Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on health, financial worries, and perceived organizational support among people living with disabilities in Canada.

Background: Individuals with physical or mental health disabilities may be particularly vulnerable to the impact of COVID-19 on their health and employment.

Objectives: We examined COVID-19-related concerns for health, finances, and organizational support among workers with no disability, a physical, mental health, or both physical and mental health disability, and factors associated with COVID-19 perceptions.

Methods: An online, cross-sectional survey was administered to a sample of Canadians in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Does it matter what your reasons are when deciding to disclose (or not disclose) a disability at work? The association of workers' approach and avoidance goals with perceived positive and negative workplace outcomes.

Deciding whether to disclose a disability to others at work is complex. Many chronic mental and physical health conditions are associated with episodic disability and include times of relative wellness punctuated by intermittent periods of activity limitations. This research draws on the disclosure processes model to examine approach and avoidance disclosure and non-disclosure goals and their association with perceived positive and negative workplace outcomes.

The working disadvantaged: the role of age, job tenure and disability in precarious work.

Background: Precarious work is an increasingly common characteristic of industrialized labor markets that can widen health inequities, especially among disadvantaged workforce segments. Study objectives are to compare precarious employment in workers with and without disabilities, and to examine the modifying effect of disability in the relationships between age, job tenure and precarious work.

Methods: Employed Canadians with (n = 901) and without disabilities (n = 901) were surveyed on exposure to precarious working conditions.

Retirement Expectations of Older Workers with Arthritis and Diabetes Compared with Those of Workers with No Chronic Diseases.

ABSTRACTWe know little about the retirement plans of adults with chronic diseases. This research recruited Canadian workers 50-67 years of age from a national panel of 80,000 individuals (arthritis, n = 631; diabetes, n = 286; both arthritis and diabetes, n = 111; no chronic disabling conditions, n = 538). A cross-sectional survey asked participants about their expected age of retirement, future work plans, whether they were retiring sooner than planned, and bridged retirement.

Are There Differences in Workplace Accommodation Needs, Use and Unmet Needs Among Older Workers With Arthritis, Diabetes and No Chronic Conditions? Examining the Role of Health and Work Context.

The aging of workforces combined with the prevalence of age-related chronic diseases has generated interest in whether large numbers of older workers will need workplace accommodations. This research applied work functioning theory to examine accommodation availability, need and use in workers with arthritis, diabetes, or no chronic disabling diseases; factors associated with accommodation needs; and the relationship of accommodation needs met, unmet or exceeded to job outcomes. Participants were aged 50-67 years, employed, and had arthritis ( = 631), diabetes ( = 286), both arthritis/diabetes ( = 111) or no chronic disabling conditions (healthy controls = 538).

Presurgery osteoarthritis severity over 10 years in 2 Ontario prospective total knee replacement cohorts: a cohort study.

Background: It has been suggested that total knee replacement is being performed in people with less-severe osteoarthritis. We aimed to determine whether there were differences in the presurgery profile, symptoms and disability of 2 cohorts who underwent total knee replacement over a 10-year period.

Methods: Patients aged 18-85 years undergoing primary total knee replacement for osteoarthritis at 1 of 4 sites in Toronto and Strathroy, Ontario, were recruited in a cohort study during 2006-2008 (cohort 1) and 2012-2015 (cohort 2).

Gender/Sex Differences in the Relationship between Psychosocial Work Exposures and Work and Life Stress.

Objectives: Stress is an important factor affecting the health of working population. While work exposures are determinants of levels of work and life stress, we do not know whether similar or different exposures are related to stress levels for men and women. This study aimed to formally examine male/female differences in the relationships between psychosocial work exposures and work and life stress in a representative sample of Canadian labour market participants.

The Role of Sex, Gender, Health Factors, and Job Context in Workplace Accommodation Use Among Men and Women with Arthritis.

