Views on oral health determinants as described by persons with continuous positive airway pressure-treated obstructive sleep apnoea: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Oral diseases have been associated with cardiovascular diseases, and persons with continuous positive airway pressure [CPAP]-treated obstructive sleep apnoea [OSA] have an increased risk for negative consequences for both oral and general health. CPAP treatment is often life-long and adherence to treatment is essential. Xerostomia is a common side-effect which can lead to treatment abandonment. Oral health is a changeable part of our general health and well-being and exploring the views of oral health determinants from persons with experience of CPAP-treatment is important to prevent adverse oral health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore what persons with experience of CPAP-treated OSA view as determinants for their oral health. METHODS: Eighteen persons with long-term experience of CPAP-treated OSA were purposively selected. Data were collected by semi-structured individual interviews. A code book based on the World Dental Federation's [FDI] theoretical framework for oral health was developed and used to analyse the data using directed content analysis. The domains in the framework's component driving determinants were used as pre-determined categories. Using the description of driving determinants as a guide, meaning units were extracted from the interview transcripts through an inductive approach. Then, by employing a deductive approach the code book was used to categorise the meaning units into the pre-determined categories. FINDINGS: The views on oral health determinants described by the informants were compatible with the five domains in the component driving determinants in the FDI's theoretical framework. Ageing, heredity, and salivation (biological and genetic factors), influences from family and the wider society (social environment), location and re-localisation (physical environment), oral hygiene habits, motivation, willingness to change, professional support (health behaviours), and availability, control, finances, and trust (access to care) were viewed as important oral health determinants by the informants. CONCLUSION: The study points to a variety of individual oral health-related experiences that oral healthcare professionals could consider when designing interventions to reduce xerostomia and prevent adverse oral health outcomes for persons undergoing long-term CPAP-treatment.

"The terrible dryness woke me up, I had some trouble breathing"-Critical situations related to oral health as described by CPAP-treated persons with obstructive sleep apnea.

Continuous positive airway pressure is a common and effective treatment for obstructive sleep apnea, but adherence remains an issue. Both obstructive sleep apnea and oral diseases are associated with cardiovascular diseases, and as oral dryness contributes to treatment abandonment, oral health is of importance for this patient group. The aim was therefore to explore how persons with continuous positive airway pressure-treated obstructive sleep apnea experience situations associated with their oral health, and which actions they take to manage these. An explorative and descriptive design was adopted using the critical incident technique. Based on a purposeful selection, 18 adults with long-term experience of continuous positive airway pressure-treatment were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. Both negative and positive situations were described. Negative situations consisted of challenges with breathing, including mouth-breathing, choking sensations, problems with night-time and daytime oral dryness, changes in the saliva composition, and deteriorating oral health. Positive situations included experiences of reduced mouth-breathing and oral dryness. The situations were often successfully managed by mimicking daytime movements, changing sleeping position, adjusting the CPAP-device and mask, increasing oral hygiene efforts, drinking water, using a humidifier or chinstrap, or contacting their oral healthcare clinic. Long-term experience of persons with continuous positive airway pressure-treated obstructive sleep apnea regard situations and actions from everyday life. Successful management can contribute to long-term adherence and decrease negative effects on oral health. More interdisciplinary collaborations could enable identification and adequate recommendations for persons who experience negative situations during their continuous positive airway pressure treatment.

Physical functioning associated with life-space mobility in later life among men and women.

BACKGROUND: Life-space mobility is defined as the ability to access different areas extending from the room where the person sleeps to places outside one's hometown. Life-space mobility is vital to support performance of daily life activities and autonomous participation in social life. However, there is a dearth of research that investigates a wider range of physical functions and functioning in relation to life-space mobility rather than just single aspects. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to identify and describe several measures of physical functioning associated with life-space mobility among older men and women. METHODS: Data used in this study was derived from the OCTO 2 study, a population-based study of health, functioning and mobility among older persons (n = 312) in Sweden. Associations between Life-Space Assessment (LSA) total score and age, sex, Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), dizziness, lung function i.e. Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF), grip strength, self-rated vision and hearing were analysed through bivariate and multivariate regression models. RESULTS: The bivariate models showed that life-space mobility was significantly associated with sex, but also age, SPPB, PEF and grip strength in the total group as well as among men and women. In addition, hearing was significantly associated with life-space mobility among women. Those factors that were statistically significant in the bivariate models were further analysed in multivariable models for the total group, and for men and women separately. In these models, sex, grip strength and SPPB remained significantly associated with life-space mobility in the total group, as well as SPPB among both men and women. CONCLUSION: Sex, physical function in terms of physical performance measured by SPPB (balance, gait speed and chair stand), and grip strength are associated with life-space mobility. Consequently, these factors need to be considered in assessments and interventions aiming to maintain mobility in old age.

