The Healthy Work Survey: A Standardized Questionnaire for the Assessment of Workplace Psychosocial Hazards and Work Organization in the United States.

Objectives: Work-related psychosocial stressors have been recognized as occupational hazards and assessed in workplaces in many countries for decades. Identifying tools to measure work-related psychosocial hazards to increase awareness in the United States about the impact on employees' health and safety is critical ( J Occup Environ Med. 2021;63:e245-e249).

A Simple Liking Survey Captures Behaviors Associated with Weight Loss in a Worksite Program among Women at Risk of Type 2 Diabetes.

In a secondary analysis, we assessed the ability of dietary and physical activity surveys to explain variability in weight loss within a worksite-adapted Diabetes Prevention Program. The program involved 58 overweight/obese female employees (average age = 46 ± 11 years SD; average body mass index = 34.7 ± 7.

Electrical Stimulation Frequency and Skeletal Muscle Characteristics: Effects on Force and Fatigue.

This investigation aimed to determine the force and muscle surface electromyography (EMG) responses to different frequencies of electrical stimulation (ES) in two groups of muscles with different size and fiber composition (fast- and slow-twitch fiber proportions) during a fatigue-inducing protocol. Progression towards fatigue was evaluated in the abductor pollicis brevis (APB) and vastus lateralis (VL) when activated by ES at three frequencies (10, 35, and 50Hz). Ten healthy adults (mean age: 23.

Functional electrical stimulation-induced muscular fatigue: Effect of fiber composition and stimulation frequency on rate of fatigue development.

This investigation evaluated the progression towards fatigue in two muscles of differing fast- and slow-twitch fiber proportions (abductor pollicis brevis (APB) and vastus lateralis (VL)) when activated by functional electrical stimulation (FES) at three frequencies (10, 35, and 50 Hz). Fatigue was defined as a 50% drop from the initial FES-induced force of 25% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). Ten healthy adults (mean age: 23.

Perceived Self-Efficacy and Financial Incentives: Factors Affecting Health Behaviors and Weight Loss in a Workplace Weight Loss Intervention.

Objective: To evaluate if self-efficacy (SE) and financial incentives (FI) mediate the effect of health behavior on weight loss in a group of overweight and obese nursing-home employees participating in a 16-week weight-loss intervention with 12-week follow-up.

Methods: Ninety nine overweight/obese (body mass index [BMI] > 25) employees from four nursing-homes participated, with a mean age of 46.98 years and BMI of 35.

Associations Among Work and Family Health Climate, Health Behaviors, Work Schedule, and Body Weight.

Objectives: Correctional employees exhibit elevated obesity rates. This study examines interrelations among health behaviors, health climate, body mass index (BMI), and work schedule.

Methods: Using survey results from correctional supervisors (n = 157), mediation and moderated-mediation analyses were performed to examine how health behaviors explain relationships between obesity, work health climate (WHC) and family health climate (FHC), and work schedule.

Electrically and Hybrid-Induced Muscle Activations: Effects of Muscle Size and Fiber Type.

The effect of three electrical stimulation (ES) frequencies (10, 35, and 50 Hz) on two muscle groups with different proportions of fast and slow twitch fibers (abductor pollicis brevis (APB) and vastus lateralis (VL)) was explored. We evaluated the acute muscles' responses individually and during hybrid activations (ES superimposed by voluntary activations). Surface electromyography (sEMG) and force measurements were evaluated as outcomes.

Psychological Health and Overweight and Obesity Among High Stressed Work Environments.

Correctional employees are recognized to underreport stress and stress symptoms and are known to have a culture that discourages appearing "weak" and seeking psychiatric help. This study assesses underreporting of stress and emotions. Additionally, it evaluates the relationships between stress and emotions on health behaviors.

The weight loss blogosphere: an online survey of weight loss bloggers.

Blogging is a form of online journaling that has been increasingly used to document an attempt in weight loss. Despite the prevalence of weight loss bloggers, few studies have examined this population. We examined characteristics of weight loss bloggers and their blogs, including blogging habits, reasons for blogging, like and dislikes of blogging, and associations between blogging activity and weight loss.

Work Characteristics as Predictors of Correctional Supervisors' Health Outcomes.

Objective: This study examined associations among health behaviors, psychosocial work factors, and health status.

Methods: Correctional supervisors (n = 157) completed a survey that assessed interpersonal and organizational views on health. Chi-square and logistic regressions were used to examine relationships among variables.

Health Behavior Knowledge and Self-efficacy as Predictors of Body Weight.

Obesity is a public health concern with significant economic costs affecting employers. Worksite wellness programs benefit from developing tailored interventions that consider employees' health-related knowledge and self-efficacy to change behavior. Correction is a high stress occupation with elevated rates of overweight and obesity.

