The Predictors of Work-Related Stress: Organizational Justice and Fatalism

The purpose of the current study is to understand the relationship between organizational justice and the effect of the fatalism on work related stress. Although, organizational justice has been found to be a significant predictor of the work related stress in previous studies, fatalism which can be related with work related stress and organizational justice as well, has not been studied before together. In this correlational study, organizational justice, four dimensions of fatalism and job type were considered as predictors and work-related stress was the criterion variable. In total, 100 academics and 66 support staff have participated to this study. Multiple regression analysis with backward elimination was conducted. Results indicated that organizational justice, job type and luck were significant predictors of the work-related stress. While an increase on organizational justice perceptions lowers the work-related stress, luck and work-related stress seem increasing together. Additionally, academic personnel have higher stress levels than support staff. However, superstition, personal control, and predetermination dimensions of the fatalism were not found to be significantly associated with work related stress. Policy improvements were offered in line with the findings and recommendations for future studies were prescribed in discussion.

Dietary differences by job type and industry among workers in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic requires people to change their lifestyles. This study aimed to examine the differences in dietary behaviors during the pandemic across job types and industries. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the Novel-coronavirus and Work Project. Job type and industry were classified into 3 and 22 groups, respectively. Dietary behaviors were assessed using self-reported questionnaires regarding eating breakfast, frequency of meals, and eating fast foods. Changes in eating breakfast during the pandemic were also evaluated. Logistic regression analysis nested in the workplace prefecture was carried out and adjusted for gender, age, body mass index, presence of family members, educational background, and household income. Results: Workers involved in jobs that require communicating with people were more likely to skip breakfast (OR 1.17, 95%CI 1.10-1.24) and had a lower frequency of meals (OR 1.25, 95%CI 1.17-1.34) than workers engaged in desk work. Manual workers were more likely to eat fast food or meals (OR 1.10, 95%CI 1.03-1.17) than workers engaged in desk work. Workers engaged in newspaper, magazine, television, radio, advertising, and other mass media industries were more likely to skip breakfast (OR 2.43, 95%CI 1.82-3.24) and have a lower frequency of meals (OR 3.90, 95%CI 2.87-5.28) than workers in public offices and organizations. Conclusion: The tendencies of dietary behaviors across job types/industries during the pandemic were shown, partially consistent with a trend reported before the pandemic. Further studies should clarify the causes of differences in dietary behaviors among workers.

Differences in psychosocial constructs among elementary school staff that implement physical activity programs: a step in designing implementation strategies

Multiple types of school staff members (e.g., classroom teachers, principals) are involved in implementing physical activity programs (e.g., classroom-based, gym), but factors specific to their job responsibilities may inhibit their ability to implement programming effectively. Thus, implementation strategies tailored by job type may be needed. We compare perceptions of behavioral constructs related to implementation of school-based physical activity programs, by job type, among school staff. School staff (n = 139), including principals/assistant principals (n = 21), physical education teachers (n = 41), and classroom teachers (n = 77), from elementary schools (n = 25), completed a cross-sectional survey measuring perceptions of attitudes, barriers, knowledge, and outcome expectations related to the implementation of physical activity programs. We compared constructs between job types using complex samples general linear models. Classroom teachers reported more perceived implementation barriers, lower physical activity knowledge, and lower outcome expectations than physical education teachers. Principals reported more perceived implementation barriers than physical education teachers. Classroom teachers reported lower physical activity knowledge than principals. Attitudes towards physical activity were not different by job type. Each job type has a unique constellation of factors affecting their capacity to implement physical activity programs. Understanding these differences enables tailoring of implementation strategies by job type.

Estimating Total Energy Expenditure for Fire-Fighters during Large Scale Disaster Response Training Using a Tri-Axial Accelerometer

The present study was conducted to estimate total energy expenditure (TEE) of fire-fighters using tri axial-accelerometers in conjunction with an activity log survey on a large number of subjects undergoing training mimicking a large-scale disaster. Subjects were 240 fire-fighters participating in a two-day fire-fighting training dedicated to large-scale natural disasters. Data was analyzed by job type of activity group and the job rank, and by comparing the average. The average TEE of the total survey training period is about 3619 (±499) kcal, which is the same value of expenditure for professional athletes during the soccer game season. From the activity group, the rescue and other teams consumed significantly more energy than the fire and Emergency Medical Team (EMS) teams. From the job rank, Fire Captain (conducting position) consumed significantly lower energy than the Fire Lieutenant and Fire Sergeant. Furthermore, it was found that a middle position rank consumed the most energy. This research supports a need to reconsider the current rescue food (and protocols) to supplement the energy expenditure of fire-fighters. In addition, since there was a significant difference between the job type and the job rank, it is necessary to examine the energy amount and shape suitable for each.