Factors associated to functioning and health in relation to home rehabilitation in Sweden: a non-randomized pre-post intervention study.

BACKGROUND: Home rehabilitation is a growing rehabilitation service in many countries, but scientific knowledge of its components and outcomes is still limited. The aim of this study was to investigate; 1) which changes in functioning and self-rated health could be identified in relation to a home rehabilitation program in a population of community-dwelling citizens, and 2) how socio-demographic factors, health conditions and home rehabilitation interventions were associated to change in functioning and self-rated health after the home rehabilitation program. METHOD: The sample consisted of participants in a municipal home rehabilitation project in Sweden and consisted of 165 community-dwelling citizens. General Linear Models (ANOVA repeated measures) was used for identifying changes in rehabilitation outcomes. Logistic regressions analysis was used to investigate associations between rehabilitation outcomes and potential factors associated to outcome. RESULT: Overall improvements in functioning and self-rated health were found after the home rehabilitation program. Higher frequencies of training sessions with occupational therapists, length of home rehabilitation, and orthopaedic conditions of upper extremities and spine as the main health condition, were associated with rehabilitation outcomes. CONCLUSION: The result indicates that the duration of home rehabilitation interventions and intensity of occupational therapy, as well as the main medical condition may have an impact on the outcomes of home rehabilitation and needs to be considered when planning such programs. However, more research is needed to guide practice and policymaking.

Physical activity related to mastery and vitality in a Swedish adult population with economic difficulties.

BACKGROUND: People with low socio-economic status report lower levels of physical activity (PA). There is insufficient knowledge about the availability of psychological resources for those who are physically active despite having a low socio-economic status. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between PA level and mastery and vitality, respectively, within an adult population with self-reported economic difficulties. METHOD: Data from a cross-sectional, population-based study (n = 817) were used. Linear regression was used to estimate the unstandardised regression coefficient (ß) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI), describing associations between PA levels (independent variable) and scale scores of psychological resources in terms of mastery and vitality (outcome variables). Three models were constructed: Model I unadjusted; Model II adjusted for sex and age; and Model III adjusted for sex, age, smoking and food quality. RESULT: After adjusting for sex, age, smoking and food quality and using low-level PA as the reference, high-level PA, but not intermediate-level PA, was related to higher scale scores of mastery (ß = 0.72 [95% CI 0.08 to 1.37]). For vitality, both high-level PA and intermediate-level PA were related to higher scale scores (ß = 9.30 [95% CI 5.20 to 13.40] and ß = 6.70 [95% CI 1.40 to 12.00] respectively). CONCLUSION: In an adult population with self-reported economic difficulties, higher levels of physical activity were related to higher mastery and vitality. Our results support that the association between physical activity and psychological resources in terms of mastery and vitality should be considered in the context of targeted health dialogues. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Not applicable.

Long working hours and change in body weight: analysis of individual-participant data from 19 cohort studies.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relation between long working hours and change in body mass index (BMI). METHODS: We performed random effects meta-analyses using individual-participant data from 19 cohort studies from Europe, US and Australia (n = 122,078), with a mean of 4.4-year follow-up. Working hours were measured at baseline and categorised as part time (<35 h/week), standard weekly hours (35-40 h, reference), 41-48 h, 49-54 h and ≥55 h/week (long working hours). There were four outcomes at follow-up: (1) overweight/obesity (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2) or (2) overweight (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m2) among participants without overweight/obesity at baseline; (3) obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) among participants with overweight at baseline, and (4) weight loss among participants with obesity at baseline. RESULTS: Of the 61,143 participants without overweight/obesity at baseline, 20.2% had overweight/obesity at follow-up. Compared with standard weekly working hours, the age-, sex- and socioeconomic status-adjusted relative risk (RR) of overweight/obesity was 0.95 (95% CI 0.90-1.00) for part-time work, 1.07 (1.02-1.12) for 41-48 weekly working hours, 1.09 (1.03-1.16) for 49-54 h and 1.17 (1.08-1.27) for long working hours (P for trend <0.0001). The findings were similar after multivariable adjustment and in subgroup analyses. Long working hours were associated with an excess risk of shift from normal weight to overweight rather than from overweight to obesity. Long working hours were not associated with weight loss among participants with obesity. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis of large individual-participant data suggests a small excess risk of overweight among the healthy-weight people who work long hours.

