Chronic conditions and self-perceived health among older employees in relation to indicators of labour participation and retirement over time.

Background: A significant proportion of older employees leave the labour market early, amongst others via unemployment or disability benefits, implying that health might affect possibilities to extend working life.

Objective: This study 1) examined associations between chronic conditions (subtypes) and self-perceived health (SPH), independently, and indicators of labour participation and retirement over six-year follow-up among older employees, and 2) explored the impact of differences between prevalent and incident presence of chronic condition(s) in this relation.

Methods: Older workers (aged > 45 years) included in the Maastricht Cohort Study were studied (n = 1,763).

Exploring expected and perceived facilitators and barriers of an indicated prevention strategy to prevent future long-term sickness absence; a qualitative study among employers and employees.

Background: An indicated prevention strategy (IPS), consisting of a screening questionnaire and early treatment, was found to be effective for the prevention of future long-term sickness absence (LTSA) in two large Dutch RCT's. This IPS aims to detect employees who have a high risk to become absent, and subsequently offer them early treatment. Despite the overall effectiveness, only a few companies have implemented this strategy so far.

Associations between depressive complaints and indicators of labour participation among older Dutch employees: a prospective cohort study.

Purpose: European policy measures have led to an increased net labour participation of older employees. Yet, via different routes (for instance disability schemes) employees still often leave the labour market early. Mental health may be an important factor hindering labour participation.

Improving measurement models in clinical epidemiology: time to move beyond the inherent assumption of an underlying reflective measurement model.

Objectives: The nature of a construct's measurement model, most decisively being predominantly reflective or formative, is essential for its development, validation, and use. Differentiating between these types of measurement models cannot be done based on statistics alone, but has to rely on expert judgment, preferably guided by checklists and theoretical assumptions. However, consideration and substantiation of the choices of the measurement models is lacking in most studies describing the validation of measurement instruments in the field of clinical epidemiology.

Handling the reflective-formative measurement conundrum: a practical illustration based on sustainable employability.

Objectives: Constructs capturing health or functioning can have reflective and/or formative measurement models. Although a construct's measurement model has extensive implications on the construction, validation, and use of a measurement instrument, measurement models are frequently wrongly or not explicitly specified. As this is likely due to a lack of guidelines, this study uses sustainable employability as an example to demonstrate a) the applicability of an adapted checklist for establishing a construct's measurement model; and b) the use of structural equation modeling to handle formative constructs.

Time takes us all? A two-wave observational study of age and time effects on sustainable employability.

Objectives Various cognitive and physical abilities decline with age. Consequently, sustainable employability research has focused on the labor market participation of older employees. However, it remains unclear whether age actually affects employees' work and labor-market functioning.

Fostering functioning of workers: A new challenge for prevention in occupational health.

Given large changes in working conditions and society, occupational health care has to prioritize its efforts towards fostering health and functioning of workers and as such promote work participation. This requires that more emphasis is given on the application of biopsychological models in the care of workers. Although a biopsychological approach is often mentioned as essential part of occupational health care, it's application is often hampered in practice, by practical barriers and lack of practical knowledge.

Experiences of occupational physicians with the implementation of indicated prevention for long term sickness absence.

Background: Functioning including work participation, is an emerging challenge in occupational health. The prevention of long term sickness absence (LTSA) through a strategy involving screening and structured early consultation (preventive strategy) was proven effective and can address participation issues. Implementation of this strategy has proven difficult.

Implementing the ICF in Occupational Health; building a curriculum as an exemplary case.

Background: This paper addresses the need for a paradigm shift from post-diagnosis tertiary care towards maintenance and promotion of health across the lifespan, for healthcare in general and in occupational healthcare specifically. It is based on the assumption that the realization of this paradigm shift may be facilitated by teaching (future) occupational health professionals to use the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF).

Objective: Describing the development of a an ICF based occupational health curriculum.

Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality Among Working Individuals With Rheumatic Disease: Results From a Large Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Cardiovascular comorbidities are common in rheumatic diseases and are associated with an increased mortality risk but have not been studied in a working population, with less severe disease. Also, the impact of premature cardiovascular mortality on work participation has been neglected until now.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the cardiovascular risk in working individuals with inflammatory rheumatic diseases and to explore whether cardiovascular morbidity and mortality are associated with decreased work participation in this population.

Approaches for predicting long-term sickness absence. Re: Schouten et al. "Screening manual and office workers for risk of long-term sickness absence: cut-off points for the Work Ability Index".

We read with much interest the article of Schouten et al (1) on identifying workers with a high risk for future long-term sickness absence using the Work Ability Index (WAI). The ability to identify high-risk workers might facilitate targeted interventions for such workers and, consequently, can reduce sickness absence levels and improve workers' health. Earlier studies by both Tamela et al (2), Kant et al (3), and Lexis et al (4) have demonstrated that such an approach, based on the identification of high-risk workers and a subsequent intervention, can be effectively applied in practice to reduce sickness absence significantly.

Effects of cardiovascular comorbidities on work participation in rheumatic diseases: a prospective cohort study among working individuals.

Objective: To determine the risk of sick leave and work disability in relation to rheumatic diseases and cardiovascular comorbidities among working individuals.

Methods: Employees (n = 12,140) from 45 companies in The Netherlands were prospectively followed up from 1998-2008. Questionnaires were used to assess self-reported diseases and employment status.

Cancer risk among tetrafluoroethylene synthesis and polymerization workers.

Tetrafluoroethylene (TFE), a compound used for the production of fluorinated polymers including polytetrafluoroethylene, increases the incidence of liver and kidney cancers and leukemia in rats and mice. This is the first time the cancer risk in humans has been explored comprehensively in a cohort mortality study (1950-2008) that included all polytetrafluoroethylene production sites in Europe and North America at the time it was initiated. A job-exposure matrix (1950-2002) was developed for TFE and ammonium perfluoro-octanoate, a chemical used in the polymerization process.

Prediction of long-term sickness absence among employees with depressive complaints.

Introduction: To study the properties of a screening instrument in predicting long-term sickness absence among employees with depressive complaints.

Methods: Employees at high risk of future sickness absence were selected by the screening instrument Balansmeter (BM). Depressive complaints were assessed with the depression scale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.

The mutual relationship between shift work and depressive complaints--a prospective cohort study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine longitudinally the mutual relationship between shift work and depressive complaints.

Methods: Data from the ongoing Maastricht cohort study (1998-2008) were used. Firstly, the impact of shift work on the development of depressive complaints, defined as depressed mood, was studied.

Depressed mood in the working population: associations with work schedules and working hours.

The impact of working time arrangements (WTA) on health has been studied extensively. Still, little is known about the interrelation between work schedules, working hours, and depressed mood. For work schedules, the underlying assumptions regarding depressed mood refer to a disturbance of social and biological rhythms, whereas for working hours, the assumptions relate to workload and work capacity.

Experience of health complaints and help seeking behavior in employees screened for depressive complaints and risk of future sickness absence.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to examine the associations between on the one hand depressive complaints and risk of future sickness absence and on the other hand experience of health complaints and help seeking behavior in the working population.

Methods: Cross-sectional data were used from employees working in the banking sector (n = 8,498). The screening instrument included measures to examine the risk of future sickness absence, depressive complaints and help seeking behavior.

Depressive complaints as a predictor of sickness absence among the working population.

Objective: To study the relationship between depressive complaints and sickness absence in the working population.

Methods: Data from a prospective epidemiological cohort (n = 3339) were used. Depressive complaints were measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD-D) Scale.