Una aproximación de la evaluación del ambiente físico, la carga física y mental de los conductores de bus urbano de pasajeros

Este estudio se realizó con el fin de conocer si la carga mental y el ambiente físico tienen una valoración diferente a la carga física en los conductores de buses urbanos de pasajeros. Igualmente, el estudio permitió conocer realidades laborales en un contexto productivo, con el fin de velar por el cumplimiento de la normativa laboral y asegurar la debida protección de los trabajadores. Para esta investigación se utilizó el método LEST, el cual permitió evaluar las condiciones de trabajo de la forma más objetiva y global posible, al mostrar cada una de las situaciones consideradas en el puesto como satisfactoria, molesta o nociva. Para comprobar las condiciones de trabajo, se evaluaron 16 variables agrupadas en cinco dimensiones: entorno físico, carga física, carga mental, aspectos psicosociales y tiempo de trabajo. Se concluye que las variables que requieren de mayor atención son el ambiente físico, la carga mental y el tiempo de trabajo.

The purpose of this study was to know if the mental burden and the physical environment have a different value from the physical burden in bus drivers in the city. Likewise, the study allowed us to know about their work realities in a productive context, in order to ensure compliance with work laws and with the protection of workers. We used the LEST method, which allowed us to evaluate work condi- tions as objectively and globally as possible, by showing each one of the situations at the workplace as either satisfactory, disturbing or harmful. Thus, 16 variables were evaluated and they were groupd in 5 dimensions: physical setting, physical burden, mental burden, psychosocial aspects and time of work. We concluced that the variables that require more attention are physical setting, mental burden and time of work.

Este estudo foi realizado com o objetivo de verificar se a carga mental e o ambiente físico têm um valor diferente ao da carga física nos motoristas de ônibus urbanos de passageiros. Além disso, permitiu conhecer realidades no ámbito profissional em um contexto produtivo, a fim de zelar pelo cumprimento da lei trabalhista e garantir a devida proteção dos trabalhadores. Para esta pesquisa, foi utilizado o método LEST, que permitiu avaliar as condições de trabalho da forma mais objetiva e global possível, ao mostrar cada uma das situaçõs consideradas no posto como satisfatória, incômoda ou nociva. Para comprovar as condições de trabalho, foram avaliadas 16 variáveis, agrupadas em cinco dimensões: ambiente físico, carga física, carga mental, aspectos psicossociais e tempo de trabalho. Conclui-se que as variáveis que exigem mais atenção são o ambiente físico, a carga mental e o tempo de trabalho.

Associations between Social and Physical Environments, and Physical Activity in Adults from Urban and Rural Regions

OBJECTIVES: This study investigates investigated the relationship between social and physical environments, and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) amongst adults in both rural and urban areas within Korea. METHODS: A sample of 128,735 adults from the 2013 Community Health Survey (CHS) was analyzed using a multilevel logistic analysis. RESULTS: Urban residents with higher satisfaction in public transportation satisfaction and rural residents with more access to sports parks, hiking trails, and bike cycle paths were more likely to be active. The MVPA of adults from rural areas correlated urban adults was uncorrelatedwith neighborhood factors, but that of rural adults was whereas no correlations were observed in adults from urban areas. CONCLUSION: These differences should be considered when developing interventions strategies to enhance adult physical activity in different communities.

Analysis on survey of core indicators for elderly-friendly cities / 上海预防医学

Objective To assess pertinent indicators of elderly-friendly city, so as to provide the basis for carrying out the related work. Methods There were 1 500 elderly people aged at and above 60 years old that were surveyed via questionnaires and structured interviews. Results The core indicators:79.8%reported that their neighborhood was convenient for walking;90.3% reported that bus, under-ground and taxi in Shanghai were suitable for all types of people ( including the physically handicapped, the blind, and the deaf);94.8%reported that there was no difficulty in the payment of housing;96.0%reported that the community had good atmosphere of respecting for the elderly; 56 .8% participated in community volunteer activities;6.7%participated in paid work;53.5%participated in social and cultural activities;99 .7% reported that they could obtain information on health and social services from the community;71.2%reported that they could obtain services for free or below market price when necessary at home.Some core indicators had obvious differences among different genders, age groups, culture, marital status, household types, income sources and income levels.Supplementary and optional indicators:98.6%thought there should be at least one item of house facilities for home-based care for the aged, while 75.6%thought there should be at least four items.26.3% reported to have participated in community team activities.55.2%reported to have participated at least one education or training project during the past one year.90.5% self-reported of good health conditions. Conclusion There is high coverage of barrier-free facility construction, good atmosphere of respecting for the elderly in the community, wide coverage of home-based care for the aged.The elderly people, to some extent, are involved in community activities and various types of training.However, there are still improvements of participation of the elderly in decision-making of local policies, and of senile transformation of the houses the elderly.At the same time, economic, social, demographical, cultural and other factors should be paid close attention to.