Healthcare managers' experiences of technostress and the actions they take to handle it - a critical incident analysis.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare managers, in comparison with other healthcare professionals, have an increased likelihood of experiencing technostress at work. Since knowledge about the causes and severity of technostress and about the strategies healthcare managers use to handle it is limited, the aim of this study was to describe their experience of technostress and the actions they employ to address it. METHODS: An explorative design based on the critical incident technique was used. In total, 20 healthcare managers (10 women, 10 men) from four hospitals in two county councils in Sweden were purposively selected according to professional background, hierarchical management position, control span, time in the management position, and sex. Semi-structured interviews with regard to critical incidents and actions taken to handle technostress were conducted. RESULTS: Healthcare managers' experiences of technostress (n = 279) were categorised related to three main areas. These involved 'negative aspects of digital communication' (e.g. high workload, invasion of private life, and negative feelings related to digital communication), 'poor user experience of ICT systems (such as illogicality of the ICT system, time-consuming ICT system, or malfunctioning ICT system) and 'needs to improve organisational resources' (e.g. needs associated with digital literacy, user influence and distribution of work and ICT systems). Actions taken to handle technostress (n=196) were described relating to three main areas involving 'culture, norms and social support' (such as good email culture, and co-worker support), 'individual resources' (e.g. individual strategies and competence) and 'organisational resources' (such as IT-related assistance and support). CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare managers described negative aspects of digital communication, poor user experience of ICT systems, and lack of organisational resources as potential technostress creators. These problems were handled by taking action related to culture, norms and social support, and individual as well as organisational resources. All these features, along with consideration of healthcare managers' job demands and resources in general, should be incorporated into actions monitored by healthcare organisations to improve or maintain a sustainable digitalised environment for healthcare managers. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Regional Ethics Board in Linköping #2017/597-31. Registered 20 March 2018. URL not available.

Can physical activity compensate for low socioeconomic status with regard to poor self-rated health and low quality-of-life?

BACKGROUND: Both high socioeconomic status (SES) and high physical activity (PA) are associated with better self-rated health (SRH) and higher quality-of-life (QoL). AIM: To investigate whether high levels of PA may compensate for the association between low SES and subjective health outcomes in terms of poorer SRH and lower QoL. METHOD: Data from a cross-sectional, population-based study (n = 5326) was utilized. Multiple logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the associations between indicators of SES (economic situation and educational level), SRH and QoL, as well as between the combination of SES and PA in relation to SRH and QoL. RESULT: Participants with high PA and economic problems had approximately the same OR for good SRH as those with low PA and without economic problems (OR 1.75 [95% CI 1.20-2.54] and 1.81 [1.25-2.63] respectively). Participants with high PA and low education had higher odds for good SRH (OR 3.34 [2.96-5.34] compared to those with low PA and high education (OR 1.46 [0.89-2.39]).Those with high PA and economic problems had an OR of 2.09 [1.42-3.08], for high QoL, while the corresponding OR for those with low PA and without economic problems was 4.38 [2.89-6.63]. CONCLUSION: Physically active people with low SES, had the same or even better odds to report good SRH compared to those with low PA and high SES. For QoL the result was not as consistent. The findings highlight the potential for promotion of PA to reduce SES-based inequalities in SRH.

Psychosocial job demand and control: multi-site musculoskeletal pain in Swedish police.