Gender differences in housework and childcare among Japanese workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: Although gender stereotypes regarding paid work and unpaid work are changing, most wives are responsible for taking care of the family and home in Japan. It is unclear how time spent on housework and childcare has changed between working men and women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. The purpose of this study is to investigate how working men and women's responsibilities for housework and childcare changed during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan depending on occupation, job type, and the number of employees in the workplace. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis (N=14,454) was conducted using data from an internet monitoring study (CORoNa Work Project), which was conducted in December 2020. A multilevel logistic model with nested prefectures of residence was conducted to estimate the odds ratio (OR) for change in time devoted to housework and childcare among men and women adjusting for age, household income, frequency of telecommuting, presence of spouse who work, occupation, job type, the number of employees in the workplace, and the incidence rate of COVID-19 by prefecture. Results: Regardless of occupation related factors, more women than men reported increased time spent on housework and childcare. Furthermore, women were significantly more likely to experience an increase in time spent on those activities than men (housework: OR 1.97 , 95% CI [1.75, 2.21], p < 0.001; childcare: OR 1.66, 95% CI [1.37, 2.02], p < 0.001). Conclusions: The time spent by women on housework and childcare increased significantly compared to men during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.

Effectiveness of Diploma of Associate Engineers (DAE) Program Working Under TEVTA in Punjab

Present study was aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the Diploma of Associate Engineers (DAE) Program working under TEVTA. The population of the study was comprised of all the employees (Civil, Mechanical and Electrical) working in public and private organizations in Punjab. Employees were selected on a convenient basis. Therefore, 143 employees were a sample of the study. A questionnaire for employees was adapted to collect the data. The reliability of the instrument was 0.847. Findings revealed that employees were satisfied with the DAE curriculum, physical facilities, and administrative facilities at their workplace. On the other hand, employees were not very satisfied with their assessment and evaluation systems and social factors affecting their workplaces. A significant mean difference was found in employees perceptions regarding the effectiveness of DAE regarding their locale, job type, and trade. It is recommended that DAE graduates might be trained according to the industry demand rather than conventional knowledge.

Walking Time, Sports Activity, Job Type, and Body Posture During Work in Relation to Incident Colorectal Cancer: The JACC Prospective Cohort Study

Purpose An inverse association between physical activity and colorectal cancer (CRC) was suggested. We aimed to assess the specific and combined effects of leisure-time and occupational physical activities on CRC risk among Japanese adults. Methods Using Cox proportional hazard models, we tested whether walking time, sports activity, body posture during work, and job type– or the combination of these variables – were associated with CRC incidence during 17 years of follow-up (1990–2009) in a prospective cohort of 26,897 Japanese men and women aged 40–79 years. Results During the follow-up period, 423 incident cases of CRC (267 colon and 156 rectum cancer) were ascertained. Time spent walking showed a dose-response inverse relationship with CRC risk (p-trend = 0.053). Manual labor was associated with lower CRC risk when compared to office work; HR (95%CI) = 0.75 (0.57–0.98) for colorectal cancer and 0.69 (0.48–0.97) for colon cancer. Compared to sitting, moving during work tended to be inversely associated with rectal cancer risk, especially after censoring early incident cases within 3 years after baseline; HR (95% CI) = 0.63 (0.40–0.99). Combining leisure-time walking with job type suggested mutual and synergistic benefits (p-interaction < 0.05). Compared to office workers walking < 1h/d, non-office workers walking < 1h/d had a 39% lower risk, office workers walking ≥ 1h/d had a 52% lower risk, while non-office workers walking ≥ 1h/d had a 40% lower risk of developing colon cancer. Conclusions The time spent walking, job type and posture during work were independently and additively associated with reduced incident CRC risk among Japanese men and women.