Escalas de Medida da Percepção da Qualidade do Ambiente Hospitalar - Um Estudo em Unidades de Dor / Scales of Perceived Quality of Hospital Environment - A Study in Pain Care Units

RESUMOEste estudo desenvolve e valida duas escalas de medida da percepção da qualidade do ambiente hospitalar: físico e sócio-funcional. Participaram 122 utilizadores de Unidades de Dor Portuguesas. Os resultados de Análises Fatoriais Confirmatórias atestam a validade fatorial da escala de percepção de qualidade do ambiente físico composta por cinco fatores: Conforto físico-espacial, Orientação, Tranquilidade, Vista e iluminação e Temperatura e qualidade do ar; e da escala de percepção de qualidade do ambiente sócio-funcional composta por dois fatores: Relações sociais e organizacionais e Privacidade. Sendo a qualidade do ambiente hospitalar um importante fator para o bem-estar, a demonstração da validade fatorial dessas escalas é útil para o estudo e promoção da qualidade de ambientes hospitalares saudáveis.

ABSTRACTThis study aimed to improve and validate two scales measuring perceived quality of hospitals' physical and socio-functional environments. Two hundred and twenty-two users of Portuguese Pain Care Units participated in the study. The results obtained by Confirmatory Factor Analysis confirmed the factor structure of the perceived quality of the physical environment scale, composed by five factors: Spatial-physical comfort, Orientation, Quietness, Views and lighting and Temperature and air quality; and the factor structure of the perceived quality of social-functional environment scale, composed by two factors: Social and Organizational Relationships and Privacy. Because the quality of hospital environment is an important predictor of users' well-being, the factorial validity of these scales is useful for the study and promotion of healthier hospital environments.

Job Stress and Musculoskeletal Disorder in Seoul City's School Foodservice Employees / 산업간호학회지

PURPOSE: School foodservice employees (SFEs) could be exposed to the risk of musculoskeletal disease and of job stress due to their job characteristics. This study was to evaluate the level of job stress and the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal symptoms (WRMS) in Seoul city's SFEs, and to determine associations between job stress and WRMS. METHODS: The study design was cross-sectional, and 975 SFEs were recruited. Self-administered questionnaire included the 'Korean occupational stress scale-short form' and the 'KOSHA GUIDE H-9-2012' instrument to evaluate the job stress and WRMS, respectively. SFEs' medians of job stress were compared to the reference values of published study in Korean workers. RESULTS: The participants reported greater levels of job demand and physical environment than the general Korean population. WRMS were reported in 89.0% of participants at any body part, and 41.1% were presumed to need for medical intervention. High levels of job demand and of physical environment were significantly associated with WRMS. CONCLUSION: Subscales of job demand and physical environment were relatively high in SFEs and those were related to the occurrence of WRMS. To reduce the WRMS prevalence, a job stress management program focused on job demand and physical environment may be required.

Associations of environmental factors with health and mortality among Chinese elderly:A sam-ple survey in 22 provinces in China / 中国卫生政策研究

We analyzed data from a nationally representative sample of 15,973 elderly residents from 866 coun-ties and cities in 2002 and followed up in 2005 with multilevel logistic regression models to investigate how social, eco-nomical environmental factors are associated with health outcomes and mortality risk. After control individual-level fac-tors, we found that air pollution increased the odds of disability in activities of daily living ( ADLs) , cognitive impair-ment, and health deficits index. More rainfall was protective, reducing the odds of ADL disability and cognitive impair-ment. Extremely low seasonal temperatures increased the odds of ADL disability and mortality. Extremely high seasonal temperatures increased the odds of cognitive impairment and health deficit index. Living in a mountain area decreased the odds of ADL disability and health deficits. The conclusion is that efforts to reduce pollution and improve socioeco-nomic conditions could significantly improve the health and survival of the elderly.

Job Stress and Musculoskeletal Disorder in Seoul City's School Foodservice Employees / 한국직업건강간호학회지

PURPOSE: School foodservice employees (SFEs) could be exposed to the risk of musculoskeletal disease and of job stress due to their job characteristics. This study was to evaluate the level of job stress and the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal symptoms (WRMS) in Seoul city's SFEs, and to determine associations between job stress and WRMS. METHODS: The study design was cross-sectional, and 975 SFEs were recruited. Self-administered questionnaire included the 'Korean occupational stress scale-short form' and the 'KOSHA GUIDE H-9-2012' instrument to evaluate the job stress and WRMS, respectively. SFEs' medians of job stress were compared to the reference values of published study in Korean workers. RESULTS: The participants reported greater levels of job demand and physical environment than the general Korean population. WRMS were reported in 89.0% of participants at any body part, and 41.1% were presumed to need for medical intervention. High levels of job demand and of physical environment were significantly associated with WRMS. CONCLUSION: Subscales of job demand and physical environment were relatively high in SFEs and those were related to the occurrence of WRMS. To reduce the WRMS prevalence, a job stress management program focused on job demand and physical environment may be required.

