Browse > Article
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2017.03.004

A Lower Level of Physically Demanding Work Is Associated with Excellent Work Ability in Men and Women with Neck Pain in Different Age Groups  

Oliv, Stefan (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital)
Noor, Adnan (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital)
Gustafsson, Ewa (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital)
Hagberg, Mats (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital)
Publication Information
Safety and Health at Work / v.8, no.4, 2017 , pp. 356-363 More about this Journal
Abstract
Background: The aim of this study was to investigate which physical and psychosocial work demands were associated with excellent work ability in individuals with neck pain, and to investigate age and sex differences in these associations. Methods: The study sample was obtained from the Statistics Sweden cross-sectional Work Environment survey and consisted of workers who reported neck pain after work (N = 3,212). Results: The findings showed an association between excellent work ability and self-reported low exposure to lifting, twisted work posture, working with hands in shoulder level or higher, and leaning forward without support and combination of exposures containing these work demands. Low exposure to seated work and high demands showed a reversed association. The associations were present mainly among older workers and were generally stronger for men than for women. Conclusion: This study indicates that a lower level of physically demanding work is an important element to maintain excellent work ability, especially for the older worker with neck pain.
Keywords
aging workers; Work Ability Index; work demands;
Citations & Related Records
Times Cited By KSCI : 1  (Citation Analysis)
연도 인용수 순위
1 Alavinia SM, Molenaar D, Burdorf A. Productivity loss in the workforce: associations with health, work demands, and individual characteristics. Am J Ind Med 2009;52:49-56.   DOI
2 Leijten FRM, van den Heuvel SG, Ybema JF, van der Beek AJ, Robroek SJW, Burdorf A. The influence of chronic health problems on work ability and productivity at work: a longitudinal study among older employees. Scand J Work Environ Health 2014;40:473-82.   DOI
3 Tsai SP, Bhojani FA, Wendt JK. Risk factors for illness absence due to musculoskeletal disorders in a 4-year prospective study of a petroleummanufacturing population. J Occup Environ Med 2011;53:434-40.   DOI
4 Gould RIJ, Jarvisalo J, Koskinen S. Dimensions of work ability: results of the Health 2000 Survey. Helsinki: Finnish Centre of Pensions (ETK), The Social Insurance Institution (KELA), National Public Health Institute (KTL), and Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH); 2008. 185 p.
5 Andersen JH, Kaergaard A, Mikkelsen S, Jensen UF, Frost P, Bonde JP, Fallentin N, Thomsen JF. Risk factors in the onset of neck/shoulder pain in a prospective study of workers in industrial and service companies. Occup Environ Med 2003;60:649-54.   DOI
6 Ariens GA, van Mechelen W, Bongers PM, Bouter LM, van der Wal G. Psychosocial risk factors for neck pain: a systematic review. Am J Ind Med 2001;39:180-93.   DOI
7 Buckle PW, Devereux JJ. The nature of work-related neck and upper limb musculoskeletal disorders. Appl Ergon 2002;33:207-17.   DOI
8 McLean SM, May S, Klaber-Moffett J, Sharp DM, Gardiner E. Risk factors for the onset of non-specific neck pain: a systematic review. J Epidemiol Community Health 2010;64:565-72.   DOI
9 Palmer KT, Smedley J. Work relatedness of chronic neck pain with physical findingsda systematic review. Scand J Work Environ Health 2007;33: 165-91.   DOI
10 De Vries HJ, Reneman MF, Groothoff JW, Geertzen JHB, Brouwer S. Self-reported work ability and work performance in workers with chronic nonspecific musculoskeletal pain. J Occup Rehabil 2013;23:1-10.   DOI
11 Langley P, Mller-Schwefe G, Nicolaou A, Liedgens H, Pergolizzi J, Varrassi G. The impact of pain on labor force participation, absenteeism and presenteeism in the European Union. J Med Econ 2010;13:662-72.   DOI
12 Ilmarinen J, Tuomi K, Klockars M. Changes in the work ability of active employees over an 11-year period. Scand JWork Environ Health 1997;23:49-57.
