Physical fitness and sports medicine research in industrial/occupational health following public announcement of the new Total Health Promotion Plan guidelines

All countries are faced with the problem of the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCD): implement prevention strategies eff ectively, keep up the momentum with long term benefi ts at the individual and the population level, at the same time tackling hea lth inequalities. Th e aff ordability of therapy and care including innovative therapies is going to be one of the key public health priorities in the years to come. Germany has taken in the prevention and control of NCDs. Germany’s health system has a long history of guaranteeing access to high-quality treatment through universal health care coverage. Th r ough their membership people are entitled to prevention and care services maintaining and restoring their health as well as long term follow-up. Like in many other countries general life expectancy has been increasing steadily in Germany. Currently, the average life expectancy is 83 and 79 years in women and men, respectively. Th e other side of the coin is that population aging is strongly associated with a growing burden of disease from NCDs. Already over 70 percent of all deaths in Germany are caused by four disease entities: cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes. Th ese diseases all share four common risk factors: smoking, alcohol abuse, lack of physical activity and overweight. At the same time, more and more people become long term survivors of disease due to improved therapy and care. Th e German Government and public health decision makers are aware of the need for action and have responded by initiating and implementing a wide spectrum of activities. One instrument by strengthening primary prevention is the Prevention Health Care Act. Its overarching aim is to prevent NCDs before they can manifest themselves by strengthening primary prevention and health promotion in diff erent sett ings. One of the main emphasis of the Prevention Health Care Act is the occupational health promotion at the workplace.

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

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-10974-8 ◽

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.

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A multi-disciplinary approach to assessing Health Promotion, Occupational Health and Health & Safety in the workplace

International Journal of Health Promotion and Education ◽

10.1080/14635240.1999.10806106 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 37 (3) ◽

pp. 101-109 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Kathleen M Houston ◽

Robert G Atkinson ◽

Ewan B Macdonald ◽

Miriam E O'Connor

Keyword(s):

Health Promotion ◽

Occupational Health ◽

Health Safety

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Identifying Health and Safety Risks for Childcare Workers

AAOHN Journal ◽

10.1177/216507990705500804 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 55 (8) ◽

pp. 321-325 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Belinda J. McGrath

Keyword(s):

Health Promotion ◽

Occupational Health ◽

Workplace Health Promotion ◽

Health And Safety ◽

Workplace Health ◽

Safety Issues ◽

Safety Risks ◽

Health Promotion Programs ◽

Childcare Workers ◽

Health And Safety Risks

Childcare workers are exposed to several health and safety risks in their work environment, the most common being infectious diseases, musculoskeletal injuries, accidents, and occupational stress. Pregnant childcare workers have an additional risk of potential harm to the fetus. Occupational health nurses can work collaboratively with childcare workers to reduce these risks and provide workplace health promotion programs. This article explores the occupational health and safety issues for childcare workers and suggests health promotion strategies that could be implemented by occupational health nurses working in this arena.

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