Tipo de trabajo como factor de riesgo para diarrea en catorce ciudades del Perú / Type of work as a risk factor for diarrhea in fourteenth cities of peru

Introducción: En ciertas ocasiones el trabajo nos expone a riesgos comunes, como el de una intoxicación alimentaria; esto puede ser por la exposición a lugares de venta no saludables, y más en Perú, que tiene un sistema sanitario aún deficiente. Objetivo: Determinar si el tipo de empleo es un factor de riesgo para el padecimiento de diarrea entre los trabajadores de catorce ciudades del Perú. Material y Métodos: Estudio de cohorte retrospectiva y multicéntrico. Se encuestó acerca del padecimiento de diarrea a trabajadores de catorce ciudades del Perú; esto se asoció según el tipo de trabajo que realizaban, se obtuvo datos estadísticos de asociación mediante los modelos lineales generalizados. Resultados: De los 4057 encuestados, el 39% tuvo al menos un episodio de diarrea en el último año. Existía mayor riesgo de padecer diarrea en los trabajadores operarios; por el contrario, disminuían el riesgo los empleados de empresas mineras, comercio, trasporte o el sector educación; ajustado por la edad, tipo de instrucción y por su higiene diaria. Conclusión: Algunos trabajos generan riesgos para el padecimiento de diarrea, esto debe ser vigilado, ya que, puede afectar a los trabajadores y al centro de trabajo. (AU)

Introduction: On certain occasions work exposes us to common risks, such as food poisoning; This may be due to exposure to unhealthy places of sale, especially in Peru, which still has a poor health system. Objective: To determine whether the type of employment is a risk factor for the diarrhea among workers in fourteen cities in Peru. Materials and Methods: Retrospective and multicenter cohort study. Investigated diarrhea among workers attending their occupational appointments in fourteen cities in Peru. This was associated with the type of work performed. Statistical association was obtained using the generalized linear models. Results: Of the 4057 respondents, 39% had at least one episode of diarrhea in the past year. There was an increased risk of diarrhea in the last year among workers; on the other hand, the risk of employees of mining companies decreased, trade, outsourced transport or the education sector; adjusted for age, type of instruction and daily hygiene. Conclusion: Some types of work generate different risks for the diarrhea, this must be monitored and controlled, since it could have repercussions for the worker and the labor institution. (AU)

Nurses' work characteristics and self-assessment of the work environment-Explorative cross-sectional study.

AIM: The aim of the study was to explore the characteristics of nursing work and the correlation with the conditions in nurses' work environment. BACKGROUND: Although the correlation between nurses' work characteristics and the safety of health care provision has been confirmed, nurses continue to work in discouraging environments. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 1,744 nurses from 16 Slovenian hospitals participated. Variables included the following: work characteristics, ergonomic conditions at work, the prevalence of low back pain and self-assessment of conditions in the work environment. RESULTS: One nurse was responsible for 17.90 patients per shift (SD = 13.615), shifts were understaffed in 42.9% of cases, and technical assistive devices were available in 30% of cases. Job demands were explained with number of patients/shift (p < .001), job satisfaction (p < .001), availability of assistive devices (p = .001) and the female gender (p = .001). Decision authority was low and explained with a non-leadership position (p < .001), educational achievement (p < .001), dissatisfaction with the job (p < .001) and the male gender (p = .008). CONCLUSION: A safe patient-to-nurse ratio, job satisfaction, availability of assistive devices and fostering decision authority turned out to be important in our study. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Europe is facing an increasing shortage of nurses, so actions for reducing nurse overload and encouraging decision authority are extremely important both for nurses and for patients. Participative leadership and ensuring gender equality in nursing are vital.