13 Tuomi K, Ilmarinen J, Klockars M, Nygard CH, Seitsamo J, Huuhtanen P, Martikainen R, Aalto L. Finnish research project on aging workers in 1981-1992. Scand J Work Environ Health 1997;23:7-11.
14 Ahlstrom L, Grimby-Ekman A, Hagberg M, Dellve L. The work ability index and single-item question: associations with sick leave, symptoms, and healthda prospective study of women on long-term sick leave. Scand J Work Environ Health 2010;36:404-12.   DOI
15 McDermott HJ, Kazi A, Munir F, Haslam C. Developing occupational health services for active age management. Occup Med 2010;60:193-204.   DOI
16 El Fassi M, Bocquet V, Majery N, Lair ML, Couffignal S, Mairiaux P. Work ability assessment in a worker population: comparison and determinants of Work Ability Index and Work Ability score. BMC Public Health 2013;13:305.   DOI
17 Strazdins L, Bammer G. Women, work and musculoskeletal health. Soc Sci Med 2004;58:997-1005.   DOI
18 Cote P, van der Velde G, Cassidy JD, Carroll LJ, Hogg-Johnson S, Holm LW, Carragee EJ, Haldeman S, Nordin M, Hurwitz EL, Guzman J, Peloso PM. The burden and determinants of neck pain in workers: results of the Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2009;32:S70-86.   DOI
19 Skillgate E, Magnusson C, Lundberg M, Hallqvist J. The age- and sex-specific occurrence of bothersome neck pain in the general populationdresults from the Stockholm public health cohort. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2012;13:185.   DOI
20 Barbosa REC, Assuncao AA, de Araujo TM. Musculoskeletal pain among healthcare workers: an exploratory study on gender differences. Am J Ind Med 2013;56:1201-12.   DOI
21 Kenny GP, Yardley JE, Martineau L, Jay O. Physical work capacity in older adults: implications for the aging worker. Am J Ind Med 2008;51:610-25.   DOI
22 Sluiter JK. High-demand jobs: age-related diversity in work ability? Appl Ergon 2006;37:429-40.   DOI
23 Lindberg P, Josephson M, Alfredsson L, Vingard E. Promoting excellent work ability and preventing poor work ability: the same determinants? Results from the Swedish HAKuL study. Occup Environ Med 2006;63:113-20.   DOI
24 Siukola AE, Virtanen PJ, Luukkaala TH, Nygard C-H. Perceived working conditions and sickness absenceda four-year follow-up in the food industry. Saf Health Work 2011;2:313-20.   DOI
25 Alavinia SM, de Boer AG, van Duivenbooden JC, Frings-Dresen MH, Burdorf A. Determinants of work ability and its predictive value for disability. Occup Med (Lond) 2009;59:32-7.   DOI
26 van den Berg T, Elders L, de Zwart B, Burdorf A. The effects of work-related and individual factors on the Work Ability Index: a systematic review. Occup Environ Med 2009;66:211-20.
27 Miranda H, Kaila-Kangas L, Heliovaara M, Leino-Arjas P, Haukka E, Liira J, Viikari-Juntura E. Musculoskeletal pain at multiple sites and its effects on work ability in a general working population. Occup Environ Med 2010;67: 449-55.   DOI
28 da Costa BR, Vieira ER. Risk factors for work-related musculoskeletal disorders: a systematic review of recent longitudinal studies. Am J Ind Med 2010;53:285-323.
