significantly higher MMP-12 concentrations than the referents.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Exposure to CS may increase circulating MMP-12 concentrations in a dose-response related fashion. The results may also suggest a down-regulation of pro-inflammatory pathways.</p>","PeriodicalId":13761,"journal":{"name":"International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health","volume":" ","pages":"587-595"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11130035/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140864054","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Association between sickness presenteeism and depressive symptoms: a cross-sectional study using the 6th Korean working conditions survey.","authors":"Myeong-Hun Lim, Min-Seok Kim, Seong-Uk Baek, Tae-Yeon Kim, Jong-Uk Won, Jin-Ha Yoon","doi":"10.1007/s00420-024-02061-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00420-024-02061-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study aimed to reveal the relationship of the days of experiencing sickness presentism and depressive symptoms among Korean workers. Sickness presenteeism which defined as the act of going to work despite being feeling unhealthy triggers various adverse effects on mental health, including increased risks of depression. Furthermore, Sickness presenteeism is a major social issue causing substantial socioeconomic costs.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The data of 25120 participants from sixth Korean Working Condition Survey was utilized in this cross-sectional study. Sickness presenteeism was defined using a self-reported questionnaire and depressive symptoms were assessed by WHO well-being index. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to calculate the odd ratios for depressive symptoms regarding the number of days experiencing sickness presenteeism. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for depressive symptoms after categorizing participants into three groups based on the duration of experiencing sickness presenteeism, using cut-off values of 3 and 5 days.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Workers who have experienced sickness presenteeism for more than 5 days were at highest risk for depressive symptoms than referent group (OR 2.87; 95% CI 2.17-3.76 in male, OR 3.86; 95% CI 3.02-4.91 in female). Furthermore, there was a trend of increasing risk for depressive symptom as the duration of experiencing sickness presenteeism extended.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study presents the association between experiencing sickness presenteeism in the previous 12 months and depressive symptoms. Based on the results, we provide individual and organizational strategies of reducing sickness presenteeism. Also, screening for workers who have experienced sickness presenteeism are needed to ensure good mental health.</p>","PeriodicalId":13761,"journal":{"name":"International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health","volume":" ","pages":"537-543"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140335514","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effects of different types of organisational workplace mental health interventions on mental health and wellbeing in healthcare workers: a systematic review.","authors":"Birgit Aust, Caleb Leduc, Johanna Cresswell-Smith, Clíodhna O'Brien, Reiner Rugulies, Mallorie Leduc, Doireann Ni Dhalaigh, Arilda Dushaj, Naim Fanaj, Daniel Guinart, Margaret Maxwell, Hanna Reich, Victoria Ross, Anvar Sadath, Katharina Schnitzspahn, Mónika Ditta Tóth, Chantal van Audenhove, Jaap van Weeghel, Kristian Wahlbeck, Ella Arensman, Birgit A Greiner","doi":"10.1007/s00420-024-02065-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00420-024-02065-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To determine if and which types of organisational interventions conducted in small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) in healthcare are effective on mental health and wellbeing.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched six scientific databases, assessed the methodological quality of eligible studies using QATQS and grouped them into six organisational intervention types for narrative synthesis. Only controlled studies with at least one follow-up were eligible.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We identified 22 studies (23 articles) mainly conducted in hospitals with 16 studies rated of strong or moderate methodological quality. More than two thirds (68%) of the studies reported improvements in at least one primary outcome (mental wellbeing, burnout, stress, symptoms of depression or anxiety), most consistently in burnout with eleven out of thirteen studies. We found a strong level of evidence for the intervention type \"Job and task modifications\" and a moderate level of evidence for the types \"Flexible work and scheduling\" and \"Changes in the physical work environment\". For all other types, the level of evidence was insufficient. We found no studies conducted with an independent SME, however five studies with SMEs attached to a larger organisational structure. The effectiveness of workplace mental health interventions in these SMEs was mixed.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Organisational interventions in healthcare workers can be effective in improving mental health, especially in reducing burnout. Intervention types where the change in the work environment constitutes the intervention had the highest level of evidence. More research is needed for SMEs and for healthcare workers other than hospital-based physicians and nurses.