scholarly journals Work Ability of Thai Ageing Workers in Southern Thailand: A Comparison of Formal and Informal Sectors

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chamnong Thanapop ◽  
Sasithorn Thanapop
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Work Ability ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Ageing Society ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Ageing Workers ◽  
Southern Thailand ◽  
Formal And Informal Sectors

Abstract Background Thai society has been moving towards an ageing society. The independent elderly persons needed to continue decent work after retirement. This study analyses the association of work ability, individual and work-related factors with Work Ability Index (WAI) of the formal and informal sectors in a southern Thailand community. Methods This cross-sectional study with multi-stage sampling employs in 324 Thai elderly workers, aged between 45 and 70, working in Nakhon Si Thammarat province. Data collection of socio-demographic status, health history, work-related factors questionnaires were done with anthropometric data and WAI instrument between March and September 2019. The descriptive and logistic regression analysis were used for the association analysis. Results Participants were predominantly general labour (23.8%), female (70.7%). Smoking and alcohol consumption was more than 70% and obesity was more than 60%. Nearly half of them were NCDs patient (48.2%). Total average WAI at 40.6 (S.D. = 4.6) and 37.5 (S.D. = 5.0) for formal and informal sectors, respectively. Nearly Fifty-two per cent (51.9%) of the participants had received sometimes occupational health services and frequently accessed to health promotion 78.1%. There was no association of work sector and WAI. The workers of age 55 years and above (OR = 1.45; 95% CI [1.21, 1.74]), the presence of NCDs (OR = 2.85; 95% CI [1.69, 4.80]), and unsafe working practice (OR = 2.11; 95% CI [1.26, 3.55]) have a higher risk of low to moderate WAI. Conclusions The age group, presence of NCDs and safety practices, associated with work ability of the Thai’s ageing workers. It suggested that promoting healthy behaviour and work environment may be an important strategy to improve ageing worker’s work ability and health. The ageing health services should cooperate with occupational health programmes in order to improve work ability and productivity of ageing workers for life-long working.

scholarly journals Work ability of Thai older Workers in Southern Thailand: a comparison of formal and informal sectors

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sasithorn Thanapop ◽  
Chamnong Thanapop
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Occupational Health ◽  
Work Ability ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Informal Workers ◽  
Southern Thailand ◽  
Excellent Work ◽  
Working Practices ◽  
Formal And Informal Sectors ◽  
Safe Working

Abstract Background Thai society is becoming an ageing society. Independent older persons need to be able to continue to work after retirement. The Work Ability Index (WAI) is an assessment tool for improving the health and work environment of the older workers. The objective of this study is to explore work ability and its related factors among older workers in formal and informal sectors in southern Thailand. Methods This cross-sectional study with multistage sampling focused on 324 Thai older workers, aged between 45 and 70 years, working in Nakhon Si Thammarat province. Data on sociodemographic status, health history, and work-related factor questionnaires were collected, including anthropometric measures and the WAI instrument between March and September 2019. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were used to examine associations. Results The participants were predominantly general labourers (23.8%) and female (70.7%). Nearly half of them had noncommunicable chronic diseases (NCDs) (48.2%) and were obese (more than 60%). Approximately 60% (59.9%) engaged in safe working practices. The participants sometimes received occupational health services (51.9%) and frequently accessed health promotion services (78.1%). There was a significant difference in the total average WAI score of the formal and informal workers: 40.6 (S.D. = 4.6) and 37.5 (S.D. = 5.0), respectively. The multivariate analysis showed that workers aged 55 years and older (adj. OR = 1.45; 95% CI [1.21, 1.74]), those with NCDs (adj. OR = 2.85; 95% CI [1.69, 4.80]), and those who were exposed to unsafe working practices (adj. OR = 2.11; 95% CI [1.26, 3.55]) had a higher risk of a poor to moderate WAI. Conclusions Most of the older workers had good to excellent work ability. Older age and the presence of NCDs were negatively associated with good to excellent work ability. Safe working practices improved older workers’ work ability. Integrated occupational health protections and health promotion programmes for older informal workers should be provided by community health services to improve work ability.

scholarly journals Analysis of work-related accidents and ill-health in Brazil since the introduction of the accident prevention factor