29 Fejer R, Kyvik KO, Hartvigsen J. The prevalence of neck pain in the world population: a systematic critical review of the literature. Eur Spine J 2006;15: 834-48.   DOI
30 Localio AR, Margolis DJ, Berlin JA. Relative risks and confidence intervals were easily computed indirectly from multivariable logistic regression. J Clin Epidemiol 2007;60:874-82.   DOI
31 Biddle SJH, Bennie JA, Bauman AE, Chau JY, Dunstan D, Owen N, Stamatakis E, van Uffelen JG. Too much sitting and all-cause mortality: is there a causal link? BMC Public Health 2016;16:635.   DOI
32 Ostergren PO, Hanson BS, Balogh I, Ektor-Andersen J, Isacsson A, Orbaek P, Winkel J, Isacsson SO., Malmo Shoulder Neck Study Group. Incidence of shoulder and neck pain in a working population: effect modification between mechanical and psychosocial exposures at work? Results from a one year follow up of the Malmo shoulder and neck study cohort. J Epidemiol Community Health 2005;59:721-8.   DOI
33 Sterud T. Work-related psychosocial and mechanical risk factors for work disability: a 3-year follow-up study of the general working population in Norway. Scand J Work Environ Health 2013;39:468-76.   DOI
34 de Vries HJ, Reneman MF, Groothoff JW, Geertzen JH, Brouwer S. Workers who stay at work despite chronic nonspecific musculoskeletal pain: do they differ from workers with sick leave? J Occup Rehabil 2012;22:489-502.   DOI
35 de Vries HJ, Reneman MF, Groothoff JW, Geertzen JH, Brouwer S. Factors promoting staying at work in people with chronic nonspecific musculoskeletal pain: a systematic review. Disabil Rehabil 2012;34:443-58.   DOI
36 Hansson EK, Hansson TH. The costs for persons sick-listed more than one month because of low back or neck problems. A two-year prospective study of Swedish patients. Eur Spine J 2005;14:337-45.   DOI
37 Stock SR, Fernandes R, Delisle A, Vezina N. Reproducibility and validity of workers' self-reports of physical work demands. Scand J Work Environ Health 2005;31:409-37.   DOI
38 Hoy DG, Protani M, De R, Buchbinder R. The epidemiology of neck pain. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol 2010;24:783-92.   DOI
39 Hoy D, March L, Woolf A, Blyth F, Brooks P, Smith E, Vos T, Barendregt J, Blore J, Murray C, Burstein R, Buchbinder. The global burden of neck pain: estimates from the global burden of disease 2010 study. Ann Rheum Dis 2014;73:1309-15.   DOI
40 Holtermann A, Hansen JV, Burr H, Sogaard K. Prognostic factors for long-term sickness absence among employees with neckeshoulder and low-back pain. Scand J Work Environ Health 2010;36:34-41.   DOI
41 Hoving JL, De Vet HCW, Twisk JWR, Deville WLJM, Van Der Windt D, Koes BW, Bouter LM. Prognostic factors for neck pain in general practice. Pain 2004;110: 639-45.   DOI
42 Van Rijn RM, Robroek SJW, Brouwer S, Burdorf A. Influence of poor health on exit from paid employment: a systematic review. Occup Environ Med 2014;71:295-301.   DOI
43 Ariens GA, Bongers PM, Hoogendoorn WE, van der Wal G, van Mechelen W. High physical and psychosocial load at work and sickness absence due to neck pain. Scand J Work Environ Health 2002;28:222-31.   DOI
44 Nyman T, Grooten WJ, Wiktorin C, Liwing J, Norrman L. Sickness absence and concurrent low back and neckeshoulder pain: results from the MUSICNorrtalje study. Eur Spine J 2007;16:631-8.   DOI
45 Borg K, Hensing G, Alexanderson K. Predictive factors for disability pensiondan 11-year follow up of young persons on sick leave due to neck, shoulder, or back diagnoses. Scand J Public Health 2001;29:104-12.
46 Wikman A. Reliability, validity and true values in surveys. Soc Indic Res 2006;78:85-110.   DOI
47 Chiasson M-E, Imbeau D, Major J, Aubry K, Delisle A. Influence of musculoskeletal pain on workers’ ergonomic risk-factor assessments. Appl Ergon 2015;49:1-7.   DOI
48 Balogh I, Orbæk P, Ohlsson K, Nordander C, Unge J, Winkel J, Hansson GA. Selfassessed and directly measured occupational physical activitiesdinfluence of musculoskeletal complaints, age and gender. Appl Ergon 2004;35:49-56.   DOI
49 Wikman A. Att utveckla sociala indikatorer: en surveyansats belyst med exemplet arbetsmiljo. Stockholm: Statistiska Centralbyran; 1991.