O (in)visível no cotidiano de trabalho de enfermeiros no acolhimento com classificação de risco / The (in)visible in the daily work routine of nurses in triage with risk classification

Estudo de caso de abordagem qualitativa que buscou compreender ocotidiano de trabalho de enfermeiros no Acolhimento com Classificação de Risco em Unidade de Pronto Atendimento. Utilizou-se o referencial teórico sobre o Cotidiano, de Michel de Certeau. Os dados foram coletados a partir de entrevistas abertas com 20 enfermeiros, observação no local de trabalho e submetidos à Análise de Conteúdo Temática. Verificamos que o cotidiano estudado possui elementos de estratégia: o protocolo de Manchester, imposições e obrigações. Tais elementos intentam isolar os sujeitos num lugar normativo, uma estrutura visível, onde podem ser controlados, vigiados e cobrados. Entretanto, o cotidiano possui táticas (in)visíveis, próprias de cada sujeito que praticam o lugar. São práticas de cuidado que burlam os elementos de estratégia. Concluímos que ocotidiano pesquisado, vai além de algo rotineiro, apesar da normatização, emergem táticas cotidianas visíveis e outras invisíveis. São práticas engenhosas, um fazer/cuidar próprio que conformam micro resistências.

This is a qualitative approach case study seeking to comprehend the daily work routine of nurses working in triage with risk classification at an emergency care unit. Michel de Certeau's theory on everyday life was used as a reference. The data were collected using open interviews with 20 nurses and observation at the place of work, and were subjected to thematic content analysis. It was found that the daily working life being studied has strategic elements; the Manchester Protocol, impositions and obligations. Such elements endeavor to isolate the subjects into a normative site, a visible structure, where they can be controlled, monitored and demanded of. However, the daily work routine has (in)visible tactics, specific to each subject practicing in the site. These are care practices that bypass the strategic elements. It was concluded that the daily work routine under study goes beyond the routine, despite regulation, with visible and invisible daily tactics emerging. These are resourceful practices, the nurses own form of care/way of doing things that deals with micro resistance.

Combined analysis of job and task benzene air exposures among workers at four US refinery operations.

Workplace air samples analyzed for benzene at four US refineries from 1976 to 2007 were pooled into a single dataset to characterize similarities and differences between job titles, tasks and refineries, and to provide a robust dataset for exposure reconstruction. Approximately 12,000 non-task (>180 min) personal samples associated with 50 job titles and 4000 task (<180 min) samples characterizing 24 tasks were evaluated. Personal air sample data from four individual refineries were pooled based on a number of factors including (1) the consistent sampling approach used by refinery industrial hygienists over time, (2) the use of similar exposure controls, (3) the comparability of benzene content of process streams and end products, (4) the ability to assign uniform job titles and task codes across all four refineries, and (5) our analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the distribution of benzene air concentrations for select jobs/tasks across all four refineries. The jobs and tasks most frequently sampled included those with highest potential contact with refinery product streams containing benzene, which reflected the targeted sampling approach utilized by the facility industrial hygienists. Task and non-task data were analyzed to identify and account for significant differences within job-area, task-job, and task-area categories. This analysis demonstrated that in general, areas with benzene containing process streams were associated with greater benzene air concentrations compared to areas with process streams containing little to no benzene. For several job titles and tasks analyzed, there was a statistically significant decrease in benzene air concentration after 1990. This study provides a job and task-focused analysis of occupational exposure to benzene during refinery operations, and it should be useful for reconstructing refinery workers' exposures to benzene over the past 30 years.

Job Strain as a Risk Factor for Incident Diabetes Mellitus in Middle and Older Age U.S. Workers.

OBJECTIVES: The current study examined the relationship between the 4 quadrants of the job strain model and incident diabetes in U.S. working adults 50 years and older. METHODS: This study used longitudinal data from the 2006-2012 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (n = 1,396). Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to examine whether job strain significantly predicted diabetes incidence. RESULTS: Participants in high strain and passive jobs had significantly higher risk of diabetes relative to those in low strain jobs. In the univariate survival curves, significantly higher risk of diabetes was observed in men working in passive jobs. After adjustment for relevant covariates, participants in high strain (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.09-2.75) and passive (HR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.01-2.73) jobs had a significantly increased risk of diabetes. Among adults 65 years and older, high strain and passive jobs were associated with an approximately fourfold increased risk of incident diabetes. DISCUSSION: High strain and passive occupations which represent low control over work are associated with increased risk of diabetes incidence among older workers. More research is required to better understand how psychosocial work factors impact health in aging workers. Further, research should continue to explore gender differences in effects of job strain on diabetes.

