Influence of environmental variables on students' cognitive performance in indoor higher education environments.

BACKGROUND: Educational environments can have environmental conditions that are incompatible with the needs of students, compromising their well-being and affecting their performance. OBJECTIVE: To identify the environmental variables that influence the performance of university students and measure this influence through an experiment in indoor environments. METHODS: The study applied an experimental methodology for three consecutive days in seven educational environments located in different regions of Brazil, measuring the environ-mental conditions, the students' perception of the environment, and their cognitive performance. The impact of environmental variables and environmental perception on student performance was analyzed using Generalized Linear Models and a Structural Equation Model. RESULTS: Students who took the test at air temperatures between 22.4°C and 24.7°C had a 74.20% chance of performing better than those outside this range. Air temperatures between 26.2°C and 29°C were associated with an 86% chance of taking less time to complete the test. High illuminance levels increased the chance of taking longer to answer the test by 41.7%. CONCLUSIONS: Three environmental variables (relative humidity, lighting and air temperature) and two perceptual dimensions (light and thermal perception) directly influence student performance.

Working as a contact center attendant: Relating purpose, meaning, sustainability and mental health.

BACKGROUND: There are companies that can be considered financially successful while creating negative externalities for their workers. This is the case of contact centers. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this article is to investigate the challenges for a service company (such as a contact center) in reconciling its economic and financial objectives with the promotion of the work dimension, guaranteeing workers the possibility of professional, collective, and human development. METHODS: This research has a qualitative ethnographic approach. An activity-centered work analysis method, also known as "Ergonomic Work Analysis" (EWA), was carried out in one of the largest companies in the Brazilian contact center market. RESULTS: The case shows that the achievement of economic-financial objectives of the analyzed company is mainly done by harming the well-being of its workers. In particular, the work of the attendants did not bring any development perspective for them. The prevalence of instrumental rationality in decision-making processes and the asymmetry of power relations between stakeholders are the main reasons why workers' well-being is not considered. CONCLUSION: The discussion proposes that work-related sciences, such as ergonomics and psychodynamics of work, can bring another type of rationality to the decision-making processes of companies. The work also needs to be sustainable enough to allow the construction and development of professionals, and the health of working population, while improving the company's performance.

Construction of a Musculoskeletal Discomfort Scale for the Lower Limbs of Workers: An Analysis Using the Multigroup Item Response Theory.

Musculoskeletal symptoms are a major occupational health problem in workers, and these can affect all professional occupations. Previous studies have proposed metrics capable of evaluating the musculoskeletal discomfort experienced by workers. However, no study has developed a metric that considers professional groups. Thus, this study aimed to develop a scale for musculoskeletal discomfort in the lower limbs to compare self-reported symptoms among education, health, and industry professionals. The sample included 159 teachers, 167 health professionals, and 401 industrial operators who relayed their symptoms using a diagram of the hips, thighs, knees, lower legs, and feet. Factor and multigroup item response theory analyses were used to construct a musculoskeletal discomfort scale consisting of seven levels and to assess and compare the identified symptoms. The results showed that the progressive evolution of discomfort differed for each profession, demonstrating that each context and work environment affects workers differently, which may explain the different patterns of symptom responses among professional groups.

Do men and women have different musculoskeletal symptoms at the same musculoskeletal discomfort level?