AIMS: Police have a high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders. While physical factors contributing to this have been explored, little is known regarding the contribution of the psychosocial work environment. This study explores the association between elements of the JDC model, social support and multi-site musculoskeletal pain among Swedish police. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, responses from 4185 police were collected using a self-administered online survey. The survey included questions on the psychosocial work environment and musculoskeletal pain, as well as several potential confounding factors. Logistic regression analyses were performed to explore the degree of association between 1) the indices for job demands, job control, social support and multi-site musculoskeletal pain and 2) the four categories of the JDC model, social support and multi-site musculoskeletal pain. RESULTS: The overall psychosocial work environment of Swedish police was characterised by low control and high social support. Police who reported active and high strain jobs were found to have an increase in the odds ratio for multi-site musculoskeletal pain (OR 1.45 (95% CI 1.08-1.94) and 1.84 (1.51-2.24), respectively). High demands, which is a component in the categories for active and high strain jobs, was also found to be associated with an increase in the odds ratio for multi-site musculoskeletal pain (OR 1.66 (1.45-1.91)). High social support was associated with a decrease in the odds ratio for multi-site musculoskeletal pain (OR 0.72 (0.57-0.86)). CONCLUSIONS: The psychosocial work environment should be considered when investigating factors related to the health and wellbeing of police.

Repeated exposure to high ICT demands at work, and development of suboptimal self-rated health: findings from a 4-year follow-up of the SLOSH study.

PURPOSE: The knowledge about the association between Information and Communication Technology (ICT) demands at work and self-rated health (SRH) is insufficient. The aim of this study was to examine the association between repeated exposure to high ICT demands at work, and risk of suboptimal SRH, and to determine modifications by sex or socioeconomic position (SEP). METHODS: A prospective design was used, including repeated measurement of ICT demands at work, measured 2 years apart. SRH was measured at baseline and at follow-up after 4 years. The data were derived from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH), including 4468 gainfully employees (1941 men, 2527 women) with good SRH at baseline. RESULTS: In the total study sample, repeated exposure to high ICT demands at work was associated with suboptimal SRH at follow-up (OR 1.34 [CI 1.06-1.70]), adjusted for age, sex, SEP, health behaviours, BMI, job strain and social support. An interaction between ICT demands and sex was observed (p = 0.010). The risk was only present in men (OR 1.53 [CI 1.09-2.16]), and not in women (OR 1.17 [CI 0.85-1.62]). The risk of suboptimal SRH after consistently high ICT demands at work was most elevated in participants with high SEP (OR 1.68 [CI 1.02-2.79]), adjusted for age, sex, health behaviours, BMI and job strain. However, no significant interaction between ICT demands and SEP regarding SRH was observed. CONCLUSION: Repeated exposure to high ICT demands at work was associated with suboptimal SRH at follow-up, and the association was modified by sex.

Long working hours as a risk factor for atrial fibrillation: a multi-cohort study.

AIMS: Studies suggest that people who work long hours are at increased risk of stroke, but the association of long working hours with atrial fibrillation, the most common cardiac arrhythmia and a risk factor for stroke, is unknown. We examined the risk of atrial fibrillation in individuals working long hours (≥55 per week) and those working standard 35-40 h/week. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this prospective multi-cohort study from the Individual-Participant-Data Meta-analysis in Working Populations (IPD-Work) Consortium, the study population was 85 494 working men and women (mean age 43.4 years) with no recorded atrial fibrillation. Working hours were assessed at study baseline (1991-2004). Mean follow-up for incident atrial fibrillation was 10 years and cases were defined using data on electrocardiograms, hospital records, drug reimbursement registers, and death certificates. We identified 1061 new cases of atrial fibrillation (10-year cumulative incidence 12.4 per 1000). After adjustment for age, sex and socioeconomic status, individuals working long hours had a 1.4-fold increased risk of atrial fibrillation compared with those working standard hours (hazard ratio = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.13-1.80, P = 0.003). There was no significant heterogeneity between the cohort-specific effect estimates (I2 = 0%, P = 0.66) and the finding remained after excluding participants with coronary heart disease or stroke at baseline or during the follow-up (N = 2006, hazard ratio = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.05-1.76, P = 0.0180). Adjustment for potential confounding factors, such as obesity, risky alcohol use and high blood pressure, had little impact on this association. CONCLUSION: Individuals who worked long hours were more likely to develop atrial fibrillation than those working standard hours.

Body mass index and risk of dementia: Analysis of individual-level data from 1.3 million individuals.