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Helena Eri Shimizu ◽  
Josierton Cruz Bezerra ◽  
Luciano José Arantes ◽  
Edgar Merchán-Hamann ◽  
Walter Ramalho
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Occupational Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Economic Activity ◽  
Accident Prevention ◽  
Multiplication Factor ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Before And After ◽  
External Causes

Abstract Background Since 2004, Brazil has had a national policy for occupational health and safety. This policy means companies’ tax burden is altered according to the numbers of work-related accidents and ill-health amongst their workers. In 2010, a multiplication factor was introduced to this policy, called the Accident Prevention Factor. The idea of this new multiplication factor is to encourage individual employers to take initiatives to prevent accidents and ill health in the workplace. This study was designed to investigate the incidence of work-related accidents and ill-health in Brazil according to their causes, their severity, and the economic activity in which they occur, and to compare the data before and after the introduction of the Accident Prevention Factor. Methods An ecological study was conducted by analyzing the time series of work-related accidents/ill-health between 2008 and 2014 from the Brazilian social security system (Previdência Social) statistical yearbooks. Incidences were calculated per cause, economic activity, and severity of the accident/ill-health. Data from before and after the introduction of the Accident Prevention Factor were compared using the Mann-Whitney test per cause and per economic activity. Statistical analyses were made using the SPSS software, with significance set at 5%. Results A reduction in the incidence of work-related accidents/ill-health was found across all the groups of causes analyzed, except for the groups “external causes of morbidity and mortality” and “factors influencing health status and contact with health services.” Greater reductions were found for diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue and diseases of the nervous system. Reductions in work-related accidents/ill-health were found in the different economic activities and in the different severity groups. The highest reduction after the introduction of the Accident Prevention Factor was in manufacturing and production (p < 0.05). Conclusions Overall, the incidence of accidents/ill-health was found to be on decline, except those with external causes of morbidity and mortality and those involving factors influencing health status and contact with health services. The biggest reduction was found in manufacturing and production. However, generally speaking progress still needs to be made in accident prevention and occupational health across a whole range of work environments.

scholarly journals Decent Work, ILO’s Response to the Globalization of Working Life: Basic Concepts and Global Implementation with Special Reference to Occupational Health

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 3351
Author(s):  
Jorma Rantanen ◽  
Franklin Muchiri ◽  
Suvi Lehtinen
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Occupational Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Occupational Health Services ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Work Related ◽  
2030 Agenda ◽  
Work Concept

Twenty years ago, the International Labour Organization (ILO) launched a new strategy, the Decent Work Agenda, to ensure human-oriented development in the globalization of working life and to provide an effective response to the challenges of globalization. We searched for and analysed the origin of the Decent Work concept and identified the key principles in ILO policy documents, survey reports, and relevant United Nations’ (UN) documents. We also analysed the implementation of the Decent Work Country Programmes (DWCPs) and examined the available external evaluation reports. Finally, we examined the objectives of the ILO Decent Work Agenda and the Decent Work targets in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in view of occupational health. In two thirds of the ILO’s Member States, the Decent Work Agenda has been successfully introduced and so far fully or partly implemented in their DWCPs. The sustainability of the Decent Work approach was ensured through the UN 2030 Agenda, the ILO Global Commission Report on the Future of Work, and the ILO Centenary Declaration. However, objectives in line with the ILO Convention No. 161 on Occupational Health Services were not found in the DWCPs. Although successful in numerous aspects in terms of the achievement of the Decent Work objectives and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Decent Work Agenda and the Decent Work Country Programmes need further development and inclusion of the necessary strategies, objectives, and actions for occupational health services, particularly in view of the high burden of work-related diseases and, for example, the present global pandemic. In many countries, national capabilities for participation and implementation of Decent Work Country Programmes need strengthening.

scholarly journals How can occupational health services in Sweden contribute to work ability?

