Psychosocial work aspects, work ability, mental health and SARS-CoV-2 infection rates of on-site and remote Brazilian workers during the COVID-19 pandemic - a longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, some workers had the opportunity to work from home, while others remained in on-site work. The aim of the present study was to compare the psychosocial work aspects, work ability, mental health conditions and SARS-CoV-2 infection rates of Brazilian workers in remote and on-site work through a longitudinal study with quarterly follow-up assessments over a 12-month period. METHOD: A convenience sample of 1,211 workers from different economic sectors participated in the study, 897 of whom (74.1%) worked from home and 314 (25.9%) remained in on-site work. Psychosocial work aspects were assessed using the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ). Work ability was assessed using the Work Ability Index (WAI) and the Work Ability Score (WAS). Mental health conditions and SARS-CoV-2 infection rate were recorded based on self-reported medical diagnoses. Online questionnaires were answered from June 2020 to September 2021, involving two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. The groups were compared using chi-square tests, t-tests, and two-way ANOVA. RESULTS: In the first wave of the pandemic, remote workers reported more quantitative demands and work-family conflicts, whereas on-site workers reported more emotional demands, low development of new skills, low commitment, low predictability, low recognition, and low satisfaction. They also reported greater occurrences of unwanted sexual attention, threats of violence, and physical violence. In the second wave, the remote group continued to report high work-family conflicts, whereas the on-site group reported - in addition to the results of the 1st wave - low influence at work, low quality of leadership, and burnout. No significant difference was found between groups with regards to the WAI in either wave. A significant difference was found for the WAS between the 3rd and 12th months (P < 0.01) in both groups. No significant differences were found between groups for the prevalence of anxiety, depression, burnout/stress, insomnia, panic syndrome, and eating disorders, except for the prevalence of insomnia at the 12-month follow-up, with higher rates in the remote group (P = 0.03). SARS-CoV-2 infection was significantly lower in the remote group (11.3%) compared to the on- site (16.9%) group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Psychosocial work aspects differed between remote and on-site workers. Work ability and mental health conditions were similar between groups. Remote work might have played a role in limiting the spread of the virus in Brazil had it been more widely available.

Usefulness of the Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA) tool in detecting differences before and after an ergonomics intervention.

BACKGROUND: Most ergonomics studies on office workstations evaluate the effects of an intervention only by subjective measures such as musculoskeletal pain and discomfort. Limited evidence has been provided regarding risk factor reduction in office environments through standardized methods assessments. The Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA) tool can provide an estimation of risk factor exposure for office workers as a means by which the outcome of interventions can be quantified. PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to evaluate if ROSA scores reflect changes in risk factors after an ergonomics intervention among office workers. METHODS: Office workers (n = 60) were divided into two groups. The experimental group received a workstation intervention and the control group received no intervention. Changes in ROSA scores were compared before and after the intervention in both groups. RESULTS: Statistically significant reductions in the ROSA final and section scores occurred after the intervention in the experimental group with (mean reduction of 2.9, 0.8 and 1.6 points for sections A, B and C, respectively). In contrast, no differences were detected in the control group (mean increase of 0.1 point for sections A and C and mean reduction of 0.1 point for Section B). CONCLUSIONS: These findings show that ROSA scores reflect changes in risk factors after an ergonomics intervention in an office environment. Consequently, this tool can be used for identifying and controlling risk factors among computer workers, before and after interventions.

Rapid office strain assessment (ROSA): Cross cultural validity, reliability and structural validity of the Brazilian-Portuguese version.

Forty-three occupational health professionals (observers) and 90 workers were enrolled in this study to perform the cross-cultural adaptation of the Rapid Office Strain Assessment into Brazilian Portuguese (ROSA-Br) and evaluate its psychometric properties. After cross-cultural adaptation, the measurement properties were checked in three stages: study 1: pre-testing (27 observers rated 15 office worker videos), study 2: intra- and inter-observer reliability (26 observers rated 15 office worker videos), and study 3: validity and accuracy of ROSA-Br final scores (90 office workers). For the ROSA scores, acceptable intraclass correlation coefficients were found for 75% and 86% of the intra-observer reliability comparisons for non-trained and trained observers, respectively, and for 100% of the inter-observer reliability comparisons (0.43-0.86). For construct validity, moderate correlations were observed for 70% of the comparisons between ROSA final scores and other ergonomic instruments. Moderate accuracy was observed for a ROSA-Br final score of 6 (AUC [area under the curve] = 0.72, 0.89). Taken together, these results support the use of the ROSA-Br for ergonomic field assessments and research.

Is there a sociology of the body in Brazil? / Existe uma sociologia do corpo no Brasil? / Existe una sociologia del cuerpo en Brasil?

