-
Developing a short standard questionnaire for assessing work organization hazards: the Healthy Work Survey (HWS)
-
BongKyoo Choi, Youngju Seo
-
Ann Occup Environ Med 2023;35:e7. Published online April 27, 2023
-
DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/aoem.2023.35.e7
-
-
Abstract
PDFSupplementary MaterialPubReaderePub
- Background
At present, no short standard questionnaire exists for assessing and comparing major work organization hazards in the workplaces of the United States. MethodsWe conducted a series of psychometric tests (content validity, factor analysis, differential-item functioning analysis, reliability, and concurrent validity) to validate and identify core items and scales for major work organization hazards using the data from the 2002–2014 General Social Surveys (GSSs), including the Quality of Worklife (QWL) questionnaire. In addition, an extensive literature review was undertaken to find other major work organization hazards which were not addressed in the GSS. ResultsAlthough the overall validity of the GSS-QWL questionnaire was satisfactory in the psychometric tests, some GSS-QWL items of work-family conflict, psychological job demands, job insecurity, use of skills on the job, and safety climate scales appeared to be weak. In the end, 33 questions (31 GSS-QWL and 2 GSS) were chosen as the least, but best validated core questions and included in a new short standard questionnaire (called the Healthy Work Survey [HWS]). And their national norms were established for comparisons. Furthermore, based on the literature review, fifteen more questions for assessing other significant work organization hazards (e.g., lack of scheduling control, emotional demands, electronic surveillance, wage theft) were included in the new questionnaire. Thus, the HWS includes 48 questions in total for assessing traditional and emerging work organization hazards, which covers seven theoretical domains: work schedule/arrangement, control, support, reward, demands, safety, and justice. ConclusionsThe HWS is a short standard questionnaire for assessing work organization hazards which can be used as a first step toward the risk management of major work organization hazards in the workplaces of the US.
-
A socioecological framework for research on work and obesity in diverse urban transit operators based on gender, race, and ethnicity
-
BongKyoo Choi, Peter Schnall, Marnie Dobson, Haiou Yang, Dean Baker, YoungJu Seo
-
Ann Occup Environ Med 2017;29:15. Published online May 17, 2017
-
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40557-017-0171-2
-
-
Abstract
PDFPubReaderePub
Urban transit (bus and rail) operators, totaling nearly 700,000 persons, are one of the heaviest occupational groups in the United States (US). Little is known about occupational risk factors for weight gain and obesity and their interrelationship with health-related behaviors, particularly among female minority (African Americans and Hispanics) transit operators who are at greater risk for obesity. As a step towards developing successful obesity interventions among urban transit operators, this paper aims to present a new socioecological framework for studying working conditions, chronic strain, health-related behaviors, weight gain/obesity, and obesity disparity in diverse urban transit operators based on gender, race, and ethnicity. Our framework is a synthesis of several different theories and disciplines: the resource-work load model (work stress), occupational ergonomics, the theory of intersectionality, and worksite health promotion. The framework was developed utilizing an extensive literature review, results from our on-going research on obesity, input from focus groups conducted with Los Angeles transit operators as well as interviews and meetings with transit operator stakeholders (management, unions, and worksite transit wellness program), and ride-along observations. Our hypotheses highlighted in the framework (see Fig. 1) are that adverse working conditions, largely characterized as a combination of high demands and low resources, will increase the risk for weight gain/obesity among transit operators directly through chronic strain and hypothalamic dysfunction (hyper-and hypo-activations), and indirectly through health-related behaviors and injuries/chronic severe pain. We also hypothesize that the observed increase in adiposity among female minority operators is due to their greater exposure to adverse occupational and non-occupational conditions that reflect their intersecting social identities of lower social class and being a minority woman in the US. Our proposed framework could greatly facilitate future transit worksite obesity studies by clarifying the complex and important roles of adverse working conditions in the etiology of weight gain/obesity and obesity disparity among transit operators and other working populations.
