Age discrimination in the workplace: validation of the Nordic Age Discrimination Scale (NADS).

Due to population ageing, older workers will make up a larger proportion of the workforce. However, recent reports show an increase in perceived age discrimination among older employees. Previous research found that age discrimination may result in negative feelings, such as uselessness, powerlessness and lower self-esteem. This study develops and validates a scale for monitoring age discrimination in the workplace. The validation study draws on three datasets, from Norway, Sweden and Finland respectively. The study provides a psychometric contribution to the study of the behavioral component of ageism.

Employees' job satisfaction after the introduction of a total smoke-ban in bars and restaurants in Norway.

The aim of the study was to investigate possible effects of a total smoke-ban in Norwegian bars and restaurants (introduced on June 1st 2004) on employees' job satisfaction. A national representative sample was randomly selected from the public registry of all companies in the hospitality business. A baseline survey was conducted in May 2004, follow-up measurements were performed in September/October 2004 and May 2005. Altogether, 1525 employees agreed to participate in the baseline survey. Among respondents at baseline, 894 (59.4%) remained in the sample at the first follow-up and 758 (49.7%) at the second follow-up. Analysis of variance for repeated measures revealed a significant three-way interaction between personal smoking behaviour, attitudes towards the ban before it was enacted and time from baseline to the second follow-up. A small decline in job satisfaction was found between baseline and the first follow-up among employees who were daily smokers and had a negative attitude towards the ban. There was, however, an increase in job satisfaction between the first and second follow-up among the others (non-smokers and smokers with a positive attitude towards the ban). While job satisfaction was higher among smokers with negative attitudes towards the ban than among other employees before the ban entered into force, the opposite was the case one year later. The work environments in bars and restaurants seem to have changed towards being more satisfactory for non-smokers and smokers with positive attitudes towards the ban before it was enacted. In contrast, a small but persisting worsening of job satisfaction was found among employees that were daily smokers and had a negative attitude towards the ban.

Changes in Health and Health Behavior Associated With Retirement.

OBJECTIVES: While poor health contributes to early work exits, it is less clear how early work exits affect health. This study therefore examines changes in health associated with retirement. METHOD: Survey data from gainfully employed individuals aged 57 to 66 in 2002 were used to assess changes in health status and behaviors associated with retirement (49%) 5 years later ( N = 546). RESULTS: Compared with workers, retirees were more likely to report improvements in mental health (odds ratio [OR] = 1.67), and less likely to report mental health deteriorations (OR = 0.56). Retirees were more likely to both increase (OR = 2.03) and reduce (OR = 1.87) their alcohol intake, and to increase physical activity (OR = 2.01) and lose weight (OR = 1.75). DISCUSSION: As welfare states aim to extend working life to counteract repercussions of population aging, findings on possible health benefits for retirees may warrant more focus on the pros and cons of a prolonged working life.

A randomized trial of the capability of elderly lay persons to perform chest compression only CPR versus standard 30:2 CPR.

AIM OF THE STUDY: Early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) improves survival after cardiac arrest, but there is a discrepancy between the age group normally attending CPR-classes and the age group most likely to witness a cardiac arrest. We wanted to study if elderly lay persons could perform 10min of CPR on a realistic manikin with continuous chest compressions (CCC) and conventional CPR (30:2). METHODS: Volunteers were tested 5-7 months after CPR-classes. They were randomized to CCC or 30:2, and to receive feedback (FB) or not. Quality of CPR, age adjusted maximum heart rate (HRmax), and subjective exhaustion ratings were measured and evaluated in a blinded fashion. Temporal development and group differences were evaluated with ANOVA procedures. RESULTS: All 64 volunteers were able to perform CPR for 10min and rated their efforts as mild to moderate in concordance with a mean HRmax of 78%. Quality of CPR was similar in all groups, except for chest compression rate that was slightly higher and had less variability in the FB group. Overall chest compression depth was 41+/-4.5mm. Analysis of temporal development of chest compression depth revealed a small initial decline before leveling off. As expected, CCC group had less pauses and higher total number of chests compressions. CONCLUSION: Lay people in the age group 50-76 were able to perform CPR with acceptable quality for 10min and we found only very slight temporal quality deterioration. This makes training programs for the elderly meaningful to improve survival after cardiac arrest.

Effects of different psychological interventions on neck, shoulder and low back pain in female hospital staff.

One hundred and eleven females volunteered to take part in this intervention study of musculoskeletal pain. They all completed a survey of pain among five hundred and eighty-six female hospital staff and presented mild to severe pain in the neck, shoulder and/or low back. They were randomly assigned to one of the following groups; Focus on job-stress and psychosocial coping (Cognitive), relaxation training (Relaxation), the combination of the two (Combined) or to a control group (Control). Musculoskeletal pain (intensity and duration) was assessed by self-report prior to interventions, immediately after interventions, and at a four months follow-up. Results from multivariate analyses of variance as well as covariance (pre-intervention levels of pain as covariate) showed that magnitude of pain reduction was dependent upon the interaction between area of the back and type of intervention. These trends were more significant for intensity than for duration scores. They were due to reductions of pain in (1) neck and shoulders for the Cognitive and Combined groups and (2) in the low back and shoulders for the Relaxation group. The four month follow-up assessment revealed a significant risk of relapse only for duration of low back pain among subjects in the Combined group. Results from the Cognitive approach to intervention may reflect a causal role for ability to cope with psychosocial job stress in the development of neck and shoulder pain in female hospital staff.