Abstract: This paper aims to identify the possible establishment of a Sociology of the Body in Brazil. The body is understood as a social construct ­ as a phenomenon that occurs in the relationship established between the individual and the social sphere ­, producing sense and meaning that is socially located and manifest in and by corporeality. Based on a survey of Brazilian Social Science (specifically Sociology and Anthropology) and Physical Education papers, we found enough research production to point out the incipient nature of Sociology of the Body in Brazil. (AU)

Resumo: O objetivo deste artigo é identificar a possível constituição de uma Sociologia do corpo no Brasil. O corpo é entendido como uma construção social ­ como um fenômeno que se realiza numa relação que se estabelece entre o individual e a esfera social ­, produzindo sentidos e significados localizados socialmente e manifestados na e pela corporeidade. A partir de uma pesquisa bibliográfica nos campos de conhecimento brasileiros das Ciências Sociais (especificamente Sociologia e Antropologia) e Educação Física, identificou-se resultados da investigação suficientes para sugerir o caráter incipiente da Sociologia do corpo no Brasil. (AU)

Resumen: Resumen: El objetivo de este artículo es identificar la posible existencia de una sociología del cuerpo en Brasil. El cuerpo es entendido como una construcción social ­como un fenómeno que se realiza en una relación que se establece entre lo individual y la esfera social­ produciendo sentidos y significados localizados socialmente y que se manifiestan en y a través de la corporeidad. A partir de una revisión de la literatura en periódicos brasileños de los campos de conocimiento de las ciencias sociales (específicamente sociología y antropología) y de la educación física, fueron identificados resultados suficientes para sugerir el carácter incipiente de la sociología del cuerpo en Brasil. (AU)

Global health and transfusion medicine: education and training in developing countries.

Education and training in transfusion medicine have improved over the past decade in developing countries but are still generally deficient for the purpose of maintaining the safety of the global blood supply. In 2009, the World Health Organization global database on blood safety indicated that only 72% of countries in the world were able to meet their training needs necessary for maintaining the safety of their local blood supply. Educational approaches in transfusion medicine vary widely between continents and world regions. In this article, we summarize a session on global health education and training in developing countries that took place at the 2012 AABB conference. The panel consisted of transfusion representatives from South America (Brazil), Asia (China), Africa (South Africa), and the Caribbean (Curaçao), as well as a description of capacitation issues in postearthquake Haiti and the pivotal role of the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in transfusion training and education in Africa. We present here summaries of each of these panel presentations.

Developing a trauma critical care and rehab hospital in Haiti: a year after the earthquake.

OBJECTIVE: Prior to the devastating earthquake in Haiti, January 12, 2010, a group of Haitian physicians, leaders and members of Project Medishare for Haiti, a Non-governmental Organization, had developed plans for a Trauma Critical Care Network for Haiti. DESIGN: One year after the earthquake stands a 50-bed trauma critical care and rehab hospital that employs more than 165 Haitian doctors, nurses and allied healthcare professionals, and administrative and support staff in Port-Au-Prince. Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare (HBMPM) has been operating with the following two primary goals: 1) to provide critical-care- and trauma-related medical and rehabilitation services and 2) to provide clinical education and training to Haitian healthcare professionals.(1) RESULTS: These goals have been successfully accomplished, with more than 43,000 outpatients seen, 6,500 emergency room visits, and about 2,300 surgical procedures performed. Daily patient care has been managed by Haitian medical staff as well as more than 2,400 international volunteers including physicians, nurses, and allied healthcare professionals. With the continued assistance of weekly volunteers, many programs and services have been developed; however, many challenges remain. CONCLUSIONS: This article highlights the development and progress of HBMPM over the last year with emphasis on developing inpatient and outpatient services, which include surgical, clinical laboratory, wound care, radiology, rehabilitation, and prosthesis/orthotics programs. Some of the challenges faced and how they were managed will be discussed as well as future plans to conduct more training and education to increase the building of medical capacity for Haiti.

Factors associated with inpatient mortality in a field hospital following the Haiti earthquake, January-May 2010.

OBJECTIVE: To describe factors associated with inpatient mortality in a field hospital established following the 2010 Haiti earthquake. DESIGN: Data were abstracted from medical records of patients admitted to the University of Miami Global Institute/Project Medishare hospital. Decedents were compared to survivors in terms of age, sex, length of stay, admission ward, diagnosis, and where relevant, injury mechanism and surgical procedure. Three multivariate logistic regression models were constructed to determine predictors of death among all patients, injured patients, and noninjured patients. RESULTS: During the study period, 1,339 patients were admitted to the hospital with 100 inpatient deaths (7.5 percent). The highest proportion of deaths occurred among patients aged < or = 15 years. Among all patients, adult intensive care unit (ICU) admission (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 7.6 and 95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.4-16.8), neonatal ICU/pediatric ICU (NICU/PICU) admission (AOR = 7.8 and 95% CI = 2.7-22.9), and cardiac/respiratory diagnoses (AOR = 8.5 and 95% CI = 4.9-14.8) were significantly associated with death. Among injured patients, adult ICU admission (AOR = 7.4 and 95% CI = 1.7-33.3) and penetrating injury (AOR = 3.3 and 95% CI = 1.004-11.1) were significantly associated with death. Among noninjured patients, adult ICU admission (AOR = 6.6 and 95% CI = 2.7-16.4), NICU/PICU admission (AOR = 8.2 and 95% CI = 2.1-31.8), and cardiac/ respiratory diagnoses (AOR = 6.5 and 95% CI = 3.6-12.0) were significantly associated with death. CONCLUSIONS: Following earthquakes in resource-limited settings, survivors may require care in field hospitals for injuries or exacerbation of chronic medical conditions. Planning for sustained post-earthquake response should address these needs and include pediatric-specific preparation and long-term critical care requirements.