Owing to biological and social factors, illness-related musculoskeletal symptoms tend to vary between men and women. However, in the past, conceptualised discomfort metrics were applied uniformly to both genders. This study aimed to develop a scale to measure musculoskeletal discomfort that compares the symptoms between men and women. The scale aimed to determine the gender-based response patterns related to symptoms. A total of 707 men and 1302 women reported their symptoms on a body map. Factor analysis and item response theory were used to differentiate the identified symptoms in the construction of a musculoskeletal discomfort scale. Differences in work exposure appeared to explain the symptom patterns between men and women. The scale had eight levels, and it was found that at the same level of discomfort, men and women reported symptoms in different body regions.Practitioner summary: On this discomfort scale, the response patterns of men and women were categorised into eight levels. Symptoms differed by gender at the same musculoskeletal discomfort level. This is in contrast to previous studies in which scales were devised without considering differences between the genders.Abbreviations: WMSDs: work-related musculoskeletal disorders; BMI: body mass index; FA: factor analysis; IRT: item response theory; KMO: Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin; BST: Bartlett's test of sphericity; F: factor loading; h2: communality; α: Cronbach's alpha; ωt: McDonald's omega; ai: parameters of discrimination of the items; bik: parameters of difficulty of response categories; θj: latent trait; RMSEA: root mean square error of approximation; CFI: comparative fit index; TLI: Tucker-Lewis index; odu: musculoskeletal discomfort units; RA: rarely; OF: often; AL: always.

Sickness absence from work in the footwear industry: A longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Studies on illness in the footwear industry have prioritized specific work sectors and diseases. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the main factors related to sickness absence and the indicators of illness in terms of recurrence and workdays lost among workers at a footwear company, ranging from storage of raw material to distribution of the final product. METHODS: A total of 9072 cases of absence from work were investigated in shoe production units from 2014 to 2017. Univariate models estimated the risk of bodily dysfunction (physiological and psychological) and the severity of recurrence and work days lost. RESULTS: (1) Most production units and work sectors were related to one or more affected bodily functions; (2) Neuromusculoskeletal and movement-related functions and the work sectors of prefabrication; cutting, assembly and finishing; and quality inspection of the final product required a longer recovery time before return to work and had a greater recurrence of leave; and (3) Women seemed to be more affected than men in terms of the reappearance of symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Illness differs according to occupational sectors. The production sectors present more serious situations due to physical overload, intense rhythm and concentration, monotony and low autonomy.

Team Workload and Performance of Healthcare Workers with Musculoskeletal Symptoms.

In healthcare professionals, musculoskeletal complaints are the most frequent health disorders with the greatest potential for productivity losses. The teamwork developed by these professionals can be a coping strategy, but it can also be one more demand for the maintenance of performance. For this reason, this research aimed to investigate the relationship between team workload and performance in healthcare workers with different intensities of musculoskeletal symptoms. A survey was conducted with health professionals from 24 institutions of the Brazilian public health system, recruited by stratified probability sampling. Through non-hierarchical cluster analysis, the sample was allocated into three groups based on the intensity of musculoskeletal symptoms. We analyzed the approximation between the variables of "team workload" and "performance" of the groups formed in the previous phase through multiple correspondence analysis. In the group with higher musculoskeletal symptom scores, there was lower performance and a worse team workload. As the intensity of symptoms decreased, team workload and performance became closer variables in a two-dimensional space, indicating that the relationship between team workload and performance is improved in situations of low musculoskeletal symptom intensity.

New job stress scale: factor and convergent validity, and reliability / Nova escala de estresse no trabalho: validade fatorial, convergente e precisão / La nueva escala de estrés laboral: validez factorial, convergente y fiabilidad

To evaluate occupational stress, one of the most recent scales adapted for Portuguese is the short version of the 2004 Job Stress Scale (JSS). In 2016, a new English version called the New Job Stress Scale (NJSS) was developed. The objective of this paper was to adapt the NJSS, which measures a set of stressors related to work development, to the Portuguese language. A translated and adapted Portuguese version of the NJSS and the short and adapted Portuguese version of the JSS were applied, and 674 workers (industrial and services sector) from five Brazilian cities participated. A model with 20 items proved to be more adequate than the original (χ2/gl = 2.22; CFI = .95; GFI = .96; TLI = .94; ECVI = 1.96; and, RMSEA = .08). It was concluded that the NJSS has a reliable factorial structure to measure occupational stress in Brazil.