Demographic, health-related, and work-related factors associated with body mass index and body fat percentage among workers at six Connecticut manufacturing companies across different age groups: a cohort study.

Background: Effective workplace interventions that consider the multifactorial nature of obesity are needed to reduce and prevent obesity among adults. Furthermore, the factors associated with obesity may differ for workers across age groups. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify demographic, health-related, and work-related factors associated with baseline and changes in body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage (BFP) and among Connecticut manufacturing workers acrossage groups.

Considering the Differential Impact of Three Facets of Organizational Health Climate on Employees' Well-Being.

One potential way that healthy organizations can impact employee health is by promoting a climate for health within the organization. Using a definition of health climate that includes support for health from multiple levels within the organization, this study examines whether all three facets of health climate--the workgroup, supervisor, and organization--work together to contribute to employee well-being. Two samples are used in this study to examine health climate at the individual level and group level in order to provide a clearer picture of the impact of the three health climate facets.

The Link between Musculoskeletal Pain, Lifestyle Behaviors, Exercise Self-Efficacy, and Quality of Life in Overweight and Obese Individuals.

Objective: To determine the extent musculoskeletal (MS) pain in the low back and knee (weight-bearing (WB) joints), shoulder and wrist (non-weight bearing joints), and exercise self-efficacy mediates associations between overweight and obesity levels based on BMI (4 levels: overweight, obese class I, II, or III), physical function, emotional role, social interference, and physical activity (PA) levels.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Four long-term nursing home facilities in the Northeast U.

Lower-extremity joint kinematics and muscle activations during semi-reclined cycling at different workloads in healthy individuals.

Background: A better understanding of lower-extremity muscles' activation patterns and joint kinematics during different workloads could help rehabilitation professionals with prescribing more effective exercise regimen for elderly and those with compromised muscles. We examined the relative contribution, as well as activation and co-activation patterns, of lower-extremity muscles during semi-reclined cycling at different workloads during a constant cadence.

Methods: Fifteen healthy novice cyclists participated at three 90-second cycling trials with randomly assigned workloads of 0, 50, and 100 W, at a constant cadence of 60 rpm.

Effectiveness of Financial Incentives in a Worksite Diabetes Prevention Program.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of financial incentive in a diabetes prevention weight loss program at worksites.

Design: Group-level randomized intervention study.

Setting: Four long-term care facilities, randomly assigned to "incentive-IG" or "non incentive-NIG" groups.

Workplace-based participatory approach to weight loss for correctional employees.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a participatory approach using an employee design team for a 12-week weight-loss program with an 8-week follow-up.

Methods: Twenty-four employees with mean [standard error (SE)] for weight 233.24 lb [8.

Cost-effectiveness of a workplace-based incentivized weight loss program.

Objective: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness ratios of a nursing home-based incentivized Behavioral Weight Management Program (BWMP) from the employer's perspective.

Methods: Seventy-two overweight and obese health care workers completed the BWMP (n = 35 incentivized; n = 37 nonincentivized). Weight change outcomes were compared for the pre- (0) and postintervention (28 weeks) follow-up periods within and between sites.

Assessment of a Worksite Health Promotion Readiness Checklist.

Objective: To assess the utility of a Worksite Health Promotion Readiness Checklist (WRCL) designed to evaluate the worksite's readiness for implementing health promotion and health protection programs.

Methods: The WRCL was pilot tested in worksites with (WHPy) and without (WHPn) health promotion programs. The two parts of WRCL scores (observational and administrative) for WHPy and WHPn sites were compared within and between the worksites to establish WRCL utility and sensitivity.

The living arrangement may differentially influence IDU parents' motivation to reduce HIV risk as a function of gender.

Studies that examine data from drug-abusing parents typically investigate the impact of parental behavior on their children's well-being and focus almost exclusively on the impact of mothers. Other approaches have examined the level of parental involvement among parents in drug treatment and find that a higher level of parental involvement is related to lower levels of addiction severity. Recent research examines the specific role of fathers and suggests that the promotion of responsible parenting may serve as a positive motivational influence among fathers participating in drug treatment.

Surveying food and beverage liking: a tool for epidemiological studies to connect chemosensation with health outcomes.

Genetics, environmental exposures, and aging interact to produce variations in the perception or liking of taste, olfaction, and somatosensory sensations (i.e., chemosensation).

Workplace health protection and promotion through participatory ergonomics: an integrated approach.

A multidisciplinary team of researchers at the Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace (CPH-NEW) developed an evidence-based approach to address three recognized challenges to workplace programs designed to improve employee health: establishing employee ownership, integrating with work organization, and sustainability. The two main innovations being introduced in combination were (1) integrating traditional workplace health protection (e.g.