Publications by authors named "Hajime Ando"
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigates the relationship between workplace stressors and the risk of developing Long COVID among Japanese workers, aiming to enhance understanding and inform workplace management.
- - Researchers analyzed survey data from 1,539 participants, focusing on factors like job demands, job control, and social support, with 248 participants reporting Long COVID symptoms that lasted over two months.
- - Results indicate that high job demands, poor job control, and lack of support from supervisors and co-workers increase the likelihood of Long COVID, suggesting that managing workplace stress could help prevent its development.
This study evaluated trends in the implementation of workplace measures against COVID-19 by Japanese companies. We conducted a prospective cohort study, using data from December 2020 and December 2021, with 13,419 respondents participating in the follow-up survey. We evaluated nine workplace measures against COVID-19 (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: This study aims to clarify the relationship between peripheral neuropathy in hand-arm vibration syndrome and cumulative exposure index.
Methods: 68 participants without symptoms were surveyed. The participants were divided into three groups based on past and current vibration exposure (VE).
Article Synopsis
- A study in Japan examined how socioeconomic factors, particularly occupation, affect the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) during the COVID-19 pandemic, using data from 17,640 workers.
- Upper-level nonmanual workers (like managers and professionals) had a higher incidence of CHD (2.3%) compared to other workers (1.7%), especially among younger individuals aged 20-49.
- The research found that remote work contributed to a 32% disparity in CHD risk, suggesting that it plays a significant role in moderating health risks for upper-level workers in Japan, contrary to patterns seen in Western countries.
Article Synopsis
- - The study aimed to explore the link between COVID-19 infection and psychological distress among people in Japan.
- - Researchers analyzed data from 14,901 participants, focusing on how having had COVID-19 affected their mental health.
- - The findings indicated a connection between COVID-19 infection and psychological distress, which was significantly influenced by feelings of being treated unfairly.
Article Synopsis
- * It found that emergency workers' BMI was affected by factors such as eating out habits and evacuation circumstances, with evacuation linked to increased BMI.
- * To prevent obesity and related health issues among these workers, diet counseling is crucial, especially for those who have been evacuated, to help them maintain proper caloric intake.
Objective: This study aimed to assess the extent to which the intensity of perceived workplace health support (PWHS) affected the incidence of psychological distress.
Methods: At the baseline, data from 4540 eligible participants throughout Japan were obtained using an Internet survey. Among them, 2362 participants who could be followed up 1 year after the initial study were included in the analysis.
Article Synopsis
- - The study aimed to determine which COVID-19 prevention measures at work were viewed as mistreatment by employees.
- - Out of 18,170 workers surveyed, 276 felt they experienced mistreatment due to specific measures like daily temperature checks and suspending business trips.
- - Conversely, actions like encouraging sick employees to stay home and restricting social gatherings potentially decreased feelings of mistreatment.
Article Synopsis
- - The study assessed how implementing infection prevention and control (IPC) measures affects COVID-19 infection rates among employees, focusing on a large group of 11,982 participants from December 2020 to December 2021.
- - It found that employees who were asked to stay home when feeling ill had a significantly lower risk of contracting COVID-19 compared to those who were not asked to do so (adjusted relative risk of 0.56).
- - The conclusion emphasized the effectiveness of this policy in reducing infections, urging companies to adopt and promote such measures to protect their workforce.
Objective: Currently, there is no standardized questionnaire for regular workplace health check-ups in Japan. We considered that there are several issues associated with this, including the possibility that the questionnaire items are not useful for occupational health staff. Therefore, our study aimed to examine the questionnaire items required in regular health check-ups from the occupational health practice perspective and prepare a draft of a standardized medical questionnaire.
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- The study examined how changes in work and sleep patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic affected the mental health of Japanese workers in December 2020.
- It found that workers with reduced work hours and sleep duration were 2.59 times more likely to experience psychological distress, while those with increased work hours and less sleep had 1.98 times higher odds of distress.
- The research emphasizes the critical role of sleep management for mental health, highlighting how financial issues during the pandemic may have contributed to poor sleep and increased psychological distress.
The working-age population is at the epicenter of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections. Therefore, it is important to increase the acceptance of digital contact tracing apps in this population. Contact-Confirming Application (COCOA) is the only digital contact tracing app in Japan.
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- The study assesses how working from home (WFH) affects job stress among Japanese workers, particularly during the pandemic.
