Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health最新文献

{"title":"Exposure to protracted low-dose ionizing radiation and incident dementia in a cohort of Ontario nuclear power plant workers.","authors":"Brianna Frangione, Ian Colman, Franco Momoli, Estelle Davesne, Robert Talarico, Chengchun Yu, Paul J Villeneuve","doi":"10.5271/sjweh.4246","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.4246","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Emerging evidence suggests that low-dose ionizing radiation increases the risk of neurodegenerative diseases. Past studies have relied on death data to identify dementia, and these are prone to under-ascertainment and complicate the estimation of health risks as individuals tend to live with dementia for many years following onset. We present findings from the first occupational cohort to investigate dementia risk from low-dose radiation using incident outcomes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This is a retrospective cohort of 60 874 Ontario Nuclear Power Plant workers from the Canadian National Dose Registry. Personal identifiers were linked to Ontario population-based administrative health data. Incident dementias between 1996 and 2022 were identified using a validated algorithm based on physician, hospital, and prescription drug data. Individual-level annual estimates of whole-body external ionizing radiation were derived from personal workplace monitoring. The incidence of dementia among these workers was compared to a random sample of Ontario residents matched by sex, age, and residential area. Internal cohort analysis using Poisson and linear excess relative risk (ERR) models, adjusted for sex, attained age, calendar period, and neighborhood income quintile, were used to characterize the shape of the exposure-response curve between low-dose cumulative radiation (lagged 10 years) and incident dementia.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>There were 476 incident dementias and 867 028 person-years of follow-up. The mean whole-body lifetime accumulated exposure at the end of follow-up was 11.7 millisieverts (mSv). Workers with cumulative exposure between 50-100 mSv had an increased risk of dementia [RR 1.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.99-2.28] compared to those unexposed. Spline analysis suggested that the dose-response relationship was non-linear. The linear ERR per 100 mSv increase in exposure was 0.704 (95% CI 0.018-1.390).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our findings suggest that low-dose exposure to ionizing radiation increases the risk of incident dementia.</p>","PeriodicalId":21528,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144967245","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Economic gains from hypothetical improvements in the psychosocial work environment: A cohort study of 71 207 workers in Denmark.","authors":"Brian Krogh Graversen, Kristian Schultz Hansen, Reiner Rugulies, Jeppe Karl Sørensen, Ann Dyreborg Larsen","doi":"10.5271/sjweh.4244","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.4244","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>There is increasing interest in the economic effects of improving working conditions, however, evidence is sparse. This study aims to estimate the economic effects of hypothetical improvements in the psychosocial work environment (PSWE) experienced by Danish workers.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We included 71 207 workers, reporting information on their psychosocial working conditions in the \"Work Environment and Health in Denmark\" survey and linked these workers to population-based register data. We used the parametric g-formula method to estimate the economic effects of hypothetical improvements of the general PSWE, in terms of costs related to sickness absence and healthcare use. We further examined which PSWE factors contributed most to the economic effects.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A hypothetical improvement of the PSWE - from the least to the most desirable situation - resulted in an annual gain of €1685 [95% confidence interval (CI) €1234-2135] per worker. When analyzing an improvement from the observed to the most desirable situation, the gain became weaker (€305, 95% CI €134-476). Gains were largely driven by reductions in sickness absence and were larger for women than men and for public sector workers than private sector workers. The PSWE factors with the largest contribution were eliminations of threats of violence and improvements in quality of leadership and social support from colleagues (least to most desirable) and improvements in social support from colleagues, influence at work and quality of leadership (observed to most desirable), respectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Hypothetical improvements in the PSWE resulted in substantial economic gains, mostly driven by savings related to sickness absence.</p>","PeriodicalId":21528,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144875015","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Absence during pregnancy in the Danish workforce: occupational, industrial, and temporal trends in a nationwide register-based cohort study.","authors":"Luise Mølenberg Begtrup, Esben Meulengracht Flachs, Regitze Sølling Wils, Ingrid Sivesind Mehlum, Jens Peter Ellekilde Bonde, Astrid Juhl Andersen, Hannah Nørtoft Frankel, Sandra Søgaard Tøttenborg, Karin Sørig Hougaard, Camilla Sandal Sejbaek","doi":"10.5271/sjweh.4245","DOIUrl":"10.5271/sjweh.4245","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study aimed to describe occupational, industrial, and temporal trends in relation to absence during pregnancy in the Danish workforce.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The register-based national cohort DOC*X-Generation was used to identify all pregnancies among women (18-50 years) engaged in regular employment in Denmark 1998-2018. The cohort holds individual-level data on occupations coded according to the Danish versions of the International Standard Classification of Occupations and of EU's nomenclature (NACE, revision 2). Data on absence from work was retrieved from the Danish Register for Evaluation and Marginalization. The study population comprised 884 616 pregnancies in 547 870 women.