Utility of a Work Process Classification System for characterizing non-fatal injuries in the Alaskan commercial fishing industry.

BACKGROUND: The US commercial fishing industry is hazardous, as measured by mortality data. However, research on non-fatal injuries is limited. Non-fatal injuries constitute the majority of occupational injuries and can result in workers' lowered productivity and wages, lost quality of life, and disability. In the United States, a Work Process Classification System (WPCS) has previously been applied in Alaskan freezer-trawl and freezer-longline fleets to identify causes of injuries and specific hazards, but not to other fishing fleets. OBJECTIVES: This descriptive epidemiologic study aimed to explore the application and modification of the WPCS in multiple Alaskan fleets, characterize non-fatal occupational injuries in these fleets, and identify work processes that could be targeted for further investigation and future injury prevention efforts. DESIGN: Traumatic, non-fatal injuries on-board Alaskan commercial fishing vessels were identified through United States Coast Guard investigative reports. Characteristics of injuries, as well as worker characteristics, were analysed. Injuries were coded using the WPCS. RESULTS: We successfully utilized the WPCS to code non-fatal injury cases (n = 136). The most frequent main work processes associated with non-fatal injuries included: on-board trawlers, handling frozen fish and processing the catch; on-board vessels using pot/trap gear, handling the gear and shooting/setting the gear; on-board longliners, traffic on board and hauling the gear; and on-board processor vessels, processing the catch, other work with the catch, and handling frozen fish. CONCLUSIONS: The study confirmed that a WPCS can be applied to multiple Alaskan fleets to identify hazardous tasks. Hazards were unique for each vessel gear type. Future injury prevention efforts should target work processes associated with the most frequent and most severe injuries. Future studies should establish time estimates for work processes in order to determine risk estimates. Efforts to improve non-fatal injury reporting, especially on smaller commercial fishing vessels, should be undertaken.

Health and pink-collar work.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, there has been a decline in the manufacturing sector of the UK economy with a corresponding growth of service-orientated pink-collar jobs in some regions. While the health outcomes of white- and blue-collar workers are well-established, less is known about this emerging pink-collar group. AIMS: To outline the health of pink-collar workers in comparison to their white-collar counterparts across a range of indicators. METHODS: Area-level percentages for white-, pink- and blue-collar workers were derived from residents' routinely collected employment data in a northern English town. Area-level health data pertaining to male and female life expectancy, respiratory deaths and deaths from cardiovascular and circulatory causes (all age and under 75 years) were obtained from the local authority and public health observatory. Multivariate regression analyses were performed to assess relationships between job collar and health. RESULTS: When adjusted for deprivation, areas with higher percentages of pink-collar workers experienced lower rates of death from circulatory disease under the age of 75 in comparison to white-collar workers. Other relationships between collar status and health outcomes were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The reasons underlying the apparent protective effect of pink-collar status for deaths from circulatory disease are uncertain and merit further study. Possibilities include differences in age, exposure to occupational hazards and lifestyle behaviours. Our work has a number of limitations and longitudinal studies with detailed exposure data should assess the long-term health outcomes of these workers using agreed definitions.

Job strain in the public sector and hospital in-patient care use in old age: a 28-year prospective follow-up.

