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Background: Leisure-time physical activity decreases the risk of type 2 diabetes. Whether occupational physical activity affects the risk of type 2 diabetes is still not fully understood. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the association between occupational physical activity and 10-year diabetes incidence in a general adult population in Northern Sweden. The secondary aim was to explore the moderating role of BMI on this association.

Methods: This population-based, longitudinal cohort study included 16,282 diabetes-free individuals aged 28–52 years who participated in a cardiovascular intervention programme in Northern Sweden, and who reported the same occupational physical activity level at baseline and at 10-year follow-up. Incident type 2 diabetes was diagnosed based on oral glucose tolerance testing or a register-based diagnosis. Occupational physical activity was self-reported and categorized as: a) Low: ‘Sedentary or standing’ or ‘Light but partly physically active’, b) Moderate: ‘Light and physically active’, or c) High: Sometimes physically strenuous or ‘Physically strenuous most of the time’. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for incident diabetes were calculated using multivariable logistic regression analysis, adjusting for age, sex, smoking, education level, family history of diabetes, country of birth, intake of fruits and vegetables, leisure-time physical activity, prediabetes and BMI. Potential interactions between BMI category and T2D were tested using interaction terms in the multivariable model.

Results: Six hundred twenty-four individuals developed type 2 diabetes in the 10 years between the first visit and the follow-up. A significant moderation effect of BMI on occupational physical activity was found (p = 0.01). Having a low level of occupational physical activity, compared with a moderate level of occupational physical activity, was associated with an increased risk of incident type 2 diabetes in overweight and obese individuals (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.09–1.96), but not in those with normal weight (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.52–1.23). High level of occupational physical activity was not associated with type 2 diabetes (OR 1.12, 95% CI 0.82–1.54).

Conclusions: Low occupational physical activity was associated with incident type 2 diabetes in overweight and obese individuals. Public-health efforts may benefit from encouraging less sitting and standing and more light physical activity during the workday.

Objectives: While suicidal behaviour has become less prevalent in non-manual workers in recent decades, rates have increased in manual workers. We aimed to identify occupations within the construction industry with excess risk of suicide and non-fatal self-harm.

Methods: This cohort of Swedish construction workers comprises 389 132 individuals examined 1971-1993 and followed 1987-2018 using national hospital and cause of death registers. More than 200 job titles were merged into 22 occupational groups. For 296 891 men alive in 1987 and active in the construction sector, survival was calculated from baseline to first event of non-fatal self-harm or suicide and censored for emigration, long-term unemployment, disability pension, retirement, death from other causes or end of follow-up. HRs with 95% CIs were obtained from multiple Cox proportional hazard regression.

Results: Overall, 1618 cases of suicide and 4774 events of non-fatal self-harm were registered. Self-harm before baseline was the single largest risk factor for suicide, HR 9.3 (95% CI 7.5 to 11.6). Compared with the overall mean, labourers and rock workers had excess risk for suicide, HR 1.4 (95% CI 1.1 to 1.7) and 1.5 (95% CI 1.0 to 2.3), respectively, while electricians, clerks and foremen had reduced risk. Labourers, concrete workers, sheet metal workers, painters, glaziers and the group € other construction workers' were at increased risk for non-fatal self-harm. Almost all categories of manual workers were at increased risk for suicidal behaviour relative to clerks and foremen.

Conclusions: Specific occupations within the construction sector were associated with excess risk for suicidal behaviour. Future studies should identify underlying risk factors to inform tailored interventions.

Objective: The aim of the study was to explore perceptions of mental ill health, suicidal behaviour and working conditions among male construction workers, in order to gain an in-depth understanding of these phenomenon and to identify relevant avenues for workplace interventions.

Method: Data were collected in individual and group interviews, and 43 individuals from the Swedish construction industry, workers, union representative and managers, participated in the study. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.

Results: Five main themes were found: Difficult to talk about mental health, Demanding working environment affects mental health, Substance abuse among construction workers, Importance of management, and Need for routines and social support in the workplace. Many participants reported that there was a stigma related to mental health. Suicides that had occurred among colleagues were perceived to come out of the blue. The working environment in the construction industry was perceived to have a negative effect on mental health, and it was reported that the management played an important role in both the cause and prevention of mental health problems.