- Conducted through an online survey, it analyzed data from nearly 7,000 participants over a year to compare job stress levels between varying frequencies of WFH.
- Findings suggest that high WFH frequency correlates with poor social support and similar job control levels compared to non-WFH workers, indicating that limiting WFH to three days or fewer may help manage job stress better.
Objective: This study aimed to determine whether telecommuting's impact on psychological distress differed depending on the status of workers' cohabiting family members during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: We collected data from 33 302 workers in Japan through an Internet survey, and included 27 036 valid responses in the analysis. The survey included items on family cohabitation and telecommuting status during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Introduction: The Go To Travel campaign in Japan was launched to subsidize travel and accommodation costs for tourists through vouchers that could be used at domestic destinations. Infection prevention behavior can lead to refraining from travel owing to infection concerns; conversely, taking preventive action can promote travel. There is a lack of information about the association between infection prevention behaviors and desire to travel.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: During the COVID-19 pandemic, teleworking became the new workplace norm, creating a new challenge for workplace communication. This study investigated the association between source-specific workplace social support and psychological distress among Japanese teleworkers and nonteleworkers.
Methods: A total of 15,045 workers were extracted from a cross-sectional web-based survey that assessed psychological distress, workplace social support from supervisors and coworkers.
Association between Perceived Organizational Support for Infection Prevention and Work Engagement during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Japanese Workers: A Prospective Cohort Study.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
December 2022
Although the correlation between perceived organizational support (POS) and work engagement has been investigated in several studies, the relationship between health-focused POS and work engagement has not been clarified. We prospectively evaluated the influence of workers’ POS for infection prevention (POS-IP) on employees’ work engagement. This prospective cohort study was conducted from December 2020 (baseline) to December 2021 (1-year follow-up) using a self-administered internet questionnaire.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between telecommuting environments and shoulder pain in Japanese telecommuters.
Methods: We conducted an Internet-monitored, cross-sectional study and analyzed 2537 participants who mainly telecommuted at least 4 days per week. We assessed the presence of shoulder pain using a numerical rating scale and the characteristics of the telecommuting environment by asking eight questions.
Telemedicine has significant potential for helping workers access medical treatment. To improve workers' access to telemedicine, it is important to analyze current utilization rates and influencing factors. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the associations between occupational factors and telemedicine use.
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- - The study explored how workplace vaccination opportunities for COVID-19 influence employees' feelings of being valued and supported by their organization.
- - A survey conducted in Japan included over 18,000 participants, revealing that those offered vaccination opportunities reported higher perceived organizational support regardless of their initial levels of support.
- - Results suggest that providing health support through vaccination programs can enhance employees' perceptions of organizational support, indicating a positive relationship between employee well-being initiatives and workplace morale.
Article Synopsis
- The study examined if workplace infection control measures during COVID-19 could boost employees' perceived organizational support (POS).
- Conducted in Japan, the study analyzed data from 4,971 employees with low POS at the start, using a questionnaire to assess the impact of infection control measures.
- Results showed that having more infection control measures significantly increased POS, with greater support linked to 5-9 measures compared to having very few (0-2).
Objectives: Our objective was to assess the effect of appropriate workplace IPC measures on employees' work engagement. It could be important to note how workplace infection prevention control (IPC) measures for COVID-19 contribute to positive mental health among workers. We hypothesized that if workplace IPC measures are adequately implemented, they would have a positive effect on employees' work engagement.
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- The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted changes in work environments and has heightened the need to evaluate its effects on workers' physical and mental health.
- A longitudinal online survey was conducted among Japanese workers in October 2021, with plans for two follow-up surveys in subsequent years to assess the impact of occupational health measures.
- Out of 5111 initial respondents, 4540 participants were included in the final analysis, revealing a balanced representation of males and females across various age groups despite some fraudulent responses.
Background: Vaccination is considered the most effective control measure against COVID-19. Vaccine hesitancy and equitable vaccine allocation are important challenges to disseminating developed vaccines. To promote COVID-19 vaccination coverage, the government of Japan established the workplace vaccination program.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study evaluated the differences in respiratory protection between replaceable particulate respirators (RPRs) and powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs) based on different wearing methods during exercise tasks. Ten participants wore RPRs and PAPRs alternately in ways comparable to those adopted by workers in actual workplaces. We measured the fit factor of the respiratory protective equipment (RPE) during exercise tasks for each wearing variation.
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