Objective To examine whether the self‐monitoring interventions of a mobile health app reduce sedentary behavior in the short and long terms. Method We designed a double‐blind randomized control trial. Participants were selected from among the staff of a medical institution and registrants of an online research firm. Forty‐nine participants were randomly assigned to either a control group (n = 25) or an intervention group (n = 24). The control group was given only the latest information about sedentary behavior, and the intervention was provided real‐time feedback for self‐monitoring in addition to the information. These interventions provided for 5 weeks (to measure the short‐term effect) and 13 weeks (to measure the long‐term effect) via the smartphone app. Measurements were as follows: subjective total sedentary time (SST), objective total sedentary time (OST), mean sedentary bout duration (MSB), and the number of sedentary breaks (SB). Only SST was measured by self‐report based on the standardized International Physical Activity Questionnaire and others were measured with the smartphone. Results No significant results were observed in the short term. In the long term, while no significant results were also observed in objective sedentary behavior (OST, MSB, SB), the significant differences were observed in subjective sedentary behavior (SST, β int − β ctrl between baseline and 9/13 weeks; 1.73 and 1.50 h/d, respectively). Conclusions Real‐time feedback for self‐monitoring with smartphone did not significantly affect objective sedentary behavior. However, providing only information about sedentary behavior to users with smartphones may make misperception on the amount of their subjective sedentary behavior.

Highlights The SN/S and LBP risk was higher in the PL than in the GL group. Four positive predictors (life satisfaction, hours of sleep, exercise habits, physical fitness) are important factors. Health staff should advise on workers’ individual lifestyle.

Background: A 45-year-old Japanese male pharmacist developed a stroke in December 2018; hence, he had left-sided hemiplegia due to the after-effects of cerebral stroke. This paper reports the return-to-work (RTW) and after RTW support for poststroke patients from a combined ergonomic and rehabilitation perspective. Methods: From April 2019 to July 2020, we visited hospitals and workplaces multiple times, making various preparations for workplace accommodation and exchanging information as follows: allowing staggered working hours; securing the flow routes in the back room; equipping a cane holder on his working desk; and adjusting the position of the work tablet. In August 2020, after RTW, we conducted a brief evaluation of residual motor function and an on-site task analysis, and we subsequently made a support tool. Results: In July 2020, his RTW was eventually realized. Moreover, as a result of introducing the tailor-made support tool, the duration of certain tasks that he had been claiming to be difficult was reduced when compared to that before support-tool use, and the average task duration before and after support-tool use was 32.8 s and 10 s, respectively (reduced by approximately 69.5%). Conclusion:To augment our efforts, hospital staff, support staff in his workplace, and his employer collaborated to make various workplace accommodations for the smooth realization of RTW before and after RTW. In the present case, the ergonomic and rehabilitation approach after RTW might have contributed to ease of task, work efficiency, and the potential for future job retention. K E Y W O R D Sergonomic and rehabilitation, poststroke, return to work, task analysis How to cite this article: Tani N, Ichikawa F, Mitani R, Akatsu J, Oda S. Fitting the task to a person with disabilities: A case of return-to-work support for a patient due to left-sided poststroke hemiplegia using tailor-made jigs-and-tools.

Occupational oral health, Dental check-ups, Difficulty in chewing, Specific health check-ups 産業衛生学雑誌 J-STAGE 早期公開 (2022年3月11日)