BackgroundExcessive sitting behavior is a risk factor for many adverse health outcomes. This study aimed to survey the prevalence of sitting behavior and its adverse effects among Iranian office workers.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 447 Iranian office workers. A two-part questionnaire was used as the data collection tool. The first part surveyed the demographic characteristics and general health of the respondents, while the second part contained the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) to assess symptoms. Statistical analyses were performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software using Mann-Whitney U and Chi-square tests and multiple logistic regression analysis.ResultsThe respondents spent an average of 6.29 hours of an 8-hour working shift in a sitting position. The results showed that 48.8% of the participants did not feel comfortable with their workstations and 73.6% felt exhausted during the workday. Additionally, 6.3% suffered from hypertension, and 11.2% of them reported hyperlipidemia. The results of the NMQ showed that neck (53.5%), lower back (53.2%) and shoulder (51.6%) symptoms were the most prevalent problem among office workers. Based upon a multiple logistic regression, only sex had a significant association with prolonged sitting behavior (odds ratio = 3.084). Our results indicated that long sitting times were associated with exhaustion during the working day, decreased job satisfaction, hypertension, and musculoskeletal disorder symptoms in the shoulders, lower back, thighs, and knees of office workers.ConclusionSitting behavior had adverse effects on office workers. Active workstations are therefore recommended to improve working conditions.

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has not been investigated among Iranian industrial workers. The present paper aimed to study the influence of the socio-demographic, health and work-related factors on HRQOL among Iranian industrial workers. In this cross-sectional study, participants were 280 workers of two factories. The Persian version of World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief (WHOQOL-BREF) was used to assess the HRQOL. A questionnaire was developed to assess the socio-demographic, health and work-related factors. Results showed that the means (SD) of physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment domains of HRQOL were 13.2 (2.7), 13.3 (2.6), 14.2 (3.5) and 12.6 (2.5), respectively. A multiple linear regression showed that types of job, exercise activity, working schedule, sleep quality, smoking, and conflict between work and social life were significantly associated with physical health domain; whereas, working schedule, marital status, working demand, sleep quality, BMI, and conflict between work and individual life were significantly associated with psychological health domain. Working schedule, working demand, sleep quality, conflict between work and individual life, and having children over two years were significantly associated with social relationship domain; however, working demand, working schedule, smoking, sleep quality, working hour, job satisfaction, marital sta-* Corresponding authors. S. M. Taghavi et al. 2251 tus and exercise activity were significantly associated with environment domain. Collectively, work-related factors including unhealthy working conditions, unsafe working environments, long working hours, irregular working schedules, and the lack of occupational training may negatively influence the HRQOL of workers. To improve workers' HRQOL, intervention programs should focus on improving work environment, working schedule, occupational training and restricting working hours.

Background: Fatigue, as a destructive phenomenon, can have adverse effects on various aspects of workers' lives. Job burnout is one of the important consequences of fatigue among employees including nurses in different workplaces, especially healthcare centers. Objectives: The present study aimed to assess the relationship between fatigue and job burnout. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted on 522 nurses, who were randomly selected from teaching hospitals of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS), Shiraz, Iran. Fatigue dimensions and job burnout were measured by Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20) and Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), respectively. Results: The results revealed that among burnout dimensions, depersonalization and diminished personal accomplishment had the highest mean scores, while emotional exhaustion had the lowest mean score. Among different fatigue dimensions, the highest mean score was related to general fatigue. Moreover, the results of Pearson's correlation test showed a significant positive relationship between emotional exhaustion and fatigue dimensions. Also, a significant direct correlation was found between depersonalization and general, physical, and mental fatigue. On the other hand, a significant negative correlation was observed between diminished personal accomplishment and all fatigue dimensions, except mental fatigue. Conclusions: Considering the adverse effects of fatigue on various aspects of nurses' job burnout, more attention should be paid to fatigue in healthcare facilities, especially hospitals. In addition, a suitable managerial program should be developed to decrease nurses' job burnout and other fatigue consequences and to improve working conditions.

Background Physical and psychological workloads are a vital issue in the workplace. This study aimed to investigate the association between physical and psychological workloads and occupational fatigue among Iranian hospital service personnel. In Iran, hospital service personnel refers to a group of healthcare workers who undertake a range of duties, such as moving and carrying the hospital waste, transporting patients by wheelchair or gurney to the operating room, x-ray department, other wards, or other locations around the facility, performing cleaning tasks such as changing linens, mopping floors, and sterilizing equipment, and following infection control procedures to reduce the risk of spreading germs within the hospital setting. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on 198 Iranian hospital service personnel. The response rate was 86%. The data were gathered using 1) The Persian version of the Job Content Questionnaire (P-JCQ) for assessing physical and psychosocial workloads and 2) The Persian version of the Swedish Occupational Fatigue Inventory (P-SOFI-20) for assessing fatigue dimensions. Results According to the P-JCQ, the physical and psychological workload intensities were high in 72.7% and 47% of the participants, respectively. Based on the P-SOFI, the participants’ mean scores of “physical fatigue” (21.73 ± 6.2), “psychological fatigue” (13.61 ± 5.76), and “fatigue due to shift work” (18.17 ± 5.6) were moderate, while the mean score of “general fatigue” was high (27.3 ± 6.98). The findings revealed that various types of fatigue are associated with age, gender, marital status, daily working hours, and psychological workload. Conclusions Psychological workload was a determinant of occupational fatigue among Iranian hospital service personnel. Hence, an interventional program, including job enrichment, job rotation, and work-rest cycle, is recommended.

Background: The high item numbers is one of the Work Ability Index (WAI) limitations that make it difficult to be completed by the workers. Using the single-item Work Ability Score (WAS) as a simple is one of the proposed solutions which is valid and suitable measure for work ability.