-
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
- Facilitators and barriers to achieving dietary and physical activity goals: focus group interviews with city bus drivers and counseling dietitians
Yongmin Jo, Suhyeun Cho, Young-Hee Han, Taisun Hyun Korean Journal of Community Nutrition.2023; 28(5): 376. CrossRef - Primary Prevention of Weight Gain Among New Bus Operators
Ryan Olson, Sean P. M. Rice, Talya N. Bauer, Brad Wipfli, W. Kent Anger, Todd Bodner, Peter Graven, Leah S. Greenspan Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine.2023; 65(2): 128. CrossRef - Bus Operators’ Body Weight Changes During Their First 2 Years of Work
Ryan Olson, Sean P.M. Rice, Layla R. Mansfield, Brad Wipfli, Todd Bodner, W. Kent Anger, Talya N. Bauer Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine.2021; 63(12): 1093. CrossRef - Burden of tobacco, kola nut and alcohol consumption and its association with periodontal disease, potentially malignant lesions and quality of life among bus drivers, Lagos State, Nigeria
Afolabi Oyapero, Oyejoke Oyapero, Aliru Akinleye Population Medicine.2020;[Epub] CrossRef - Pilot test of an interactive obesity treatment approach among employed adults in a university medical billing office
Rachel G. Tabak, Jaime R. Strickland, Bridget Kirk, Ryan Colvin, Richard I. Stein, Hank Dart, Graham A. Colditz, Ann Marie Dale, Bradley A. Evanoff Pilot and Feasibility Studies.2020;[Epub] CrossRef - Obesity and Socioeconomic Disparities
Cecilia M. Jevitt Journal of Perinatal & Neonatal Nursing.2019; 33(2): 126. CrossRef - Complejidad de la expresión de genes asociados a obesidad en el tejido adiposo humano
Alejandra Rodríguez, Carlos Echandía, Adalberto Sánchez, José María Satizábal, Julio César Montoya, Felipe García Vallejo Revista Med.2019; 26(1): 14. CrossRef - The Key Role of Work in Population Health Inequities
Paul A. Landsbergis, BongKyoo Choi, Marnie Dobson, Grace Sembajwe, Craig Slatin, Linda Delp, C. Eduardo Siqueira, Peter Schnall, Sherry Baron American Journal of Public Health.2018; 108(3): 296. CrossRef - Work stress and health problems of professional drivers: a hazardous formula for their safety outcomes
Sergio A. Useche, Boris Cendales, Luis Montoro, Cristina Esteban PeerJ.2018; 6: e6249. CrossRef - Work organization, health, and obesity in urban transit operators: A qualitative study
Marnie Dobson, BongKyoo Choi, Peter L. Schnall American Journal of Industrial Medicine.2017; 60(11): 991. CrossRef
-
57
View
-
0
Download
-
8
Web of Science
-
10
Crossref
-
Ambulatory heart rate of professional taxi drivers while driving without their typical psychosocial work stressors: a pilot study
-
BongKyoo Choi, SangJun Choi, JeeYeon Jeong, JiWon Lee, Shi Shu, Nu Yu, SangBaek Ko, Yifang Zhu
-
Ann Occup Environ Med 2016;28:54. Published online October 6, 2016
-
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40557-016-0139-7
-
-
Abstract
PDFPubReaderePub
- Background
Few studies have examined ambulatory cardiovascular physiological parameters of taxi drivers while driving in relation to their occupational hazards. This study aims to investigate and quantify the impact of worksite physical hazards as a whole on ambulatory heart rate of professional taxi drivers while driving without their typical worksite psychosocial stressors. MethodsAmbulatory heart rate (HRdriving) of 13 non-smoking male taxi drivers (24 to 67 years old) while driving was continuously assessed on their 6-hour experimental on-road driving in Los Angeles. Percent maximum HR range (PMHRdriving) of the drivers while driving was estimated based on the individual HRdriving values and US adult population resting HR (HRrest) reference data. For analyses, the HRdriving and PMHRdriving data were split and averaged into 5-min segments. Five physical hazards inside taxi cabs were also monitored while driving. Work stress and work hours on typical work days were self-reported. ResultsThe means of the ambulatory 5-min HRdriving and PMHRdriving values of the 13 drivers were 80.5 bpm (11.2 bpm higher than their mean HRrest) and 10.7 % (range, 5.7 to 19.9 %), respectively. The means were lower than the upper limits of ambulatory HR and PMHR for a sustainable 8-hour work (35 bpm above HRrest and 30 % PMHR), although 15–27 % of the 5-min HRdriving and PMHRdriving values of one driver were higher than the limits. The levels of the five physical hazards among the drivers were modest: temperature (26.4 ± 3.0 °C), relative humidity (40.7 ± 10.4 %), PM2.5 (21.5 ± 7.9 μg/m3), CO2 (1,267.1 ± 580.0 ppm) and noise (69.7 ± 3.0 dBA). The drivers worked, on average, 72 h per week and more than half of them reported that their job were often stressful. ConclusionsThe impact of physical worksite hazards alone on ambulatory HR of professional taxi drivers in Los Angeles generally appeared to be minor. Future ambulatory heart rate studies including both physical and psychosocial hazards of professional taxi drivers are warranted.
-
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
- Cardiovascular health status of taxi/for-hire vehicle drivers in the United States: A systematic review
Sheena Mirpuri, Kathryn Traub, Sara Romero, Marisol Hernandez, Francesca Gany Work.2021; 69(3): 927. CrossRef - Lurking in plain sight: Hypertension awareness and treatment among New York City taxi/for‐hire vehicle drivers
Bharat Narang, Sheena Mirpuri, Soo Young Kim, Devika R. Jutagir, Francesca Gany The Journal of Clinical Hypertension.2020; 22(6): 962. CrossRef
-
57
View
-
0
Download
-
2
Web of Science
-
2
Crossref
-
Very Long (> 48 hours) Shifts and Cardiovascular Strain in Firefighters: a Theoretical Framework
-
BongKyoo Choi, Peter L Schnall, Marnie Dobson, Javier Garcia-Rivas, HyoungRyoul Kim, Frank Zaldivar, Leslie Israel, Dean Baker
-
Ann Occup Environ Med 2014;26:5-5. Published online March 6, 2014
-
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/2052-4374-26-5
-
-
Abstract
PDFPubReaderePub
Shift work and overtime have been implicated as important work-related risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Many firefighters who contractually work on a 24-hr work schedule, often do overtime (additional 24-hr shifts) which can result in working multiple, consecutive 24-hr shifts. Very little research has been conducted on firefighters at work that examines the impact of performing consecutive 24-hr shifts on cardiovascular physiology. Also, there have been no standard field methods for assessing in firefighters the cardiovascular changes that result from 24-hr shifts, what we call “cardiovascular strain”. The objective of this study, as the first step toward elucidating the role of very long (> 48 hrs) shifts in the development of CVD in firefighters, is to develop and describe a theoretical framework for studying cardiovascular strain in firefighters on very long shifts (i.e., > 2 consecutive 24-hr shifts). The developed theoretical framework was built on an extensive literature review, our recently completed studies with firefighters in Southern California, e-mail and discussions with several firefighters on their experiences of consecutive shifts, and our recently conducted feasibility study in a small group of firefighters of several ambulatory cardiovascular strain biomarkers (heart rate, heart rate variability, blood pressure, salivary cortisol, and salivary C-reactive protein). The theoretical framework developed in this study will facilitate future field studies on consecutive 24-hr shifts and cardiovascular health in firefighters. Also it will increase our understanding of the mechanisms by which shift work or long work hours can affect CVD, particularly through CVD biological risk factors, and thereby inform policy about sustainable work and rest schedules for firefighters.