Background: With the aging of populations in many countries, workers are expected to remain employed longer but may struggle with the onset of common, chronic conditions like arthritis. To date, few studies have examined workplace policies and practices that could help accommodate individuals with arthritis, and fewer still have used a sex and gender-based approach to explore similarities and differences between women and men.

Objectives: This study compared the health and work contexts of workers aged ≥50 years to better understand similarities and differences between women and men in accommodation availability, need, use, and unmet needs.

Association between psychosocial work conditions and latent alcohol consumption trajectories among men and women over a 16-year period in a national Canadian sample.

Background: It is unclear how psychosocial working conditions influence future alcohol consumption. Using group-based trajectory modelling, this study aimed to determine: the number of latent alcohol consumption trajectories over 16 years in a representative sample of the Canadian workforce; the association between psychosocial working conditions and longitudinal alcohol consumption; and if the association between psychosocial work factors and longitudinal alcohol consumption differed among men and women.

Methods: We included 5458 employed adults from the longitudinal Canadian National Population Health Survey.

Developing leading indicators from OHS management audit data: Determining the measurement properties of audit data from the field.

Introduction: OHS management audits are one means of obtaining data that may serve as leading indicators. The measurement properties of such data are therefore important. This study used data from Workwell audit program in Ontario, a Canadian province.

Male-Female Differences in Work Activity Limitations: Examining the Relative Contribution of Chronic Conditions and Occupational Characteristics.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine differences in activity limitations at work among men and women, and the relative contributions that chronic conditions and occupational characteristics have on these differences.

Methods: Secondary data from the Canadian Community Health Surveys were used. Path analysis examined the role of mediating variables (chronic conditions and occupational characteristics) in male-female differences in work activity limitations.

Longitudinal examination of temporality in the association between chronic disease diagnosis and changes in work status and hours worked.

Objectives: To examine the longitudinal relationship between incidence of diagnosed chronic disease and work status and hours worked.

Methods: A dynamic cohort approach was taken to construct our study sample using the Canadian National Population Health Survey. Participant inclusion criteria included being employed and without a chronic health condition in the survey cycle prior to diagnosis, and participation in consecutive surveys following diagnosis.

Mediating pathways and gender differences between shift work and subjective cognitive function.

Objectives: Increased injury risk among shift workers is often attributed to cognitive function deficits that come about as a result of sleep disruptions. However, little is known about the intermediate influences of other factors (eg, work stress, health) which may affect this relationship. In addition, gender differences in these the complex relationships have not been fully explored.

The impact of co-morbid mental and physical disorders on presenteeism.

Objectives: This study sought to: (i) explore the impact of mood disorders (such as depression, bipolar disorder, mania, or dysthymia) and five age-related chronic physical conditions (arthritis, back pain, diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension) on presenteeism (as indicated by self-reported activity limitations at work), and (ii) examine how mood disorders interact with each physical condition to affect this work outcome.

Methods: Using Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) data, we modeled the relationships between self-reported restrictions at work and each health condition. We then calculated synergy indices (SI) for the interaction between mood disorders and each of the five physical conditions.

Diverging trends in the incidence of occupational and nonoccupational injury in Ontario, 2004-2011.

Objectives: We describe trends in occupational and nonoccupational injury among working-age adults in Ontario.

Methods: We conducted an observational study of adults aged 15 to 64 over the period 2004 through 2011, estimating the incidence of occupational and nonoccupational injury from emergency department (ED) records and, separately, from survey responses to 5 waves of a national health interview survey.

Results: Over the observation period, the annual percentage change (APC) in the incidence of work-related injury was -5.

Time trends in musculoskeletal disorders attributed to work exposures in Ontario using three independent data sources, 2004-2011.

Objective: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the leading cause of work disability in the developed economies. The objective of this study was to describe trends in the incidence of MSDs attributed to work exposures in Ontario over the period 2004-2011.

Methods: An observational study of work-related morbidity obtained from three independent sources for a complete population of approximately six million occupationally active adults aged 15-64 in the largest Canadian province.