BACKGROUND: high job strain increases the risk of health decline, but little is known about the specific consequences and long-term effects of job strain on old age health. OBJECTIVES: purpose was to investigate whether physical and mental job strain in midlife was associated with hospital care use in old age. METHODS: study population included 5,625 Finnish public sector employees aged 44-58 years who worked in blue- and white-collar professions in 1981. The number of in-patient hospital care days was collected from the Finnish Hospital Discharge Register for the 28-year follow-up period. RESULTS: rates of hospital care days per 1,000 person-years for men were 7.78 (95% confidence interval [CI] 7.71-7.84) for low, 9.68 (95% CI 9.50-9.74) for intermediate and 12.56 (95% CI 12.47-12.66) for high physical job strain in midlife. The corresponding rates for women were 6.63 (95% CI 6.57-6.68), 7.91 (95% CI 7.87-7.95) and 10.35 (95% CI 10.25-10.42), respectively. Rates were parallel but lower for mental job strain. Reporting high physical job strain in midlife increased the risk of hospital care in old age compared with those who reported low job strain, fully adjusted incidence rate ratio 1.17 (95% CI 1.00-1.38) for men and 1.42 (95% CI 1.25-1.61) for women. These associations were robust in analyses confined to hospital care that took place after the employees had turned 65 years. CONCLUSION: exposure to high mental and, particularly, high physical job strain in midlife may set employees on a higher healthcare use trajectory which persists into old age.

Empirical lessons about occupational categorization from case studies of unemployment.

BACKGROUND: Scrutiny regarding the typological categorization of occupation (e.g., occupation as work, rest, or leisure) has prompted interest in experiential categories as a less exclusionary alternative. Empirical research can extend the dialogue about categorization by demonstrating how people in particular situations apply and generate occupational categories. PURPOSE: This article explores how adults without work utilized typological and experiential categorizations when discussing their occupations. METHOD: Data were generated via a secondary analysis of interview transcripts from three ethnographic case studies. FINDINGS: Study consultants gravitated toward experiential rather than typological categorizations, emphasizing the social, chosen, purposeful, and temporal qualities of their occupational engagement. IMPLICATIONS: Occupational therapy practitioners and researchers must explicitly state how and why they categorize occupations with clients and research participants. Whereas typological categories can be used to initiate discussions about occupation, open questions paired with consultant-generated experiential categories may better capture occupational engagement and reveal potential injustices in situations like unemployment

Comparison of farmers workload by manual and mechanical tasks on family farms.

The aim of this study was to compare the workload between tasks undertaken manually and those with the assistance of mechanical devices. The results indicate that the workload during the tasks assisted by mechanisation was usually very low or relatively low. Statistical analysis showed the impact of the way of the work performance on the workload. However, the results also indicate that the workload is not evenly distributed: the effort relating to the working tasks is larger in relation to the work of women than men. The need for mechanisation of the tasks performed by women is higher than that for the mechanisation of tasks performed by men. The type of work performance (manual, or technically assisted) did not clearly show significant differences in the workload. This surprising result indicates that the technical devices used on many farms are still far from perfect. It is concluded that assisting work with mechanical devices reduces the workload of farmers, but the way of work performance (manual or mechanical) was not statistically significant.

The 'division of physiological labour': the birth, life and death of a concept.

The notion of the 'division of physiological labour' is today an outdated relic in the history of science. This contrasts with the fate of another notion, which was so frequently paired with the division of physiological labour, which is the concept of 'morphological differentiation.' This is one of the elementary modal concepts of ontogenesis. In this paper, we intend to target the problems and causes that gradually led biologists to combine these two notions during the 19th century, and to progressively dissociate them, retaining only the concept of differentiation by the early 20th century. We shall adhere to the following: 1. The primitive economic concept of the division of labour is not a descriptive notion denoting a type of organisation of labour, but an etiological one: the idea of a causal relationship between this type of organization and the improvement of the whole. 2. This concept rapidly interested naturalists such as Henri Milne-Edwards, who were keen to find a rational ground for hierarchizing living forms based on anatomical complexity. 3. The validation of this notion in the realms of biology was subject to at least two conditions which were far from being fully satisfied. This did not prevent, however, the initial success of the concept of the division of physiological labour during the second half of the 19th century. 4. Finally, the gradual disqualification, within the Darwinian theoretical context, of the conception of an intrinsic hierarchical rank of organisms, led to a lack of interest in the concept of the physiological division of labour, at least in its non-Darwinian and non-ecological variant (the link between the division of labour within an organism and organic perfection).