Work ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 2998-3001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Schmidt ◽  
John Sjöström ◽  
Ann-Beth Antonsson
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Work Ability ◽  
Occupational Health Services

scholarly journals O3D.4 Innovative approaches to data acquisition, standardization, pooling and analyses of occupational health information

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. A28.2-A28
Author(s):  
Roel Vermeulen
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Data Acquisition ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Response Curves ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Using Data

Occupation and employment is a major determinant of health and healthy aging. Despite the temporal increase in time spent in employment and profound changes in working life, there is limited coordinated research on occupation and health.We recently estimated that in Europe alone there is information available on more than 30 million individuals that could be used to study the association between working life and health. However, lack of standardization, inability to code large numbers of job-entries and inabilities to share data have hindered progress. In order to unlock the vault of occupational-health information novel ways of data acquisition, standardization, pooling and analyses have to be developed and implemented. The ability of pooling studies would greatly improve occupational health studies by increasing sample size for robust inference, and would allow risk stratification, identification of new risks, exploration of interactions with work and non-work-related factors and detailed analyses on the shapes of the exposure-response curves.In recent years we have seen progress in several different methodological aspects. Currently, new tools are available to collect information on work and work exposures. These include amongst others the use of sensors and mobile phone applications. Standardization of occupational information is essential for comparison of results between studies and for pooling of studies. This could be achieved by using common occupational coding schemes, use of automatic coding instruments and common exposure assessment tools. Virtual pooling of data has become possible by using data-shields which instead of bringing the data to the analyses bring the analyses to the data allowing federated analyses.As part of the OMEGA-NET symposium we will discuss the need for new tools and avenues of how to bring occupational health information together. We will present our inventory of novel tools to aid this process, and will discuss future needs.

Effect of job and individual factors on Work Ability Index (WAI) in a dairy company

2016 ◽  
pp. 34-39
Author(s):  
Haji Omid Kalte
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Work Ability ◽  
Job Insecurity ◽  
Statistical Analyses ◽  
Work Ability Index ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Ability Index ◽  
The Mean

Abstract Background: The work ability index (WAI) is one the most widely used instruments for measuring perceived work ability. However, very few studies have used this instrument in Iran. The present study is designed to assess effect of individual and work-related risk factors on the WAI in one dairy factory. Methods: This cross-sectional study was designed among 117 workers. Work ability was measured by the Persian versions of Work Ability Index (P-WAI). An author-developed measure was used to assess individual and work-related factors. All Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 21 (USA, SPSS Inc.). Results: The mean age of participants was 32.38 ± 7.3 and the Mean score of the WAI was 44.92 ± 5.56. According to the categorical classification of WAI score, 10.9, 35.6, and 53.5 % of participants had moderate, good and excellent work ability, respectively. The results of statistical analyses showed that mean WAI significantly differed with age (0.049), sleep quality (p= 0.035) and employment status (p= 0.014). Conclusion: To improve the workers’ work ability, intervention programs should focus on improving sleep quality and exercise. Also, we suggest that increasing job insecurity should be considered an important intervention in promoting worker’s work ability. Keywords: Work Ability Index (WAI), Sleep Quality, Job Insecurity

Managing Diabetes in the Workplace

2020 ◽  
pp. 216507992096553
Author(s):  
Margaret McCarthy ◽  
Allison Vorderstrasse ◽  
Joeyee Yan ◽  
Angie Portillo ◽  
Victoria Vaughan Dickson
Keyword(s):  
Work Ability ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Coworker Support ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Excellent Work ◽  
The Relationship

Background: Although many adults with diabetes are productive members of the workforce, loss of work productivity has been associated with diabetes. The purpose of this study was to explore the interrelationship between work-related factors and current work ability in adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods: This study used a convergent mixed-method design. We assessed the relationship between work-related factors and work ability using bivariate statistics and logistic regression. Work ability was measured using the Work Ability Index and Karasek’s Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) was employed to measure job demands. Qualitative interviews ( n = 30) explored the relationship between diabetes and work. Findings: The sample ( n =101) was mostly female (65%) and White (74%). Most worked full-time (65%), had T2D (87%), an elevated glycated hemoglobin A1c ≥ 7% (56%), and were overweight (22%) or obese (68%). Only 33% of subjects self-reported their work ability as excellent. Four of the JCQ subscales (skill discretion, psychological demands, supervisor support, and coworker support), and work–life balance were significantly associated with work ability (all p < .05). In adjusted models, better coworker support (OR = 1.4; 95% CI = [1.04, 1.9]) and better work–life balance (OR = 1.3; 95% CI = [1.1, 1.5]) were associated with excellent work ability. Many stated their diabetes impacted them at work and spoke of the effects of stress. Few engaged in workplace wellness programs. Conclusion/Application to Practice: Social support and work–life balance were associated with excellent work ability. Engaging workers with diabetes in workplace educational programs may take strategic efforts by occupational health staff.

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