Are age-related differences in the consequence of work injury greater when occupational physical demands are high?

Background: To examine if age differences in the consequences of work injury are exacerbated when occupational physical demands are higher.

Methods: A secondary analysis of workers' compensation claims in British Columbia (N = 373,672). Regression models examined the relationship between age and health care expenditures, days of wage replacement and the occurrence of long-term-disability following a work-related injury in occupations with lower and higher physical demands.

How much do preexisting chronic conditions contribute to age differences in health care expenditures after a work-related musculoskeletal injury?

Objectives: To estimate the contribution of preexisting chronic conditions on age differences in health care expenditures for the management of work-related musculoskeletal injuries in British Columbia.

Methods: A secondary analysis of workers' compensation claims submitted over the 5-year period between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2006 (N = 55,827 claims among men and 32,141 claims among women). Path models examined the relationships between age and health care expenditures, and the extent to which age differences in health care expenditures were mediated by preexisting chronic conditions.

Impact of pre-existing chronic conditions on age differences in sickness absence after a musculoskeletal work injury: a path analysis approach.

Objectives: This study aims to examine the extent to which a greater prevalence of pre-existing chronic conditions among older workers explains why older age is associated with longer duration of sickness absence (SA) following a musculoskeletal work-related injury in British Columbia.

Methods: A secondary analysis of workers' compensation claims in British Columbia over three time periods (1997-1998; 2001-2002, and 2005-2006), the study comprised 102 997 and 53 882 claims among men and women, respectively. Path models examined the relationships between age and days of absence and the relative contribution of eight different pre-existing chronic conditions (osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes, thyroid conditions, hearing problems, and depression) to this relationship.

Geographic variation in work injuries: a multilevel analysis of individual-level data and area-level factors within Canada.

Purpose: This study sought to examine provincial variation in work injuries and to assess whether contextual factors are associated with geographic variation in work injuries.

Methods: Individual-level data from the 2003 and 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey was obtained for a representative sample of 89,541 Canadians aged 15 to 75 years old who reported working in the past 12 months. A multilevel regression model was conducted to identify geographic variation and contextual factors associated with the likelihood of reporting an activity limiting work injury [corrected], while adjusting for demographic and work variables.

Welfare state regimes, gender, and depression: a multilevel analysis of middle and high income countries.

Using the 2002 World Health Survey, we examine the association between welfare state regimes, gender and mental health among 26 countries classified into seven distinct regimes: Conservative, Southeast Asian, Eastern European, Latin American, Liberal, Southern/Ex-dictatorship, and Social Democratic. A two-level hierarchical model found that the odds of experiencing a brief depressive episode in the last 12 months was significantly higher for Southern/Ex- dictatorship countries than for Southeast Asian (odds ratio (OR) = 0.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.

The Relationship between Age and Work Injury in British Columbia: Examining Differences across Time and Nature of Injury.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between age and the lost-time workers' compensation claims in British Columbia, Canada, over three time periods (1997-98, 2001-02 and 2005-06). We examined if the relationship between age and risk of lost-time claims is consistent over time and for different nature of injury categories.

Methods: Secondary analyses of lost-time workers' compensation claims combined with estimates of person-years of exposure generated from the Canadian Labour Force Survey were performed.

Pain-related work interference is a key factor in a worker/workplace model of work absence duration due to musculoskeletal conditions in Canadian nurses.

Objective: To examine the role of pain experiences in relation to work absence, within the context of other worker health factors and workplace factors among Canadian nurses with work-related musculoskeletal (MSK) injury.

Methods: Structural equation modeling was used on a sample of 941 employed, female, direct care nurses with at least one day of work absence due to a work-related MSK injury, from the cross-sectional 2005 National Survey of the Work and Health of Nurses.

Results: The final model suggests that pain severity and pain-related work interference mediate the impact of the following worker health and workplace factors on work absence duration: depression, back problems, age, unionization, workplace physical demands and low job control.