Mapping the evidence on assessment of fitness to work at heights: a scoping review protocol.

Introduction: Falls from height are a leading cause of serious injury and fatality globally. In South Africa, work at heights is regulated by occupational health and safety legislation, which places responsibility on employers to ensure their workers are fit for high-risk work. There is however no formal procedure or consensus on how fitness to work at heights should be assessed.

Validity of Commonly Used Heart Rate Variability Markers of Autonomic Nervous System Function.

Background: Despite strong reservations regarding the validity of a number of heart rate variability (HRV) measures, these are still being used in recent studies.

Aims: We aimed to compare the reactivity of ostensible sympathetic HRV markers (low and very low frequency [LF and VLF]) to that of electrodermal activity (EDA), an exclusively sympathetic marker, in response to cognitive and orthostatic stress, investigate the possibility of LF as a vagal-mediated marker of baroreflex modulation, and compare the ability of HRV markers of parasympathetic function (root mean square of successive differences [RMSSD] and high frequency [HF]) to quantify vagal reactivity to cognitive and orthostatic stress.

Results: None of the purported sympathetic HRV markers displayed a reactivity that correlated with electrodermal reactivity.

A case study of two adolescent-parent pairs describing the association between vagal tone and social-emotional adjustment during a Positive Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Programme.

Objective: A case study describing the association between vagal tone and social-emotional adaptation in two distressed adolescent-parent (A-P) pairs during a Positive Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Programme (P-CBTP).

Methods: Two A-P pairs completed a P-CBTP with pre- and post-intervention biosocial-emotional assessments; weekly training sessions over 7 weeks to develop individual strengths, new adaptive cognitions, positive discipline skills, optimism and knowledge on age-appropriate developmental expressions; augmented by moderate physical activity. Resting vagal tone and vagal reactivity were assessed by time-domain measures of vagal activity (RMSSD).

Allostatic load and heart rate variability as health risk indicators.

Background: Uncertainty often exists about the comparability of results obtained by different health risk indicator systems.

Objectives: To compare two health risk indicator systems, i.e, allostatic load and heart rate variability (HRV).

Cynicism as subscale of burnout.

Background: Cynicism, as a personality trait, has adverse effects on health. The question was asked whether cynical attitudes that develop due to work-related stress correlate with stress levels and whether it has a negative influence on health.

Objectives: To investigate associations of the cynicism subscale scores of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS) with levels of stress, anxiety, questionnaire-based physical health and with a number of physiological health risk indicators.

Gender differences in the sweat response during spinning exercise.

The purpose of this field study was to examine gender differences in the sweat response reported in the literature in trained men and women during indoor cycling. In the present study, 14 men and 12 women took part in a 90-minute spinning class in preparation for a 108-km road race. Delta body mass, corrected for the volume of water consumed, was used to estimate sweat loss during the exercise period.