Publications by authors named "Mari-Ann Flyvholm"
Background: Occupational contact dermatitis (OCD) is a prevalent, often chronic disease that poses a risk for job loss and decreased quality of life. In Germany, a multi-step prevention programme emphasising early detection and highly specialised multidisciplinary treatment has been implemented with great success.
Objectives: To examine the effectiveness of a Danish-adapted version of the German prevention effort on OCD severity, quality of life and occupational consequences at 3-month follow-up.
Background: Occupational contact dermatitis (OCD) is a common occupational disease. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a known risk factor for OCD.
Objectives: To determine the prevalence of previously diagnosed AD among young workers with recognized OCD and assess its impact on OCD prognosis.
Purpose: It has been hypothesized that employment in a fixed-term instead of permanent contract position is associated with an increased risk of development of mental health problems. The present study aimed at estimating rate ratios between fixed-term and permanent employees in the Danish labor force, for use of psychotropic drugs and psychiatric hospital treatment due to mood, anxiety or stress-related disorders, respectively.
Methods: Employment data were drawn from the Danish Labor Force Survey of 2001-2013, which is a part of the European Labor Force Survey.
Background: Both perceived job insecurity and unemployment has been associated with an increased risk of developing mental ill health. It has, moreover, been proposed that an insecure employment may be as detrimental as unemployment itself.
Objective: To estimate incidence rate ratios (RRs) of (i) redeemed prescriptions for psychotropic drugs and (ii) psychiatric hospital treatment due to mood, anxiety, or stress-related disease, among fixed-term contract workers (as an operationalization of insecure job) vs.
Background: The cost of mental ill health in the EU-28 nations has been estimated at approximately 4.1% of the total gross domestic products (GDP). Improved rates of return to sustainable employment among people who are sick-listed due to mental ill health would decrease spending on welfare benefits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Studies on the causes and consequences of occupational contact dermatitis (OCD) among young workers are non-existent.
Objectives: Determine causes and consequences of OCD among workers younger than 35 years of age.
Methods: A questionnaire was sent to 6251 workers younger than 35 years at notification with recognized OCD (response rate 47%).
Background: Recent population-based studies on the incidence rates (IRs) of occupational contact dermatitis (OCD) are sparse.
Objectives: To determine the IRs of OCD and development thereof between 2007 and 2018 in known risk occupations.
Methods: Data on all recognized cases of OCD were used to calculate IRs as the number of recognized OCD cases per 10 000 workers per year.
Background: In 2018, 14% of employees in the European Union had fixed-term contracts. Fixed-term contract positions are often less secure than permanent contract positions. Perceived job insecurity has been associated with increased rates of mental ill health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Occupational contact dermatitis (OCD) is the most commonly recognized occupational disease in Denmark.
Objectives: To examine the impact of recognized OCD on degree of employment, sick leave, unemployment, and job change.
Methods: Data on all recognized individuals with OCD notified in Denmark between 2010 and 2015 (n = 8940) were linked to information on social transfer payments in the years before and after notification.
Objectives: This study examined if the association between work environment factors and sickness absence (SA) depended on the inclusion or exclusion of short-term SA episodes.
Methods: We linked the 'Work Environment and Health in Denmark' survey with the 'Danish Register of Work Absences' (n=27 678). Using covariate adjusted Cox regression, we examined the associations between work environment factors and SA by changing the cut-off points for the length of the SA episodes, for example, episodes ≥1 day, ≥6 days and ≥21 days.
Perceived stress and sickness absence: a prospective study of 17,795 employees in Denmark.
Int Arch Occup Environ Health
August 2019
Objectives: The aims were to examine (1) the prospective association between perceived stress and sickness absence, and if this association (2) differed by sex, and (3) was stronger when only long-term sickness absence (≥ 31 days) instead of all-length sickness absence (≥ 1 day) was included. Moreover, different cut-points for the length of the sickness absence periods were applied.
Methods: We followed respondents (10,634 women and 7161 men) from the 'Work Environment and Health in Denmark' 2014-survey for up to 18 months in the 'Register of Work Absences' from Statistics Denmark.
Self-reported or register-based? A comparison of sickness absence data among 8110 public and private employees in Denmark.
Scand J Work Environ Health
November 2018
Objectives The study aim was to examine (i) non-response bias between responders and non-responders, and (ii) whether the association between self-reported sickness absence (SA) and register-based SA differed by gender, age, sector, or physically demanding work. Methods The responses of 8110 participants to a question on self-reported SA in past 12 months in the Work Environment and Health in Denmark Survey (2014) was linked to 12 months of SA data from the Danish Register of Work Absence. We used logistic regression for the non-response analysis and Poisson regression to examine associations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The working environment plays an important role in public health. This study investigates the risk for long-term sickness absence (LTSA) from the combination of factors related to physical work demands.