INTRODUCTION: Higher midlife body mass index (BMI) is suggested to increase the risk of dementia, but weight loss during the preclinical dementia phase may mask such effects. METHODS: We examined this hypothesis in 1,349,857 dementia-free participants from 39 cohort studies. BMI was assessed at baseline. Dementia was ascertained at follow-up using linkage to electronic health records (N = 6894). We assumed BMI is little affected by preclinical dementia when assessed decades before dementia onset and much affected when assessed nearer diagnosis. RESULTS: Hazard ratios per 5-kg/m2 increase in BMI for dementia were 0.71 (95% confidence interval = 0.66-0.77), 0.94 (0.89-0.99), and 1.16 (1.05-1.27) when BMI was assessed 10 years, 10-20 years, and >20 years before dementia diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: The association between BMI and dementia is likely to be attributable to two different processes: a harmful effect of higher BMI, which is observable in long follow-up, and a reverse-causation effect that makes a higher BMI to appear protective when the follow-up is short.

Effort-Reward Imbalance at Work and Incident Coronary Heart Disease: A Multicohort Study of 90,164 Individuals.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiologic evidence for work stress as a risk factor for coronary heart disease is mostly based on a single measure of stressful work known as job strain, a combination of high demands and low job control. We examined whether a complementary stress measure that assesses an imbalance between efforts spent at work and rewards received predicted coronary heart disease. METHODS: This multicohort study (the "IPD-Work" consortium) was based on harmonized individual-level data from 11 European prospective cohort studies. Stressful work in 90,164 men and women without coronary heart disease at baseline was assessed by validated effort-reward imbalance and job strain questionnaires. We defined incident coronary heart disease as the first nonfatal myocardial infarction or coronary death. Study-specific estimates were pooled by random effects meta-analysis. RESULTS: At baseline, 31.7% of study members reported effort-reward imbalance at work and 15.9% reported job strain. During a mean follow-up of 9.8 years, 1,078 coronary events were recorded. After adjustment for potential confounders, a hazard ratio of 1.16 (95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.35) was observed for effort-reward imbalance compared with no imbalance. The hazard ratio was 1.16 (1.01-1.34) for having either effort-reward imbalance or job strain and 1.41 (1.12-1.76) for having both these stressors compared to having neither effort-reward imbalance nor job strain. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with effort-reward imbalance at work have an increased risk of coronary heart disease, and this appears to be independent of job strain experienced. These findings support expanding focus beyond just job strain in future research on work stress.

Long working hours and cancer risk: a multi-cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Working longer than the maximum recommended hours is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but the relationship of excess working hours with incident cancer is unclear. METHODS: This multi-cohort study examined the association between working hours and cancer risk in 116 462 men and women who were free of cancer at baseline. Incident cancers were ascertained from national cancer, hospitalisation and death registers; weekly working hours were self-reported. RESULTS: During median follow-up of 10.8 years, 4371 participants developed cancer (n colorectal cancer: 393; n lung cancer: 247; n breast cancer: 833; and n prostate cancer: 534). We found no clear evidence for an association between working hours and the overall cancer risk. Working hours were also unrelated the risk of incident colorectal, lung or prostate cancers. Working ⩾55 h per week was associated with 1.60-fold (95% confidence interval 1.12-2.29) increase in female breast cancer risk independently of age, socioeconomic position, shift- and night-time work and lifestyle factors, but this observation may have been influenced by residual confounding from parity. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that working long hours is unrelated to the overall cancer risk or the risk of lung, colorectal or prostate cancers. The observed association with breast cancer would warrant further research.

Long working hours and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis of published and unpublished data for 603,838 individuals.