Para avaliar o estresse ocupacional, uma das escalas mais recentes adaptadas para o português é a versão resumida da Job Stress Scale (JSS) que data do ano de 2004. Em 2016, uma nova versão em inglês denominada New Job Stress Scale (NJSS) foi desenvolvida. Objetivou-se adaptar para a língua portuguesa a NJSS, que mensura um conjunto de estressores relacionados ao desenvolvimento do trabalho. Foram aplicadas uma versão traduzida e adaptada para o português da NJSS e a versão resumida e adaptada para o português da JSS. Participaram 674 trabalhadores (setor industrial e de serviços) de cinco cidades brasileiras. Um modelo com 20 itens se mostrou mais adequado que o original (χ2/gl = 2,22; CFI = 0,95; GFI = 0,96; TLI = 0,94; ECVI = 1,96; e, RMSEA = 0,08). Concluiu-se que a NJSS apresenta uma estrutura fatorial confiável para mensurar o estresse ocupacional no Brasil.

La versión corta de la Job Stress Scale (JSS), creada en 2004, es una de las más recientes escalas para evaluar estrés laboral adaptadas al portugués. En 2016, fue desarrollada una nueva versión en inglés llamada New Job Stress Scale (NJSS). En esta investigación, el objetivo fue adaptar al portugués la NJSS, que mide un conjunto de factores estresantes relacionados con el desarrollo del trabajo. Se aplicaron una versión de la NJSS traducida y adaptada al portugués y la versión corta de la JSS también adaptada al portugués a una muestra de 674 trabajadores (de los sectores industrial y de servicios) de cinco ciudades brasileñas. Un modelo con 20 ítems demostró ser más adecuado que la versión original (χ2/gl = 2,22; CFI = 0,95; GFI = 0,96; TLI = 0,94; ECVI = 1,96; y, RMSEA = 0,08). Se concluyó que la NJSS presenta una estructura factorial fiable para evaluar el estrés laboral en Brasil.

Risk factors for work-related musculoskeletal disorders among workers in the footwear industry: a cross-sectional study.

The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of biomechanical, psychosocial, environmental and individual factors on local and multisite work-related musculoskeletal disorder (WMSD) symptoms among workers at a footwear manufacturing company. The sample comprised 267 workers. The results showed that: (a) age, sedentary lifestyle, inappropriate posture and perceived effort were associated with symptoms in the shoulders, and the combination of these factors increased the odds four-fold; (b) inappropriate posture, perceived effort and bullying were related to symptoms in the wrists, and the combination of these factors increased the odds seven-fold; (c) inappropriate posture, perceived effort, length of work at the company and low social support were associated with multisite symptoms, and their combination increased the odds up to 30-fold. Therefore, mainly biomechanical and psychosocial factors were associated with WMSD symptoms, and their combinations increased the odds of occurrence.

Evaluation of musculoskeletal discomfort using item response theory: creation of a scale based on the self-reported pain symptoms.

This study aims to build a scale for musculoskeletal discomfort based on the self-reported musculoskeletal pain by individuals. For this, methods such as factorial analysis and item response theory were used. A sample of 1821 workers of a footwear industry participated in this study. The scale consists of four levels ranging from mild to maximum discomfort. In mild discomfort (level 60), pain symptoms are rare or frequent in regions such as cervical and trapezoidal area, low back, shoulders, wrists, ankles and feet. At level 70, rare or frequent symptoms affect regions of the upper and lower limbs. At level 80, frequent symptoms become common in the trunk and in most of the upper and lower limbs. At level 90, the symptoms become daily in elbows, thighs and knees. The scale showed signs of validity and proved useful for studies in ergonomics. Practitioner Summary: Methods such as factor analysis and item response theory were used to build a four-level musculoskeletal discomfort scale that can be useful to complement the screening process for workers with musculoskeletal pain. The scale shows signs of accuracy, in addition to validity and reliability. Abbreviations: WMSD: work-related musculoskeletal disorders; CTT: classic test theory; IRT: item response theory; KMO: Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin; PR: pain rarely; PO: pain often; PE: pain everyday; DIF: differential item functioning.