[Impact of obesity-related disability in different work categories]. / Impatto dello disabilità correlata all'obesità nelle diverse categorie professionali.

Absenteeism and sick leave are often reported in obese workers. To evaluate disability work related we assess 180 overweight-obese subjects [BMI 34,6 + 6,4, range 26,0-59,0) with TSD-OC questionnaire divided into 7 items (pain; stiffness; ADL; housework; IADL; occupational activities; social life) with a total of 36 visual analogue scales. Among the job categories, health-care workers showed the highest TSD-OC total score (26,9 + 22,5%, ANOVA p < 0,05) and BMI (BMI 37,7 + 6,9 kg/m2). Among the items, pain was statistically significant in health-care workers (16,1 + 13,2%), in Services (16,3 + 14,3%), in Education (15,1 + 11,4%) and in Administration (13,3 +11,0%) ( p <0,05). "Occupational activities" item was statistically significant in health-care (11, 6 +10,6%, p <0,05).

Correlation of shift work and waist circumference, body mass index, chronotype and depressive symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: Correlate shift work with body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, chronotype and depressive symptoms. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study comprising 14 shift workers and 13 day workers. Subjects were workers from the health area aged 25 to 60 years. Minor psychiatric disorders were accessed by Self Report Questionnaire (SRQ-20) and depressive symptoms by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Chronotype was accessed using Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ). Anthropometric measures were taken. RESULTS: Shift workers presented higher BMI (P = 0.03) and waist circumference (P = 0.004) than day workers. Years on shift work were significantly correlated to waist circumference (r = 0.43; P = 0.03) and age (r = 0.47; P = 0.02). Shift work was not correlated with depressive symptoms and chronotype. CONCLUSION: These results may suggest a role played by shift work on the development and/or the early clinic manifestations of metabolic disturbances, becoming a risk factor to metabolic syndrome.

Correlation of shift work and waist circumference, body mass index, chronotype and depressive symptoms / Correlação entre trabalho de turno e circunferência abdominal, índice de massa corporal, cronotipo e sintomas depressivos

OBJECTIVE: Correlate shift work with body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, chronotype and depressive symptoms. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study comprising 14 shift workers and 13 day workers. Subjects were workers from the health area aged 25 to 60 years. Minor psychiatric disorders were accessed by Self Report Questionnaire (SRQ-20) and depressive symptoms by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Chronotype was accessed using Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ). Anthropometric measures were taken. RESULTS: Shift workers presented higher BMI (P = 0.03) and waist circumference (P = 0.004) than day workers. Years on shift work were significantly correlated to waist circumference (r = 0.43; P = 0.03) and age (r = 0.47; P = 0.02). Shift work was not correlated with depressive symptoms and chronotype. CONCLUSION: These results may suggest a role played by shift work on the development and/or the early clinic manifestations of metabolic disturbances, becoming a risk factor to metabolic syndrome.

OBJETIVO: Correlacionar o trabalho de turno com índice de massa corporal (IMC), circunferência abdominal, cronotipo e sintomas depressivos. SUJEITOS E MÉTODOS: Amostra de 14 trabalhadores de turno e 13 diurnos, com idade entre 25 e 60 anos. Transtornos psiquiátricos menores foram aferidos pelo Self Report Questionnaire (SRQ-20), sintomas depressivos pelo inventário de Depressão de Beck (BDI) e o cronotipo pelo Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ). As medidas antropométricas foram mensuradas. RESULTADOS: Trabalhadores de turno apresentaram maior IMC (P = 0,03) e circunferência abdominal (P = 0,004) quando comparados aos diurnos. O tempo de trabalho de turno foi correlacionado à circunferência abdominal (r = 0,43; P = 0,03). Não houve correlação entre trabalho e sintomas depressivos e cronotipo. CONCLUSÃO: Os resultados podem sugerir que o trabalho de turno desempenhe um papel no desenvolvimento e/ou nas precoces manifestações clínicas de distúrbios metabólicos, tornando-se um fator de risco para a síndrome metabólica.