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In 48% of the included pregnancies, the women had at least one week with registered absence with a median of 8 weeks (5-95% percentile; 1-27 weeks). The highest frequencies of absence were observed among painters (75%) and women in the meat products manufacturing industry (68%), whereas the lowest were seen among professionals in physics, mathematics, engineering, and architecture (30%) and in the research and university education industry (32%). The difference between the lowest and highest number of cumulated weeks with absence was 9 weeks. From 1998-2018, the proportion of pregnancies with registered absence decreased, whereas the extent of absence per pregnancy increased.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Absence during pregnancy was consistently high over time, but with vast differences across occupations and industries. A deeper understanding of underlying reasons for pregnancy-related absence is essential to develop targeted strategies for reducing absence, such as providing better opportunities for adjustments of work task early in pregnancy or other tailored interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":21528,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144856122","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exposure to heat at work: development of a quantitative European job exposure matrix (heat JEM).","authors":"Tosca O E de Crom, Bernice Scholten, Eugenio Traini, Koen van der Sanden, Boris Kingma, Floris Pekel, Manosij Ghosh, Hilde Notø, Michelle C Turner, Miguel Angel Alba Hidalgo, Lisa Klous, Maria Albin, Henrik A Kolstad, Jenny Selander, Calvin Ge, Anjoeka Pronk","doi":"10.5271/sjweh.4243","DOIUrl":"10.5271/sjweh.4243","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>With climate change exacerbating occupational heat stress, objective and systematic exposure assessment is essential for epidemiological studies. We developed a job exposure matrix (JEM) to assign occupational heat stress exposure across Europe.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Aligned with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO: 7243, 8996 and 9920), the heat JEM provides region- and year-specific estimates of annual heat stress hours by job title, using the International Standard Classification of Occupations 1988 for Europe [ISCO-88(COM)]. Heat stress was defined as wet bulb globe temperature effective (WBGT_eff) exceeding WBGT reference (WBGT_ref). Outdoor and indoor WBGT were determined using historical, region-specific hourly meteorological data (temperature, radiation, humidity, wind speed) across Europe, between 1970 and 2024. WBGT values were adjusted for job-specific clothing to obtain WBGT_eff. WBGT_ref was based on metabolic rate, calculated using body surface area and job-specific physical activity, and adjusted for acclimatization status. Further adjustments were made for the job title-specific presence of local heat and cooling sources, time spent indoors versus outdoors, and working schedules.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The number of annual hours workers experience heat stress is highest among jobs involving local heat sources and physical demanding tasks, especially when work clothing is mandatory. Southern Europe has a higher annual heat stress burden compared to other regions. Exposure varies across calendar years and is substantially higher among unacclimatized versus acclimatized workers.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Incorporating job-, region-, and year-specific factors, the heat JEM provides a harmonized tool for studying occupational heat stress. Its transparent framework allows for updates with new data and extensions to other years and regions.</p>","PeriodicalId":21528,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144804678","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Risk factors for voluntary early old-age retirement in middle-aged workers: A meta-analysis.","authors":"Rahman Shiri, Joonas Poutanen, Eija Haukka, Mikko Härmä, Jenni Ervasti","doi":"10.5271/sjweh.4241","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.4241","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This meta-analysis aimed to identify sociodemographic, lifestyle, work-related and health risk factors for voluntary early old-age retirement among middle-aged workers.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Searches were conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, PsycInfo, and Scopus from their inception until February 2025. Observational longitudinal studies involving workers aged 40-64 years were included. Two reviewers evaluated the methodological quality of the studies. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed, and heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>From 13 899 publications, 23 longitudinal studies (N=2 270 430 participants) were included. The following factors were associated with an increased risk of early old-age retirement: age [hazard ratio (HR) 1.35, 95% CI (confidence interval) 1.12-1.63 per year increase], overweight or obesity (HR 1.10, 95% CI 1.03-1.17), physically demanding work (HR 1.29, 95% CI 1.05-1.59), low job control (HR 1.14, 95% CI 1.11-1.17), low influence at work (HR 1.10, 95% CI 1.02-1.19), low organizational justice (HR 1.27, 95% CI 1.10-1.46), lack of skills and knowledge development (HR 2.16, 95% CI 1.63-2.85), suboptimal self-rated general health (HR 1.22, 95% CI 1.12-1.34), chronic physical conditions (HR 1.11, 95% CI 1.05-1.17), and depressive symptoms (HR 1.34, 95% CI 1.12-1.61). Conversely, a lower risk was found among individuals who were unmarried, separated, or widowed (HR 0.74, 95% CI 0.60-0.91).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This meta-analysis underscores the impact of overweight, physical and psychosocial work factors, lacking skills and knowledge development and health conditions on early old-age retirement risk among middle-aged workers. Targeted interventions to encourage healthy lifestyles, foster a supportive work environment, and promote mental health may help to reduce early old-age retirement risk.</p>","PeriodicalId":21528,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144708618","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Could work-related muscle activity explain sex differences in neck pain? A meta-analysis of a pooled dataset.","authors":"Markus Koch, Lars-Kristian Lunde, Mikael Forsman, Lars Louis Andersen, Markus Due Jakobsen, Mikkel Brandt, Henrik Enquist, Gisela Sjøgaard, Karen Søgaard, Xuelong Fan, Kaj Bo Veiersted","doi":"10.5271/sjweh.4227","DOIUrl":"10.5271/sjweh.4227","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Sustained activity of the upper trapezius muscle during work has been linked to the development of neck pain. Women have higher occurrences of neck pain than men, even in the same occupations. This study aimed to investigate sex-specific associations between upper trapezius muscle activity time-related variables and neck pain using a meta-analysis of pooled data.