-
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
- The Cyclical Battle of Insomnia and Mental Health Impairment in Firefighters: A Narrative Review
Angelia M. Holland-Winkler, Daniel R. Greene, Tiffany J. Oberther Journal of Clinical Medicine.2024; 13(8): 2169. CrossRef - Working Hours, Shift, and Remote Work by Industry and Occupation in U.S. Full-time Workers
Guang X. Chen Workplace Health & Safety.2024; 72(9): 392. CrossRef - Comparing actigraphy and diary to measure daily and average sleep in firefighters: a Bland–Altman analysis
Ryan Marmis, Logan McGoldrick-Ruth, Monica R. Kelly, Patricia L. Haynes Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.2024; 20(4): 497. CrossRef - High-Performance Programs for First Responders: Considerations and Potential Benefits of Implementation
Robert G. Lockie, J. Jay Dawes Strength & Conditioning Journal.2024; 46(4): 447. CrossRef - Adapting shift work schedules for sleep quality, sleep duration, and sleepiness in shift workers
Gerben Hulsegge, Pieter Coenen, Gregg M Gascon, Manisha Pahwa, Birgit Greiner, Ciarán Bohane, Imelda S Wong, Juha Liira, Rachel Riera, Daniela V Pachito Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.2023;[Epub] CrossRef - COVID-19–Related Medical Vulnerability and Mental Health Outcomes Among US First Responders
Antoine Lebeaut, Maya Zegel, Samuel J. Leonard, Nathaniel A. Healy, Elizabeth A. Anderson-Fletcher, Anka A. Vujanovic Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine.2023; 65(5): e283. CrossRef - Exercise Habits and Resources for Southeastern US Firefighters
Philip Agostinelli, Rebecca Hirschhorn, JoEllen Sefton Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine.2023; 65(5): e351. CrossRef - Synergistic interaction between long shifts and short rest periods on depression in shift workers: A cross‐sectional study from Korea
Sungjin Park, Jongin Lee, June‐Hee Lee American Journal of Industrial Medicine.2023; 66(11): 977. CrossRef - The effect of extended shift work on autonomic function in occupational settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Jacob D Jelmini, Jeremy Ross, Lauren N Whitehurst, Nicholas R Heebner Journal of Occupational Health.2023;[Epub] CrossRef - Falls in older persons living alone: the role of individual, social and environmental factors
Isabel Lage, Fátima Braga, Manuela Almendra, Filipe Meneses, Laetitia Teixeira, Odete Araujo Enfermería Clínica (English Edition).2022; 32(6): 396. CrossRef - Caídas en personas mayores que viven solas: el papel de los factores individuales, sociales y medioambientales
Isabel Lage, Fátima Braga, Manuela Almendra, Filipe Meneses, Laetitia Teixeira, Odete Araujo Enfermería Clínica.2022; 32(6): 396. CrossRef - The Wildland Firefighter Exposure and Health Effect (WFFEHE) Study: Rationale, Design, and Methods of a Repeated-Measures Study
Kathleen M Navarro, Corey R Butler, Kenneth Fent, Christine Toennis, Deborah Sammons, Alejandra Ramirez-Cardenas, Kathleen A Clark, David C Byrne, Pamela S Graydon, Christa R Hale, Andrea F Wilkinson, Denise L Smith, Marissa C Alexander-Scott, Lynne E Pin Annals of Work Exposures and Health.2022; 66(6): 714. CrossRef - Low testosterone and cardiometabolic risks in a real-world study of US male firefighters
Sushant M. Ranadive, Adriana Lofrano-Porto, Edgard M. K. V. K. Soares, Lauren Eagan, Luiz Guilherme Grossi Porto, Denise L. Smith Scientific Reports.2021;[Epub] CrossRef - Enhancing adaptive performance in emergency response: Empowerment practices and the moderating role of tempo balance
David Huntsman, Alex Greer, Haley Murphy, Steven Haynes Safety Science.2021; 134: 105060. CrossRef - Mental Health of Canadian Firefighters: The Impact of Sleep
