Publications by authors named "Nygard Clas-Hakan"

Background: Burnout syndrome attributable to cumulative stressors is highly prevalent among teachers. Despite this, knowledge of burnout syndrome among schoolteachers in lower-middle-income countries are limited, therefore we aimed to investigate self-reported occupational burnout syndrome and associated factors among schoolteachers in Nepal.

Methods: A survey was conducted among randomly selected 37 community schools in Kathmandu, Nepal in 2022, with a total sample of 218 schoolteachers (70% male).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: This study provides the global-, regional- and country-level estimates on the work-related burden of diseases and accidents for 2019, including deaths, disability adjusted life years (DALY) and economic losses.

Methods: Data on occupational illnesses and injuries from international organizations, institutions, and public websites were used. Risk ratios (RR) and population attributable fractions (PAF) for the risk factor-outcome pairs were derived from the literature.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to explore how different patterns of occupational physical activity (OPA) from midlife to retirement relate to mobility limitations (ML) and daily living activities (ADL-disability) in older age.* -
  • Using data from Finnish and U.S. cohort studies, researchers identified three OPA profiles: high-persistent, moderate-fluctuating, and low-persistent, finding that most OPA levels remained stable over time.* -
  • Those in high-persistent and moderate-fluctuating OPA profiles had a higher risk of mobility limitations in old age, indicating that maintaining safe levels of OPA may benefit healthy aging.*
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The proportion of elderly citizens is continuously increasing in most of the industrial world [...

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: We aimed to evaluate the impact of a workplace senior program intervention on early exit from labor market and on the disability retirement among older employees and work-related physical factors associated with it.

Methods: A total of 259 individuals aged 55 + years participated in the study (107 in intervention and 152 were controls). A questionnaire survey was conducted among Finnish food industry employees between 2003 and 2009 and the intervention "senior program" was provided between 2004 and 2009.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a rapid public health response which included mandatory working from home (WFH) for many employees. This study aimed to identify different trajectories of multisite musculoskeletal pain (MSP) amongst employees WFH during the COVID-19 pandemic and examined the influence of work and non-work factors.

Methods: Data from 488 participants (113 males, 372 females and 3 other) involved in the Employees Working from Home (EWFH) study, collected in October 2020, April and November 2021 were analysed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, many employees were forced to suddenly shift to working from home (WFH). How this disruption of work affected employees' work ability is not known. In this study, we investigated the developmental profiles of work ability among Finnish higher education employees in a one-year follow-up during the enforced WFH.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: This systematic review aimed to analyse the effectiveness of interventions on the stress management of schoolteachers.

Methods: We searched the Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Education Research Complete until 30 November 2021, to identify relevant studies using relevant key words. Job or occupational stress was used as the outcome measure.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To study the workers' perception of the quality of work community and its association with intention to retire early, separately among women and men working in Finnish postal service.

Methods: A questionnaire survey was sent to all Finnish postal services employees aged ≥ 50 years in 2016 and 44% (n = 2096) replied to the survey (mean age 56.3, 40% women).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: This study aimed to identify trajectories of low back pain (LBP) over a 16-year follow-up from midlife to retirement and investigate their association with mobility limitations and disability in activities of daily living (ADL-disability) in later life.

Methods: The study population consisted of 6257 baseline (1981) respondents aged 44-58 years from Finnish Longitudinal study on Aging Municipal Employees. Repeated measurements of LBP were collected in 1985, 1992 and 1997.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Work disability may originate early during work history and involve sickness absences (SA) and eventually permanent disability. We studied this process over 15 years. Questionnaire data collected in 1981 on health, working conditions, and lifestyle of Finnish municipal employees aged 44-58 years (n = 6257) were linked with registers on SA (≥10 workdays), disability pension, and death from the period 1986-1995.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are developing joint estimates of the work-related burden of disease and injury (WHO/ILO Joint Estimates), with contributions from a large network of experts. Evidence from mechanistic data suggests that occupational exposure to ergonomic risk factors may cause selected other musculoskeletal diseases, other than back or neck pain (MSD) or osteoarthritis of hip or knee (OA). In this paper, we present a systematic review and meta-analysis of parameters for estimating the number of disability-adjusted life years from MSD or OA that are attributable to occupational exposure to ergonomic risk factors, for the development of the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are developing joint estimates of the work-related burden of disease and injury (WHO/ILO Joint Estimates), with contributions from a large network of experts. Evidence from mechanistic and human data suggests that occupational exposure to ergonomic (or physical) risk factors may cause osteoarthritis and other musculoskeletal diseases (excluding rheumatoid arthritis, gout, and back and neck pain). In this paper, we present a systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of occupational exposure to physical ergonomic risk factors for estimating the number of disability-adjusted life years from these diseases that are attributable to exposure to this risk factor, for the development of the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Previous research has shown strong associations between occupational physical activity (OPA) and need for recovery (NFR). However this research has only utilized self-reported measures of OPA which may be biased. Thus, there is a need for investigating if the previously documented association between self-reported OPA and NFR can be found when using technical measures of OPA.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: We investigated work ability and trajectories of work life satisfaction (WLS) as predictors of intention to retire (ITR) before the statutory age.