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Seven Scandinavian research institutes provided surface electromyographic (EMG) data on the upper trapezius muscle activity during work and related questionnaire-based data on neck pain severity. EMG and questionnaire data were harmonized and pooled. Associations between upper trapezius muscle activity variables [median muscle activity, frequency of muscular rest periods, and periods with sustained muscle activity (SUMA)] and neck pain severity were investigated separately for women (N=293) and men (N=418) using linear regression analyses.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In the cross-sectional analyses, women showed significant positive associations between the number of short SUMA periods and negative associations for long SUMA periods in regard to neck pain severity. In the longitudinal analyses, women showed no significant associations. In the cross-sectional analysis for men, one significant positive association was found between median upper trapezius muscle activity and neck pain severity.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Compared to men, neck pain severity among women appears to be more dependent on upper trapezius muscle activity patterns at work. Therefore, ergonomic and organizational recommendations for work should be sex-specific or adjusted for women to reduce their prevalence of neck pain. Further research is needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of these sex differences.</p>","PeriodicalId":21528,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health","volume":" ","pages":"323-332"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12282473/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144037336","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effectiveness of leader-targeted stress management interventions: A systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Indra Dannheim, Helena Ludwig-Walz, Halina Kirsch, Martin Bujard, Anette E Buyken, Katherine M Richardson, Anja Kroke","doi":"10.5271/sjweh.4219","DOIUrl":"10.5271/sjweh.4219","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Based on the well-documented role of supervisors` in fostering healthy workplaces and managing the impact of work-related stress, the aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of leader-targeted stress management interventions (SMI) on their psychological stress, mindfulness, mental health, and work- and leadership-related outcomes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Eligible studies, including randomized controlled trials or controlled before-after studies, examining the effects of leader-targeted SMI on supervisors` psychological stress, mindfulness, mental health, and work- and leadership-related outcomes, were identified in four electronic databases and supplemented by manual search strategies. Screening for eligibility, data extraction, risk of bias assessment, and certainty of evidence grading, following PRISMA guidelines and Cochrane Handbook recommendations, were done in duplicate. Data were pooled in random effects models to synthesize g-scores. Sensitivity and moderator analyses were used to assess the robustness of the results and explore potential sources of heterogeneity.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The 25 studies (N=2466 participants) meeting the full inclusion criteria varied widely in population characteristics, intervention types, duration, delivery methods, and examined outcomes. The overall intervention effect was g=0.13 [95% confidence interval (CI) -0.24- -0.01] after excluding outliers. Significant intervention effects were found for mental health [g=-0.38 (95% CI -0.69- -0.08)] and, after excluding influential cases, work- [g=-0.32 (95% CI -0.63- -0.00)] and leadership-related outcomes [g=-0.23 (95% CI -0.44- -0.02)].</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our meta-analysis suggests that leader-targeted SMI can be an effective approach for promoting occupational health.</p>","PeriodicalId":21528,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health","volume":" ","pages":"265-281"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12278447/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143658570","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Shift workers' experiences and views of sleep disturbance, fatigue and healthy behaviors: a systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis.","authors":"Jack S Benton, Charlotte L Lee, Hannah A Long, Thavapriya Sugavanam, Leah Holmes, Annie Keane, Neal Thurley, Simon Kyle, David Ray, David P French","doi":"10.5271/sjweh.4223","DOIUrl":"10.5271/sjweh.4223","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Shift work is common across most societies but poses significant risks to the health of shift workers. In part, this risk is due to the disruption of healthy sleep-wake schedules. This systematic review identified qualitative research on shift workers' experiences of sleep disturbance, fatigue and healthy behaviors.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a systematic search of four databases (CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO) and identified 28 eligible studies involving 1519 participants. We appraised the studies using an adapted Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist, and confidence in the review findings was formally assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation-Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research (GRADE-CERQual) approach. Data were thematically synthesized.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Three analytical themes were generated. 'Inevitability of fatigue and tiredness' outlines how shift workers experience a culture where they feel \"peer pressure to soldier through\" their shifts regardless of fatigue. 'Balancing sleep needs with competing responsibilities' highlights how shift workers struggle to balance the need for daytime sleep with family, leisure, and work responsibilities, often prioritizing family needs over their own sleep. 'Obstacles to engaging in healthy behaviors' describes how shift workers often know which actions would benefit their health and reduce fatigue but find it challenging to translate this knowledge into behavior due to fatiguing and stressful work environments. For the purposes of the GRADE-CERQual assessment, short summary statements were developed to describe 22 review findings: there was moderate or high confidence in all but one of these findings.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This review suggests that sleep education alone is unlikely to be effective. Interventions should focus on helping shift workers self-regulate their behaviors, thoughts, and emotions to better manage sleep and fatigue.</p>","PeriodicalId":21528,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health","volume":" ","pages":"282-297"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12281556/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143754403","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Night-shift work and susceptibility to infectious diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Bette Loef, Esmee Bosma, Linda W M van Kerkhof, Karin I Proper, Debbie van Baarle, Martijn E T Dollé","doi":"10.5271/sjweh.4225","DOIUrl":"10.5271/sjweh.4225","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>A growing body of research on infection susceptibility among night-shift workers has emerged, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a comprehensive overview is still lacking. Therefore, this review aimed to synthesize the evidence on the association between night-shift work and susceptibility to infectious diseases.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Embase and PsycINFO were systematically searched for studies published up to September 2024. Studies were included if they comprised a working population, night-shift workers were compared to non-shift workers, and the outcome was an infectious disease. Results were descriptively synthesized for common respiratory infections (flu and common cold), SARS-CoV-2 infection, and other infections. Pooled effect estimates were calculated using random-effects meta-analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In total, 16 articles describing 14 studies among 191 320 workers were included. Based on 4 studies, night-shift work was not associated with a significantly increased risk of common respiratory infections [odds ratio (OR) 1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.97-1.27, I²=65.8%[. However, night-shift workers had a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection than non-shift workers (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.09-1.58, I²=92.2%, N=10 studies). This association was stronger in higher-quality studies and studies conducted in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. For other infections, insufficient studies were available to conduct a meta-analysis. The certainty of evidence was graded very low due to a limited number of (prospective cohort) studies and high inconsistency in the available studies.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This systematic review and meta-analysis showed that night-shift work was associated with an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but not of common respiratory infections. To address the lack of high-certainty evidence, more studies are needed that apply a prospective design with appropriate adjustment for confounding factors and more extensive information on night-shift work exposure.</p>","PeriodicalId":21528,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health","volume":" ","pages":"298-311"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12281634/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143796095","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effectiveness of short active breaks for reducing sedentary behavior and increasing physical activity among Japanese office workers: one-year quasi-experimental study.","authors":"Naruki Kitano, Takashi Jindo, Kaori Yoshiba, Daisuke Yamaguchi, Yuya Fujii, Kyohsuke Wakaba, Kazushi Maruo, Yuko Kai, Takashi Arao","doi":"10.5271/sjweh.4224","DOIUrl":"10.5271/sjweh.4224","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>We examined the effects of a one-year multicomponent workplace intervention that introduced short active breaks from prolonged sitting on occupational movement behaviors and health among Japanese office workers.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This quasi-experimental study was conducted in Tokyo, Japan (2019-2020). In the intervention group (N=172), activity breaks from sitting were introduced to the work schedule (approximately 10 minutes/working hour) together with support strategies to encourage participation (eg, social support, provision of information). Workers in the control group (N=323), who worked at the same company group as those in the intervention group, did not receive any intervention. We evaluated accelerometer-measured sedentary behavior and physical activity during working hours as primary outcomes, and mental health and subjective job performance as secondary outcomes. Propensity score weighting using overlap weights was performed to examine between-group differences in outcomes at one year.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>At the one-year follow-up assessment, sedentary behaviors during working hours in the intervention group decreased by 24.4 minutes (95% confidence interval 31.6-17.3), with physical activity increasing by a comparable amount (P for group difference <0.05). However, at the one-year follow-up, psychological distress had worsened and work engagement had declined in the intervention group relative to baseline (P for group difference <0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our findings suggest that this program is a feasible approach to reducing sedentary behavior and promoting physical activity during work hours among office workers. However, methodological limitations prevent the definitive attribution of the effects to the intervention. Further rigorous research is needed to assess its effectiveness and external validity before broad implementation.</p>","PeriodicalId":21528,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health","volume":" ","pages":"312-322"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12282214/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143803997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}