How to assess physical work-ability with Functional Capacity Evaluation methods in a more specific and efficient way?

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper is to propose a three-step procedure that can be used in the selection of functional tests from any full Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) method in order to assess efficiently physical work-ability in workers with musculoskeletal complaints (MSC) and related functional limitations. METHODS: Recently, some authors have considered the selection of functional tests specific to particular jobs from within a full FCE method. In the present study, based on existing literature and on their own expertise on FCE methods, the authors develop in an analogous manner a conceptual framework for selecting functional tests specific to particular MSCs from within a full FCE method. RESULTS: The first step is to establish the worker's medical condition and to assign it to one or more defined MSC categories (upper extremity, back, lower extremity). The second step is to identify activities that are restricted by the medical condition (e.g., lifting and bending for MSC of the back). The third and final step is to select functional tests from a full FCE tests battery to permit measurement of the restricted activities identified in Step 2, striving to avoid redundancy by selecting a limited number of tests for each activity under investigation. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed three-step procedure is a new approach to enhance the efficiency and practicality of FCEs.

Quality of life of coal dust workers without pneumoconiosis in mainland China.

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the quality of life (QOL) of coal dust workers without pneumoconiosis in mainland China. Three hundred five coal dust workers and 200 non-dust workers without pneumoconiosis from five coal mines in Shanxi province were enrolled in this study. The Chinese World Health Organization Quality of Life-brief version (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire was used. Socio-demographic, working, and health factors were also collected. Multiple stepwise regression analysis was used to identify significant factors related to the four domain scores of WHOQOL-BREF. All functional domains of the Chinese WHOQOL-BREF were significantly worse in coal dust workers compared to non-dust workers except for psychological health. For the physical domain of QOL, educational level, working hours, and work danger were the significant factors. In the psychological domain, types of job, welfare satisfaction, work danger, hobbies, smoking, one-child family, and marital status were the predictive factors. Working hours, welfare satisfaction, educational level, and birthplace were the predictive factors for the social domain of QOL. Finally, the predictors for the environmental domain of QOL were types of job, working hours, welfare satisfaction, work danger, self-reported social status, smoking, and drinking. Coal dust workers without pneumoconiosis had worse QOL than non-dust workers but their subjective feelings were positive. There were four distinct models for the various domains of QOL. Corresponding health policies could be developed to improve their QOL.

Working overtime is associated with anxiety and depression: the Hordaland Health Study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether long work hours are associated with increased levels and prevalences of anxiety and depression. METHODS: Overtime workers (n = 1350) were compared with a reference group of 9092 workers not working overtime regarding anxiety and depression by means of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Self-reported information on various work-related factors, demographics, lifestyle, and somatic health was included. RESULTS: Overtime workers of both genders had significantly higher anxiety and depression levels and higher prevalences of anxiety and depressive disorders compared with those working normal hours. Findings suggest a dose-response relationship between work hours and anxiety or depression. CONCLUSIONS: Working overtime is associated with increased levels of anxiety and depression. The working groups differed significantly regarding several factors including income and heavy manual labor.

Computer algorithm for automated work group classification from free text: the DREAM technique.

OBJECTIVE: This study developed and tested a computer method to automatically assign subjects to aggregate work groups based on their free text work descriptions. METHODS: The Double Root Extended Automated Matcher (DREAM) algorithm classifies individuals based on pairs of subjects' free text word roots in common with those of standard classification systems and several explicitly defined linkages between term roots and aggregates. RESULTS: DREAM effectively analyzed free text from 5887 participants in a multisite chronic obstructive pulmonary disease prevention study (Lung Health Study). For a test set of 533 cases, DREAMs classifications compared favorably with those of a four-human panel. The humans rated the accuracy of DREAM as good or better in 80% of the test cases. CONCLUSIONS: Automated text interpretation is a promising tool for analyzing large data sets for applications in data mining, research, and surveillance. Work descriptive information is most useful when it can link an individual to aggregate entities that have occupational health relevance. Determining the appropriate group requires considerable expertise. This article describes a new method for making such assignments using a computer algorithm to reduce dependence on the limited number of occupational health experts. In addition, computer algorithms foster consistency of assignments.