BACKGROUND: Long working hours might increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, but prospective evidence is scarce, imprecise, and mostly limited to coronary heart disease. We aimed to assess long working hours as a risk factor for incident coronary heart disease and stroke. METHODS: We identified published studies through a systematic review of PubMed and Embase from inception to Aug 20, 2014. We obtained unpublished data for 20 cohort studies from the Individual-Participant-Data Meta-analysis in Working Populations (IPD-Work) Consortium and open-access data archives. We used cumulative random-effects meta-analysis to combine effect estimates from published and unpublished data. FINDINGS: We included 25 studies from 24 cohorts in Europe, the USA, and Australia. The meta-analysis of coronary heart disease comprised data for 603,838 men and women who were free from coronary heart disease at baseline; the meta-analysis of stroke comprised data for 528,908 men and women who were free from stroke at baseline. Follow-up for coronary heart disease was 5·1 million person-years (mean 8·5 years), in which 4768 events were recorded, and for stroke was 3·8 million person-years (mean 7·2 years), in which 1722 events were recorded. In cumulative meta-analysis adjusted for age, sex, and socioeconomic status, compared with standard hours (35-40 h per week), working long hours (≥55 h per week) was associated with an increase in risk of incident coronary heart disease (relative risk [RR] 1·13, 95% CI 1·02-1·26; p=0·02) and incident stroke (1·33, 1·11-1·61; p=0·002). The excess risk of stroke remained unchanged in analyses that addressed reverse causation, multivariable adjustments for other risk factors, and different methods of stroke ascertainment (range of RR estimates 1·30-1·42). We recorded a dose-response association for stroke, with RR estimates of 1·10 (95% CI 0·94-1·28; p=0·24) for 41-48 working hours, 1·27 (1·03-1·56; p=0·03) for 49-54 working hours, and 1·33 (1·11-1·61; p=0·002) for 55 working hours or more per week compared with standard working hours (ptrend<0·0001). INTERPRETATION: Employees who work long hours have a higher risk of stroke than those working standard hours; the association with coronary heart disease is weaker. These findings suggest that more attention should be paid to the management of vascular risk factors in individuals who work long hours. FUNDING: Medical Research Council, Economic and Social Research Council, European Union New and Emerging Risks in Occupational Safety and Health research programme, Finnish Work Environment Fund, Swedish Research Council for Working Life and Social Research, German Social Accident Insurance, Danish National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Academy of Finland, Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (Netherlands), US National Institutes of Health, British Heart Foundation.

Job insecurity and risk of diabetes: a meta-analysis of individual participant data.

BACKGROUND: Job insecurity has been associated with certain health outcomes. We examined the role of job insecurity as a risk factor for incident diabetes. METHODS: We used individual participant data from 8 cohort studies identified in 2 open-access data archives and 11 cohort studies participating in the Individual-Participant-Data Meta-analysis in Working Populations Consortium. We calculated study-specific estimates of the association between job insecurity reported at baseline and incident diabetes over the follow-up period. We pooled the estimates in a meta-analysis to produce a summary risk estimate. RESULTS: The 19 studies involved 140 825 participants from Australia, Europe and the United States, with a mean follow-up of 9.4 years and 3954 incident cases of diabetes. In the preliminary analysis adjusted for age and sex, high job insecurity was associated with an increased risk of incident diabetes compared with low job insecurity (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09-1.30). In the multivariable-adjusted analysis restricted to 15 studies with baseline data for all covariates (age, sex, socioeconomic status, obesity, physical activity, alcohol and smoking), the association was slightly attenuated (adjusted OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.01-1.24). Heterogeneity between the studies was low to moderate (age- and sex-adjusted model: I2 = 24%, p = 0.2; multivariable-adjusted model: I2 = 27%, p = 0.2). In the multivariable-adjusted analysis restricted to high-quality studies, in which the diabetes diagnosis was ascertained from electronic medical records or clinical examination, the association was similar to that in the main analysis (adjusted OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.04-1.35). INTERPRETATION: Our findings suggest that self-reported job insecurity is associated with a modest increased risk of incident diabetes. Health care personnel should be aware of this association among workers reporting job insecurity.

Prevalence of and factors related to mild and substantial dizziness in community-dwelling older adults: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Dizziness is highly prevalent among older people and associated with many health factors. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of and factors related to dizziness among community-dwelling older adults in Sweden. In contrast to previous studies, the subjects with dizziness were divided into two groups, mild and substantial dizziness, according to the frequency and intensity of dizziness. METHODS: A sample of 305 older persons between 75 and 90 years of age (mean age 81 years) were interviewed and examined. Subjects with dizziness answered the University of California Los Angeles Dizziness Questionnaire and questions about provoking movements. The groups with substantial, mild, or no dizziness were compared with regard to age, sex, diseases, drugs, blood pressure, physical activity, exercises, falls, fear of falling, quality of life, general health, mobility aids, and physical performance. RESULTS: In this sample, 79 subjects experienced substantial and 46 mild dizziness. Subjects with substantial dizziness were less physically active, reported more fear of falling, falls, depression/anxiety, diabetes, stroke/TIA, heart disease, a higher total number of drugs and antihypertensive drugs, lower quality of life and general health, and performed worse physically. CONCLUSIONS: There are many and complex associations between dizziness and factors like falls, diseases, drugs, physical performance, and activity. For most of these factors, the associations are stronger in subjects with substantial dizziness compared with subjects with mild or no dizziness; therefore, it is relevant to differ between mild and substantial dizziness symptoms in research and clinical practice in the future.