Conclusions: The results from this Swedish study are in accordance with previous international research regarding a macho culture, stigma of mental health and a demanding working environment in the construction industry. The study adds to existing knowledge by highlighting that suicides were perceived to be very unexpected, that poor physical health affected mental health and that many participants did not know how to deal with mental health issues in the workplace.

Objective: 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).

Methods: The analysis was based on qualitative interview data with 77 employees and longitudinal questionnaire data from 152 employees.

Results: 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.

Conclusion: 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.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated and compared temporal sitting patterns among male and female hybrid office workers when working at the office (WAO), working from home (WFH), and for non-working days (NWD).

METHODS: We analyzed data collected in 2020 among 165 hybrid office workers, carrying thigh-worn accelerometers for 938 days in total. Day type (WAO, WFH, or NWD) and time in bed were identified using diaries. Time awake was exhaustively classified as non-sitting time and time sitting in short, moderate, and long bouts. Effects of day type and gender on the 24-h compositions of physical behaviors were analyzed using multilevel linear mixed models.

RESULTS: During workdays (both WAO and WFH), workers spent less time in bed and more time sitting, particularly in moderate and long bouts, than during NWD. Time in bed was longer when working from home than when working at the office, and more of the awake time was spent sitting. Differences between WAO and WFH in ratios between short, moderate, and long bouts of sitting were small and inconsistent. Men spent more time sitting than women, and more time in moderate and long sitting bouts relative to short bouts.

CONCLUSIONS: When working from home, hybrid office workers sat more during their hours awake compared to when working at the office. Sitting time was larger during working days than during non-working days and was higher in men than in women. These results may contribute to support organizational policies for hybrid work.

Background: Occupational cold exposure is common in Sweden but potential impacts on musculoskeletal disorders have not been thoroughly investigated. The primary aim of this study was to determine the associations between occupational contact and ambient cooling in relation to pain in the upper extremity.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a digital survey was conducted on a population-based sample of women and men between 24 and 76 years of age, living in northern Sweden. Occupational cold exposure, heavy manual handling, work with vibrating tools as well as the presence of upper extremity pain at different sites were subjectively reported. Associations between exposure and outcome were evaluated using multiple binary logistic regression.

Results: The final study sample included 2,089 (54.4%) women and 1,754 men, with a mean age of 56 years. Hand pain was reported by 196 (5.2%), lower arm pain by 144 (3.8%), and upper arm pain by 451 (11.9%). Severe ambient cooling for more than half of the working time was statistically significantly associated with hand pain (OR: 2.30; 95% CI: 1.23–4.29) and upper arm pain (OR: 1.57; 95% CI: 1.00–2.47) but not lower arm pain (OR: 1.87; 95% CI: 0.96–3.65) after adjusting for gender, age, body mass index, current daily smoking, heavy manual handling, and work with vibrating tools.

Conclusions: Occupational cold exposure was statistically significantly associated with hand pain and upper arm pain. Therefore, occupational cold exposure should be recognized as a potential risk factor for musculoskeletal disorders in the upper extremity.

Objective: This study investigated the association between occupational physical activity (OPA) and resting blood pressure in a cohort of Swedish construction workers.

Methods: The final sample included 241,176 male construction workers. Occupations with low OPA were foremen and white-collar workers. The most frequent occupations in the medium OPA group were electricians, pipe workers, and machine operators, and in the high OPA group woodworkers, concrete workers, and painters.

Results: Mixed effects models showed higher systolic and lower diastolic blood pressure with higher OPA, but the associations varied depending on the year of participation and participant age as shown by significant interaction terms (OPA*age, OPA*calendar year, age*calendar year). Age-stratified linear regression analyses showed a pattern of slightly higher systolic (1.49, 95% confidence interval: 1.08-1.90 mmHg) and lower diastolic (0.89, 95% confidence interval: 0.65-1.13 mmHg) blood pressure when comparing low with high OPA, but not among the oldest age groups.

Conclusion: Despite a rather large contrast in OPA, the differences in systolic and diastolic blood pressure according to OPA were small.

BACKGROUND: Cold exposure is an underrecognized occupational hazard that may increase the risk of peripheral nerve entrapment. The aim of this study was to determine if self-reported occupational exposure to contact and ambient cooling was associated with symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

METHODS: In this mainly cross-sectional study, surveys were conducted on a population-based sample of men and women between 18 and 70 years of age, living in northern Sweden. Cold exposure and presence of symptoms suggestive of CTS were subjectively reported. Associations between exposure and outcome were evaluated using logistic regression.