[Some job factors associated with departure from working life before retirement age]. / Wplyw czynników zawodowych na ryzyko odejscia z pracy przed osilgnieciem wieku emerytalnego.

BACKGROUND: Ongoing demographic changes observed in Poland indicate progressive aging of the population. The process of systemic transformation initiated in Poland in 1989 has contributed to a significant decline in occupational activity among people especially those at the pre-retirement age. The identification of determinants responsible for the decreased occupational activity in older age groups of the population may provide the basis for taking appropriate steps to extend their period of employment, which will become a must in the near future in view of current socio-demographic phenomena. Therefore, the aim of the this study was to identify factors, which mostly contribute to an earlier departure of older workers from working life. The presented analysis concerns occupational factors characteristic of working conditions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was carried out in a group of current and former workers aged over 45 years and below the retirement age, employed at production workposts and in production services in the years 1996-2000. Active workers of the same age (+/- 3 years) and gender, employed at adequate workposts were matched with selected persons who had left their job because of becoming entitled to disability pension, earlier retirement, benefit or pre-retirement allowance. A questionnaire-based interview was used to collect empiric material, and logistic regression to analyze the risk of earlier departure from working life. RESULTS: The investigation carried out in the study group showed that the following factors mostly influenced departure from work before reaching the retirement age: piecework system (OR = 7.76; 95% CI: 2.53-23.79); heavy lifting at work (OR = 1.90; 95% CI: 1.11-3.25); physical workload (OR = 1.92; 95% CI: 0.74-5.00); exposure to low temperature (OR = 1.71; 95% CI: 0.94-3.09); exposure to whole-body vibration (OR = 1.47; 95% CI: 0.96-2.25); subjective assessment of fatigue after work (OR = 2.25; 95% CI: 1.45-3.48); and no leisure time after work (OR = 2.71; 95% CI: 1.52-4.83). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study can be regarded as an important indication that appropriate preventive measures should be taken to improve working conditions especially for older age groups, or to provide the possibility of their retraining if the occupational activity of older workers is to be increased.

Consecuencias del tipo de actividad laboral sobre algunos indicadores bioquímicos de riesgo aterogénico: Estudio en población geriátrica del nordeste argentino / Consequences of the type of labor activity on some biochemical indicators of atherogenic risk: Study in geriatrical population of the Argentine northeast

La actividad laboral puede desencadenar cambios que repercuten en el estado de salud. El propósito de este trabajo fue indagar las consecuencias que distintos tipos de actividad laboral pudieran haber producido sobre algunos parámetros bioquímicos indicadores de riesgo aterogénico en población senil. Se estudiaron 320 personas sanas de ambos sexos, con edades de 60 a 92 años, residentes en las provincias de Corrientes, Chaco y Misiones. A partir de un diseño en bloques se efectuó análisis de la variancia por modelo lineal a dos vías. Los promedios generales obtenidos en plasma para glucosa (5.17 +-0.71 mmol/L), fructosamina (332+-50 umol/L), colesterol total (5.64 +- 1.19 mmol/L), triglicéridos ( 1.48 +- 0.32 mmol/L) y lipoproteína beta ( 54.6 +- 8.2%) resultaron más altos que los admitidos para población general. Por su parte, las lipoproteínas alfa (34.5 +- 5.1%) y pre-beta (10.9 +- 2.3%) se ajustaron a dicho intérvalo de referencia. Los indicadores de riesgo aterogénico resultaron significativamente más bajos en los gerontes laboralmente inactivos. Las tareas sedentarias se plasmaron en desfavorables niveles lipídicos y las ocupaciones de alto riesgo en altos valores glúcidos. Los oficios que demandaron esfuerzo físico y poca tensión emocional sugirieron un mejor equilibrio metabólico. Se confirma que en la tercera edad los indicadores de riesgo aterogénico son afectados por el tipo de actividad laboral.