</p>","PeriodicalId":13761,"journal":{"name":"International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health","volume":" ","pages":"485-522"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11130054/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140850101","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exposure to benzotriazoles and benzothiazoles in Czech male population and its associations with biomarkers of liver function, serum lipids and oxidative stress.","authors":"Nina Pálešová, Lucie Bláhová, Tomáš Janoš, Katarína Řiháčková, Aleš Pindur, Ludmila Šebejová, Pavel Čupr","doi":"10.1007/s00420-024-02059-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00420-024-02059-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Benzotriazoles and benzothiazoles (BTs) are high-production volume chemicals as well as widely distributed emerging pollutants with potential health risk. However, information about human exposure to BTs and associated health outcomes is limited.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>We aimed to characterise exposure to BTs among Czech men, including possible occupational exposure among firefighters, its predictors, and its associations with liver function, serum lipids and oxidative stress.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>165 participants (including 110 firefighters) provided urine and blood samples that were used to quantify the urinary levels of 8 BTs (high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry), and 4 liver enzymes, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine. Linear regression was used to assess associations with population characteristics and biomarkers of liver function, serum lipids and oxidative stress. Regression models were adjusted for potential confounding variables and false discovery rate procedure was applied to account for multiplicity.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The BTs ranged from undetected up to 46.8 ng/mL. 2-hydroxy-benzothiazole was the most predominant compound (detection frequency 83%; median 1.95 ng/mL). 1-methyl-benzotriazole (1M-BTR) was measured in human samples for the first time, with a detection frequency 77% and median 1.75 ng/mL. Professional firefighters had lower urinary 1M-BTR compared to non-firefighters. Urinary 1M-BTR was associated with levels of γ-glutamyl transferase (β = - 17.54%; 95% CI: - 26.127, - 7.962).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This is the first study to investigate BT exposure in Central Europe, including potentially exposed firefighters. The findings showed a high prevalence of BTs in the study population, the relevance of 1M-BTR as a new biomarker of exposure, and an urgent need for further research into associated adverse health outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":13761,"journal":{"name":"International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health","volume":" ","pages":"523-536"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11130049/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140305535","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence and predictors of high-frequency hearing loss among mine workers in Gujarat, western India: a cross-sectional study on the need to implement a comprehensive hearing conservation program.","authors":"Nitishkumar D Tank, Mihir P Rupani, Immad A Shah, Sarang V Dhatrak","doi":"10.1007/s00420-024-02050-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00420-024-02050-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>High-frequency hearing loss (HFHL) stands as a prevalent occupational morbidity globally, with numerous associated risk factors, some of which are modifiable. In the context of a comprehensive hearing conservation program, the initial steps involve early screening and identification of workers with these modifiable risk factors, aiming to reduce the prevalence of hearing loss. Our objective was to estimate the prevalence of HFHL and determine its predictors among mine workers.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a cross-sectional study among 226 mine workers in ten open-cast mines in Gujarat state, the western part of India, in November 2020. We collected data on socio-demography, addiction, occupation history and comorbidities, along with anthropometric, blood pressure, and blood sugar measurements. Audiometric evaluations using a portable diagnostic audiometer were employed to assess HFHL, defined as a hearing threshold exceeding 25 decibels (dB) at high frequencies (3000, 4000, 6000, and 8000 Hz). A generalized linear model (GLM) with a binomial family was performed to determine the predictors significantly predicting HFHL after adjusting for confounding variables.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The prevalence of HFHL was 35% (95% CI: 29-42%) in our study setting. Office workers demonstrated a prevalence of 19%, whereas other job categories displayed a higher prevalence of 42%, resulting in a significant prevalence difference of 23% and a prevalence ratio of 2.2. The GLM analysis revealed that variables, such as noise exposure during work [adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) 2.3 (95% CI: 1.2-4.7, p = 0.018)] and noise exposure duration [aPR 1.1 (95% CI: 1.0-1.1, p = 0.042)], were significant predictors of HFHL.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In our study setting, mine workers exhibited a high prevalence of HFHL, with exposure to workplace noise and duration being modifiable predictors. Because HFHL advances slowly and is generally undetected by the individual, we recommend periodic testing using audiometry to identify it among mine workers and, if possible, shifting them from mining activities to office. Furthermore, we advocate for the implementation of a comprehensive hearing conservation program to the extent possible.</p>","PeriodicalId":13761,"journal":{"name":"International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health","volume":" ","pages":"365-375"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139989945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}