RESULTS: The study included 2,703 women and 2,314 men, with a median age of 60 years (interquartile range 19). Symptoms of CTS were reported by 453 (9.2%). Being highly occupationally exposed (almost always) to contact cooling of the hands was associated with reporting CTS (OR 3.20; 95% CI 1.62-6.33), as was ambient cooling (OR 2.00; 95% CI 1.03-3.88) and severe ambient cooling (OR 4.02 95% CI 2.09-7.71), after adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, current daily smoking, diabetes mellitus, joint disease, and hand-arm vibration exposure. The point estimates increased with longer daily exposure duration. For workers exposed to severe ambient cooling for more than half of their working hours, in addition to performing heavy manual handling every day, the OR for reporting CTS was 7.25 (95% CI 3.88-13.53), with a positive additive interaction effect (expressed as relative excess risk due to interaction) of 4.67.

CONCLUSIONS: Self-reported occupational exposure to contact and ambient cooling was associated with symptoms suggestive of CTS. There were statistically significant positive exposure-response patterns for time spent exposed to contact and ambient cooling at work in relation to reporting symptoms of CTS. Positive additive interaction effects between cold exposure and heavy manual handling were also found. Since there was important potential uncontrolled confounding regarding repetitive wrist movements and forceful gripping, the results need to be confirmed by other studies, preferably with longitudinal design and more detailed exposure assessment.

Background

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many white-collar workers were requested to exclusively work from home (WFH), which may have affected their sedentary behavior. In Sweden, having less severe restrictions than many other countries, workers were allowed to alternate between WFH and work at the office (WAO), so called hybrid work. Understanding how hybrid work influences total sedentary behavior and its temporal distribution is an important issue for future health promotion. This study aimed to investigate to what extent office workers changed their temporal pattern of sedentary behavior during days WFH compared to WAO, considering age and gender as potential moderators.

Methods

Data were collected from May to December 2020 in office workers (n = 199). Their mean age was 42 (SD 10) years and 55% were women. Physical behaviors were measured using a thigh-worn accelerometer (AxivityAX3) for seven consecutive days. A diary identified working hours, time-in-bed and days WFH or WAO. Time-use was classified as short (0-5 min), moderate (5-30 min) and long bouts (>30 min) of sedentary behavior (SB), non-SB, and time-in-bed during workdays (WAO and WFH) and non-workdays. We used Compositional data analysis to express data as 24-hour compositions and linear mixed models to estimate difference in 24-hour compositions between day types (within worker), including age and gender as covariates and moderators.

Results

We found that workdays (WFH and WAO) were associated with proportionally less time-in-bed relative to time awake, more time SB relative to non-SB, and more time in longer relative to shorter sedentary bouts, compared to non-workdays (all p > 0.001). WFH was associated with more time-in-bed relative to awake and more SB relative to non-SB than WAO (p > 0.05), but the differences for sedentary bouts were not significant. Younger workers and women had more SB, and women accumulated more time than men in longer relative to shorter bouts of SB. However, age and gender did not affect differences between day types.

Conclusions

Working from home influenced 24-hour time-use in office workers by increasing sedentary behavior in total, while its temporal pattern was unchanged. Results contribute to evidence that can support organizational policies on hybrid work.

Time spent in sedentary behavior (SB) has increased during the last decades. Accurate assessments are of importance when studying health consequences of SB. This study aimed to assess concurrent validity between three different questions for self-reported sitting and thigh worn accelerometer data. In total, 86 participants wore the ActivPAL accelerometer during three separate weeks, assessing sitting time with different questions each week. The questions used were Katzmarzyk, GIH stationary single-item question (SED-GIH), and a modified version of the singleitem from IPAQ short form. In total 64, 57, and 55 participants provided valid accelerometer and questionnaire data at each time-point, respectively, and were included for analysis. Spearman and Pearson correlation was used to assess the validity. The three questions, Katzmarzyk, SED-GIH, and a modified question from IPAQ all showed a weak non-significant correlation to ActivPAL with r-values of 0.26, 0.25, and 0.19 respectively. For Katzmarzyk and SED-GIH, 50% and 37% reported correctly, respectively. For the modified IPAQ, 53% over-reported and 47% under-reported their sitting time. In line with previous research, our study shows poor validity for self-reported sitting-time. For future research, the use of sensor-based data on SB are of high importance.