Methods: Participants were Finnish postal service employees, who responded to surveys in 2016 and 2018 (n = 1466). Survey measures included ITR, work ability and WLS.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To study the trajectories of work ability and investigate the impact of multisite pain and working conditions on pathways of work ability over a six-year period.

Methods: The longitudinal study was conducted with Finnish food industry workers ( = 866) with data collected every 2 years from 2003-2009. Questions covered musculoskeletal pain, physical and psychosocial working conditions (physical strain, repetitive movements, awkward postures; mental strain, team support, leadership, possibility to influence) and work ability.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: The Need for Recovery (NFR) Scale facilitates the understanding of the factors that can lead to sustainable working and employability. Short-form scales can reduce the burden on researchers and respondents. Our aim was to create and validate a short-form Danish version of the NFR Scale.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: We aimed to investigate trajectories of mobility limitations (MLs) over a period of 24 years. In addition, we aimed to study how shift work and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) in midlife predict assignment to MLs trajectories separately for those retired on statutory pensions (SPs) and on disability pensions (DPs).

Methods: Subjects who responded MLs questionnaires (1985-2009, N = 3048) in Finnish Longitudinal Study on Aging Municipal Employees were included in this prospective cohort study.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Psychosocial risk factors have increased in today's work environment, and they threaten work ability. Good workplace atmosphere, psychosocial support, the ability to cope with stress, and skills and knowledge are all connected to more successful coping. Faster changes in the work environment and an increased workload can lead to a chain of fatigue and illness.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are developing a joint methodology for estimating the national and global work-related burden of disease and injury (WHO/ILO joint methodology), with contributions from a large network of experts. In this paper, we present the protocol for two systematic reviews of parameters for estimating the number of disability-adjusted life years from osteoarthritis of hip or knee, and selected other musculoskeletal diseases respectively, attributable to exposure to occupational ergonomic risk factors to inform the development of the WHO/ILO joint methodology.

Objectives: We aim to systematically review studies on exposure to occupational ergonomic risk factors (Systematic Review 1) and systematically review and meta-analyze estimates of the effect of exposure to occupational ergonomic risk factors on osteoarthritis of the hip or knee, and selected other musculoskeletal diseases respectively (Systematic Review 2), applying the Navigation Guide systematic review methodology as an organizing framework, conducting both systematic reviews in tandem and in a harmonized way.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: We studied the developmental trajectories of multisite musculoskeletal pain (MSP) to learn whether pain in midlife persists to old age, and whether pain trajectories associate with midlife work or lifestyle exposures or retirement from work.

Methods: Municipal employees aged 44-58 years were studied in 1981 (n=6257) with follow-ups in 1985, 1992, 1997 and 2009. Pain in the neck, low back, and upper and lower limbs was assessed in each survey.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective Extended working lives due to an ageing population will necessitate the maintenance of work ability across the life course. This systematic review aimed to analyze whether workplace interventions positively impact work ability. Methods We searched Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Embase databases using relevant terms.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: It has been suggested that engaging technology can empower individuals to be more proactive about their health and reduce their health risks. The aim of the present intervention was to study the effects of technology-aided testing and feedback on physical activity and biological age of employees in a middle-sized enterprise.

Methods: In all, 121 employees (mean age 42 ± 10 years) participated in the 12-month three-arm cluster randomized trial.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF