scholarly journals Combined Effects of Physical Behavior Compositions and Psychosocial Resources on Perceived Exertion Among Eldercare Workers

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (9) ◽  
pp. 923-935
Author(s):  
Leticia Bergamin Januario ◽  
Matthew L Stevens ◽  
Svend Erik Mathiassen ◽  
Andreas Holtermann ◽  
Kristina Karstad ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives High perceived physical exertion is common in eldercare workers and a strong predictor for impaired health. However, little is known on how physical behaviors at work associate with physical exertion in this group. The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which the composition of physical behaviors at work is associated with perceived physical exertion in nursing home eldercare workers, and the extent to which these associations are modified by psychosocial resources. Methods Our population consisted of 399 female eldercare workers from 126 wards in 20 different nursing homes. We evaluated time spent in physical behaviors at work [sitting, standing still, light activities (LAs), and moderate to vigorous activities (MVAs)] using triaxial accelerometers worn, on average, for three working days. We accounted for inherent codependency between the behaviors using compositional data analysis. We used multilevel linear mixed regression models to determine associations between the behaviors and perceived exertion, measured on a numeric rating scale (0–10), and included interactions between each behavior and psychosocial resources (influence at work, social support, and quality of leadership) to determine a possible moderating effect of resources. Regression results were illustrated using isotemporal substitution. Results Sitting was negatively (β: −0.64; P < 0.01) while MVA was positively (β: 0.95; P = 0.02) associated with perceived exertion. According to isotemporal substitution, replacing 30 min of MVA by sitting would, for an average worker, be associated with a decrease in physical exertion by −0.14 on the 0–10 scale. Job resources marginally moderated the association between LA and exertion. Thus, among workers with low influence and low social support, we found a positive association between LA and exertion, while that was not found for workers with medium or high influence and support (interactions for influence and support: P = 0.08 and P = 0.10). Conclusions Our findings suggest that reallocating time from MVA to sitting can mitigate perceived physical exertion in eldercare workers. More time in LA increased physical exertion only for workers with low psychosocial resources, supporting a positive effect of a better psychosocial work environment in elderly care.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Rong(Former Corresponding Author) ◽  
Wei-Jun Zheng ◽  
Tian-Li Liu ◽  
Shu-Hua Shen ◽  
Hong Fan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background : The number of families who lost their only child is estimated to be 10 million by 2035. The parents who lost their only child are forced to endure psychological suffering and cope with elderly care problems alone. Long-term poor mental health can affect physical health and reduce the quality of life and well-being. Methods : 130 participants were selected using the method of combining stratified sampling with cluster sampling. The study used Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and adopted a generalized linear regression model to investigate the parents who lost their only child in Anshun city, Guizhou province, China, to comprehensively and systematically explore the depression status and it's influencing factors of the parents. Results : The parents who lost their only child of different self-rated health status ( P =0.004) and the number of chronic diseases ( P =0.001) had different GDS scores. European quality of life-5 dimensions (EQ-5D) score( P =0.019) and Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) score ( P <0.001) were significantly associated with the depression of the parents who lost their only child. Conclusion : The parents who lost their only child is a high-risk group of depression, and targeted interventions should be carried out for them. The family doctor team should increase the frequency and content of serving them, and promptly manage their health. A diverse social support system should be built and consolidated for these parents.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingjie Yang ◽  
Lan Gao ◽  
Suoyuan Zhang ◽  
Libin Zhang ◽  
Ligang Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Although professional identity is a strong predictor of career choice, only a few studies report on career attitudes of medical students during a public health emergency. This study investigates the changes in medical students’ professional identity and career attitude during the COVID-19 pandemic, evaluates their mental health and social support system under stress, and explores the relationship between their career attitude and other factors. Method: An online survey of 6226 Chinese medical students was conducted to collect information on demographics, professional identity, and career attitudes. The collected data were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, and the Social Support Rating Scale. Results: The results revealed that most participants had their professional identity strengthened, did not change their career attitude, and preferred to participate in the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic. Low social support, depressive symptoms, male gender, and senior year residency were factors that affected career attitude negatively. Conclusions: After the outbreak of the pandemic, it was necessary to carry out diversified professional identity research to support medical students, especially those with low social support and depressive symptoms.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Ying Zhou ◽  
Jianhua Wang

We investigated the mental health status of 320 internal migrants in Beijing according to gender, age, marital status, and monthly income, and examined the relationship between their mental health status and social support mechanisms. Participants completed the self-report Symptom Checklist-90-R and Social Support Rating Scale. Results showed that their mental health was significantly worse than the Chinese adult norm as assessed in 2017. Participants' social support varied according to age, marital status, and monthly income. Female participants younger than 30 years old with a monthly income lower than 3,000 yuan comprised the group with the most mental health disorder symptoms. They thus required greater personal attention to their health. The results suggested that social support can predict mental health among internal migrants. Directions for further research are discussed.