Concurrent validity of the Swedish version of the life-space assessment questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: The Life-Space Assessment (LSA), developed in the USA, is an instrument focusing on mobility with respect to reaching different areas defined as life-spaces, extending from the room where the person sleeps to mobility outside one's hometown. A newly translated Swedish version of the LSA (LSA-S) has been tested for test-retest reliability, but the validity remains to be tested. The purpose of the present study was to examine the concurrent validity of the LSA-S, by comparing and correlating the LSA scores to other measures of mobility. METHOD: The LSA was included in a population-based study of health, functioning and mobility among older persons in Sweden, and the present analysis comprised 312 community-dwelling participants. To test the concurrent validity, the LSA scores were compared to a number of other mobility-related variables, including the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) as well as "stair climbing", "transfers", "transportation", "food shopping", "travel for pleasure" and "community activities". The LSA total mean scores for different levels of the other mobility-related variables, and measures of correlation were calculated. RESULTS: Higher LSA total mean scores were observed with higher levels of all the other mobility related variables. Most of the correlations between the LSA and the other mobility variables were large (r = 0.5-1.0) and significant at the 0.01 level. The LSA total score, as well as independent life-space and assistive life-space correlated with transportation (0.63, 0.66, 0.64) and food shopping (0.55, 0.58, 0.55). Assistive life-space also correlated with SPPB (0.47). With respect to maximal life-space, the correlations with the mobility-related variables were generally lower (below 0.5), probably since this aspect of life-space mobility is highly influenced by social support and is not so dependent on the individual's own physical function. CONCLUSION: LSA was shown to be a valid measure of mobility when using the LSA total, independent LS or assistive LSA.

Information and communication technology demands at work: the association with job strain, effort-reward imbalance and self-rated health in different socio-economic strata.

PURPOSE: The use of information and communication technology (ICT) is common in modern working life. ICT demands may give rise to experience of work-related stress. Knowledge about ICT demands in relation to other types of work-related stress and to self-rated health is limited. Consequently, the aim of this study was to examine the association between ICT demands and two types of work-related stress [job strain and effort-reward imbalance (ERI)] and to evaluate the association between these work-related stress measures and self-rated health, in general and in different SES strata. METHODS: This study is based on cross-sectional data from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health collected in 2014, from 14,873 gainfully employed people. ICT demands, job strain, ERI and self-rated health were analysed as the main measures. Sex, age, SES, lifestyle factors and BMI were used as covariates. RESULTS: ICT demands correlated significantly with the dimensions of the job strain and ERI models, especially with the demands (r = 0.42; p < 0.01) and effort (r = 0.51; p < 0.01) dimensions. ICT demands were associated with suboptimal self-rated health, also after adjustment for age, sex, SES, lifestyle and BMI (OR 1.49 [95 % CI 1.36-1.63]), but job strain (OR 1.93 [95 % CI 1.74-2.14) and ERI (OR 2.15 [95 % CI 1.95-2.35]) showed somewhat stronger associations with suboptimal self-rated health. CONCLUSION: ICT demands are common among people with intermediate and high SES and associated with job strain, ERI and suboptimal self-rated health. ICT demands should thus be acknowledged as a potential stressor of work-related stress in modern working life.

Job strain and the risk of stroke: an individual-participant data meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Psychosocial stress at work has been proposed to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, its role as a risk factor for stroke is uncertain. METHODS: We conducted an individual-participant-data meta-analysis of 196 380 males and females from 14 European cohort studies to investigate the association between job strain, a measure of work-related stress, and incident stroke. RESULTS: In 1.8 million person-years at risk (mean follow-up 9.2 years), 2023 first-time stroke events were recorded. The age- and sex-adjusted hazard ratio for job strain relative to no job strain was 1.24 (95% confidence interval, 1.05;1.47) for ischemic stroke, 1.01 (95% confidence interval, 0.75;1.36) for hemorrhagic stroke, and 1.09 (95% confidence interval, 0.94;1.26) for overall stroke. The association with ischemic stroke was robust to further adjustment for socioeconomic status. CONCLUSION: Job strain may be associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke, but further research is needed to determine whether interventions targeting job strain would reduce stroke risk beyond existing preventive strategies.