Relationships between work-related factors and musculoskeletal health with current and future work ability among male workers

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose was to increase job-specific knowledge about individual and work-related factors and their relationship with current and future work ability (WA). We studied cross-sectional relationships between mental demands, physical exertion during work, grip strength, musculoskeletal pain in the upper extremities and WA and the relationships between these variables and WA 11 years later.MethodsWe used a dataset of a prospective cohort study (1997–2008) among employees of an engineering plant (n = 157). The cohort was surveyed by means of tests and written questions on work demands, musculoskeletal health, WA score (WAS; 0–10), and mental and physical WA. Spearman correlation coefficients and logistic regression analysis were used.ResultsAmong manual workers, we found weak correlations between grip strength and current and future physical WA. We did not find predictors for future poor WA among the manual workers. Among the office workers, we found that musculoskeletal pain was moderately and negatively related to current WAS and physical WA. More handgrip strength related to better future WAS and physical WA. Musculoskeletal pain (OR 1.67 p < 0.01) and lower handgrip strength (OR 0.91 p < 0.05) predicted future poor WA among office workers.ConclusionsOur results showed cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between musculoskeletal health and work ability depending on occupation. However, the present implies that predicting work ability in the far future based on health surveillance data is rather difficult. Testing the musculoskeletal system (grip strength) and asking workers’ about their musculoskeletal health seems relevant when monitoring work ability.

Normative reference values and physical factors associated with work ability: a cross-sectional observational study

“…Work ability was significantly higher in employed individuals, which matches the findings of studies that attribute employment to better physical and mental health, job stability and confidence in the ability to work at maximum capacity 1 33. Some studies report that blue/intermediate collar workers have lower work ability due to greater exposure to biomechanical stresses 19 30 34–36. Our finding of no significant association with work ability and marital and socioeconomic status was also reported by a cross-sectional study of 1579 Iranian nurses 29.…”

“…This study has highlighted a significant association between physical performance and work ability by investigating a comprehensive physical profile that encapsulates strength, flexibility and several gross motor, fine motor and balance tests. Our modest correlations between work ability and strength and flexibility have also been reported in previous studies (r=0.16 to 0.368, p<0.05) 16–20 33. However, previous studies have assessed the flexibility of only a single joint20 and limited strength measures such as grip16 19 33 or knee strength 17 18 33.…”

“…A decrease in physical performance, whether due to age or injury, can have work-related implications including increased absenteeism and greater risk of workplace accidents 14 15. While this decline in physical performance has been accepted as a contributing factor to reduced work ability,16–21 few studies have investigated the association between work ability and measures that assess an individual’s physical capabilities. Existing studies investigating this association are limited by lack of gender and occupational diversity, exclusion of older workers and limited range of validated physical tests 16–21…”

Capacidade para o trabalho e qualidade de vida de trabalhadores atendidos na atenção primária

“…Levando em consideração estes resultados descritivos da capacidade para o trabalho, é importante o levantamento do perfil ocupacional da população atendida pelas unidades de saúde analisadas. A capacidade para o trabalho ruim ou em declínio está associada ao desenvolvimento de condições de saúde relacionadas a desordens psicossomáticas 24 , transtornos mentais [25][26][27] e disfunções físicas 28,29 .…”

“…Esse resultado ratifica os achados de outros estudos em que as características do trabalho e suas demandas físicas impactaram de forma negativa a capacidade do trabalhador responder a estas exigências físicas 7,23,30,38 . Assim, funções com alta exigência física têm sido associadas a pior capacidade para o trabalho 22,29,37 e reforçam a necessidade do desenvolvimento de ações preventivas direcionadas aos aspectos ligados ao domínio físico.…”