Heidi Cramm, Rachel Richmond, Laleh Jamshidi, Megan Edgelow, Dianne Groll, Rose Ricciardelli, Joy Christine MacDermid, Michael Keiley, R. Nicholas Carleton International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2021; 18(24): 13256. CrossRef - A feasibility study of a WhatsApp-delivered Transtheoretical Model-based intervention to promote healthy eating habits for firefighters in Hong Kong: a cluster randomized controlled trial
Wing Man Ng, Kin Cheung Trials.2020;[Epub] CrossRef - The influence of cardiometabolic risk factors on cardiorespiratory fitness in volunteer Chilean firefighters
Fernando Espinoza, Pedro Delgado‐Floody, Cristian Martínez‐Salazar, Daniel Jerez‐Mayorga, Iris Paola Guzmán‐Guzmán, Felipe Caamaño‐Navarrete, Rodrigo Ramirez‐Campillo, Claudio Chamorro, Christian Campos‐Jara American Journal of Human Biology.2019;[Epub] CrossRef - Effects of Wrist Cooling on Recovery From Exercise-Induced Heat Stress With Firefighting Personal Protective Equipment
Emily Schlicht, Ronald Caruso, Kelsey Denby, Alexs Matias, Monique Dudar, Stephen J. Ives Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine.2018; 60(11): 1049. CrossRef - One‐year weight change and long‐term sickness absence in professional firefighters
BongKyoo Choi American Journal of Industrial Medicine.2017; 60(6): 548. CrossRef - Predictors of health‐related quality of life among industrial workers: A descriptive correlational study
Malakeh Z. Malak Nursing & Health Sciences.2017; 19(2): 204. CrossRef - Do night and around-the-clock firefighters’ shift schedules induce deviation in tau from 24 hours of systolic and diastolic blood pressure circadian rhythms?
Alain E. Reinberg, Michael H. Smolensky, Marc Riedel, Cedric Riedel, Eric Brousse, Yvan Touitou Chronobiology International.2017; 34(8): 1158. CrossRef - Ambulatory heart rate of professional taxi drivers while driving without their typical psychosocial work stressors: a pilot study
BongKyoo Choi, SangJun Choi, JeeYeon Jeong, JiWon Lee, Shi Shu, Nu Yu, SangBaek Ko, Yifang Zhu Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2016;[Epub] CrossRef - Globalization, Work, and Cardiovascular Disease
Peter L. Schnall, Marnie Dobson, Paul Landsbergis International Journal of Health Services.2016; 46(4): 656. CrossRef - 24‐hour work shifts, sedentary work, and obesity in male firefighters
BongKyoo Choi, Marnie Dobson, Peter Schnall, Javier Garcia‐Rivas American Journal of Industrial Medicine.2016; 59(6): 486. CrossRef - Factors related to heart rate variability among firefighters
Jae-Hong Shin, Jung-Youb Lee, Seon-Hee Yang, Mi-Young Lee, In-Sung Chung Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2016;[Epub] CrossRef - Twenty-four-hour work shifts, increased job demands, and elevated blood pressure in professional firefighters
BongKyoo Choi, Peter Schnall, Marnie Dobson International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health.2016; 89(7): 1111. CrossRef - Effects of high occupational physical activity, aging, and exercise on heart rate variability among male workers
Dongmug Kang, Youngki Kim, Jongeun Kim, Yongsik Hwang, Byungmann Cho, Taekjong Hong, Byungmok Sung, Yonghwan Lee Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2015;[Epub] CrossRef - Factors associated with health-related quality of life in Korean older workers
Sujin Hong, Harin Jeong, Yunjeong Heo, Hosun Chun, Jongtae Park, Daeseong Kim Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2015;[Epub] CrossRef - Non-Accidental Health Impacts of Wildfire Smoke
Hassani Youssouf, Catherine Liousse, Laurent Roblou, Eric-Michel Assamoi, Raimo Salonen, Cara Maesano, Soutrik Banerjee, Isabella Annesi-Maesano International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2014; 11(11): 11772. CrossRef
-
73
View
-
0
Download
-
30
Web of Science
-
29
Crossref
|