Methods: Employees (n = 22 740) of the general population (the Danish Work Environment & Health study 2012) were followed for two years in the Danish Register for Evaluation of Marginalisation.
Aims: This study examined the association between the workplace-effort in psychosocial risk management and later employee-rating of the psychosocial work environment.
Method: The study is based on data from two questionnaire surveys - one including 1013 workplaces and one including 7565 employees from these workplaces. The association was analyzed using multi-level linear regression.
Purpose: The aim of the study is to investigate risk factors for sensitization to preservatives and to examine to which extent different preservatives are registered in chemical products for occupational use in Denmark.
Methods: A retrospective epidemiological observational analysis of data from a university hospital was conducted. All patients had occupational contact dermatitis and were consecutively patch tested with 11 preservatives from the European baseline series and extended patch test series during a 5-year period: 2009-2013.
Targeting occupational health and safety interventions to different groups of employees and sectors is important. The aim of this study was to explore the environment-intervention fit of a Danish psychosocial work environment intervention program for the residential and home care sector. Focus group interviews with employees and interviews with mangers were conducted at 12 selected workplaces and a questionnaire survey was conducted with managers at all 115 workplaces.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Information on the occurrence of contact allergens and irritants is crucial for the diagnosis of occupational contact dermatitis. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are important sources of information concerning exposures in the workplace.
Objective: From a medical viewpoint, to evaluate the information available from MSDSs, and to ascertain whether MSDS are easy to obtain, whether they serve their purpose, and whether they provide sufficient information regarding allergens to enable correct diagnosis.
Background: Irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) is a common diagnosis in patients with occupational contact dermatitis (OCD). Studies are lacking on the usefulness of material safety data sheets (MSDSs) in making the diagnosis of ICD.
Objective: To characterize irritant exposures leading to the diagnosis of occupational ICD (OICD), and to evaluate the occurrence of concomitant exposures to contact allergens.
Background: In recent years, a steep increase in the frequency of occupational contact allergy to isothiazolinones has been reported from several European countries.
Objective: To examine the extent and occurrence of isothiazolinones in different types of product at Danish workplaces.
Methods: Seven different isothiazolinones were identified in the Dictionary of Contact Allergens: Chemical Structures, Sources, and References from Kanerva's Occupational Dermatitis.
Global labour migration has increased in recent years and immigrant workers are often recruited into low status and low paid jobs such as cleaning. Research in a Danish context shows that immigrants working in the cleaning industry often form social networks based on shared languages and backgrounds, and that conflict between different ethnic groups may occur. This paper evaluates the impact of a multi-component intervention on the psychosocial work environment at a multi-ethnic Danish workplace in the cleaning sector.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Information on the presence of contact allergens and irritants is crucial for the diagnosis of occupational contact dermatitis. Ingredient lists and Material Safety DataSheets (MSDSs) may be incomplete.
Objectives: To evaluate the workability of a systematic exposure assessment in consecutive patients with suspected occupational contact dermatitis, and to study how it could potentially aid correct diagnostic classification.
This article focuses on the psychosocial work environment of immigrant cleaners at a Danish workplace. Today, many cleaners working in Danish cleaning jobs are women from the established immigrant communities, but also labour migrants from the newer EU member states have found their way to the cleaning industry. Studies have drawn attention to immigrants' low position in the cleaning industry and their increased risk of work injuries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Small enterprises have higher exposure to occupational hazards compared to larger enterprises and further, they have fewer resources to control the risks. In order to improve the working environment, development of efficient measures is therefore a major challenge for regulators and other stakeholders. The aim of this paper is to develop a systematic model for the design of tailored intervention programmes meeting the needs of small enterprises.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Healthcare workers are at increased risk of developing hand eczema.
Objectives: To investigate the prevalence and severity of self-reported hand eczema, and to relate the findings to demographic data, occupation, medical speciality, wards, shifts, and working hours.
Patients/materials/methods: A survey of 3181 healthcare workers was performed.
Background: Occupational hand eczema is common in hairdressers, owing to excessive exposure to wet work and hairdressing chemicals.
Objectives: To quantify occupational skin exposure and the use of protective gloves among hairdressers in Denmark.
Methods: A register-based study was conducted comprising all graduates from hairdressing vocational schools from 1985 to 2007 (n = 7840).