Author(s):  
Lisa-Marie Larisch ◽  
Emil Bojsen-Møller ◽  
Carla F. J. Nooijen ◽  
Victoria Blom ◽  
Maria Ekblom ◽  
...  

Intervention studies aiming at changing movement behavior have usually not accounted for the compositional nature of time-use data. Compositional data analysis (CoDA) has been suggested as a useful strategy for analyzing such data. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of two multi-component interventions on 24-h movement behavior (using CoDA) and on cardiorespiratory fitness among office workers; one focusing on reducing sedentariness and the other on increasing physical activity. Office workers (n = 263) were cluster randomized into one of two 6-month intervention groups, or a control group. Time spent in sedentary behavior, light-intensity, moderate and vigorous physical activity, and time in bed were assessed using accelerometers and diaries, both for 24 h in total, and for work and leisure time separately. Cardiorespiratory fitness was estimated using a sub-maximal cycle ergometer test. Intervention effects were analyzed using linear mixed models. No intervention effects were found, either for 24-h behaviors in total, or for work and leisure time behaviors separately. Cardiorespiratory fitness did not change significantly. Despite a thorough analysis of 24-h behaviors using CoDA, no intervention effects were found, neither for behaviors in total, nor for work and leisure time behaviors separately. Cardiorespiratory fitness did not change significantly. Although the design of the multi-component interventions was based on theoretical frameworks, and included cognitive behavioral therapy counselling, which has been proven effective in other populations, issues related to implementation of and compliance with some intervention components may have led to the observed lack of intervention effect.


Author(s):  
Pooria Ebrahimi ◽  
Stefano Albanese ◽  
Leopoldo Esposito ◽  
Daniela Zuzolo ◽  
Domenico Cicchella

Providing safe tap water has been a global concern. Water scarcity, the ever-increasing water demand, temporal variation of water consumption, aging urban water infrastructure and anthropogenic pressure on the water...


mSphere ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaorui Bian ◽  
Gregory B. Gloor ◽  
Aihua Gong ◽  
Changsheng Jia ◽  
Wei Zhang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT We report the large-scale use of compositional data analysis to establish a baseline microbiota composition in an extremely healthy cohort of the Chinese population. This baseline will serve for comparison for future cohorts with chronic or acute disease. In addition to the expected difference in the microbiota of children and adults, we found that the microbiota of the elderly in this population was similar in almost all respects to that of healthy people in the same population who are scores of years younger. We speculate that this similarity is a consequence of an active healthy lifestyle and diet, although cause and effect cannot be ascribed in this (or any other) cross-sectional design. One surprising result was that the gut microbiota of persons in their 20s was distinct from those of other age cohorts, and this result was replicated, suggesting that it is a reproducible finding and distinct from those of other populations. The microbiota of the aged is variously described as being more or less diverse than that of younger cohorts, but the comparison groups used and the definitions of the aged population differ between experiments. The differences are often described by null hypothesis statistical tests, which are notoriously irreproducible when dealing with large multivariate samples. We collected and examined the gut microbiota of a cross-sectional cohort of more than 1,000 very healthy Chinese individuals who spanned ages from 3 to over 100 years. The analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequencing results used a compositional data analysis paradigm coupled with measures of effect size, where ordination, differential abundance, and correlation can be explored and analyzed in a unified and reproducible framework. Our analysis showed several surprising results compared to other cohorts. First, the overall microbiota composition of the healthy aged group was similar to that of people decades younger. Second, the major differences between groups in the gut microbiota profiles were found before age 20. Third, the gut microbiota differed little between individuals from the ages of 30 to >100. Fourth, the gut microbiota of males appeared to be more variable than that of females. Taken together, the present findings suggest that the microbiota of the healthy aged in this cross-sectional study differ little from that of the healthy young in the same population, although the minor variations that do exist depend upon the comparison cohort. IMPORTANCE We report the large-scale use of compositional data analysis to establish a baseline microbiota composition in an extremely healthy cohort of the Chinese population. This baseline will serve for comparison for future cohorts with chronic or acute disease. In addition to the expected difference in the microbiota of children and adults, we found that the microbiota of the elderly in this population was similar in almost all respects to that of healthy people in the same population who are scores of years younger. We speculate that this similarity is a consequence of an active healthy lifestyle and diet, although cause and effect cannot be ascribed in this (or any other) cross-sectional design. One surprising result was that the gut microbiota of persons in their 20s was distinct from those of other age cohorts, and this result was replicated, suggesting that it is a reproducible finding and distinct from those of other populations.


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