Geologia e geomorfologia da estação ecológica Serra Geral do Tocantins / Geology and geomorphology of Serra Geral do Tocantins ecological station

Este trabalho trata de descrição básica da paisagem existente na Estação Ecológica Serra Geral do Tocantins, localizada na porção oriental do Estado do Tocantins e extremo oeste do Estado da Bahia, Brasil Central. Dois fatores do meio físico são abordados: a geologia, composta por litotipos sedimentares, e as formas de relevo, dada a predominância de chapadões e morros testemunhos na região, famosa pela presença das Dunas do Jalapão ao norte. Tal interação, esculturada sob clima típico de savana, produziu uma série de mosaicos com imensas peculiaridades paisagísticas. A Serra Geral do Tocantins é um planalto sedimentar esculpido na Bacia Sedimentar do Parnaíba. A área da Estação é caracterizada por pacotes de sedimentos predominantemente continentais, posteriores ao derrame basáltico ocorrido durante a Reativação Wealdeniana Juro-Cretácea. São arenitos de colorações brancas a vermelhas, extremamente friáveis, oriundos das acumulações de paleoclimas secos (áridos a semi-áridos) do Mesozóico, possivelmente contemporâneos ao Deserto Botucatu existente na Bacia do Paraná, embora as camadas mais superiores possam estar associadas a ambiente flúvio-lacustre. As formas de relevo envolvem uma seqüência de chapadas e patamares caracterizando formas estruturais com rebordos festonados e rampas escalonadas em formas erosivas. As chapadas são constituídas por sedimentos cretáceos e configuram grandes unidades de relevo em mesa penetradas por vales pedimentados, com bordas escarpadas e anfiteatros largos, que atacados por ciclos de erosão pós-cretáceos resultaram em patamares escalonados e arrasados em pediplanos que descem rumo ao curso do Rio Tocantins. A presença de inúmeros relevos residuais colabora nos contrastes geomorfológicos. Os processos morfogenéticos predominantemente mecânicos podem ser divididos em quatro fases de esculturação que resultaram na dissecação diferenciada. A compartimentação do relevo permite apontar algumas considerações sobre a distribuição geográfica da fauna na área da Estação Ecológica e seu entorno, pois em parte esta relação pode ser determinada pelos escalonamentos topográficos decorrentes do aparecimento das unidades geomorfológicas. A maior barreira geográfica foi criada durante o Neoproterozóico, separando as formas de relevo dos patamares escalonados; os basculamentos mesozóicos produziram os chapadões que, pela erosão mecânica, formaram pedimentos que foram aos poucos coalescidos durante o Cretáceo Superior até o Terciário Superior; tal processo resultou nos relevos residuais que, juntamente com a reativação de falhas antigas, favoreceu o isolamento entre os compartimentos biológicos; este processo continuou durante o Quaternário em razão das alternâncias climáticas de períodos semi-áridos a úmidos, promovendo a retomada da erosão mecânica e a formação de planícies fluviais.

This work presents a basic description of Serra Geral do Tocantins Ecological Station, located in the eastern part of Tocantins State and western part of Bahia State, Central Brazil. Two main factors of physical environment are treated: geology, composed by sedimentary litotypes, and the relief forms, due to predominance of mesetas and inselbergs in the region, famous for Jalapão Dunes in the north. This interaction, sculpted under typical savanna climate, has turned out into a mosaic series with immense landscape peculiarities. Serra Geral do Tocantins is a sedimentary plateau sculpted at Sedimentary Basin of Parnaiba. The Ecological Station's area is featured by sedimentary packs mainly continental, subsequent from basaltic extrusion that occurred during Wealdenian Reactivation in the Jura-Cretaceous period. It is composed by sandstones whose colors changes from pale to red ones, extremely friable, originated from dry paleoclimate accumulations (arid to semi-arid ones) of Mesozoic. It is possible to be related to contemporary dry Mesozoic period of Parana's Basin (Botucatu Desert), though upper layers can be from fluvial-lake environment. The relief forms involve mesetas and level sequences characterized by structural features with retreated edges and step levels into erosive forms. The mesetas are filled with cretaceous sediments and configure great plateau relief units penetrated by pedimented valleys, with scarped edges and large amphitheatres. Its attack by post-cretaceous erosion resulted into step levels whose softened surface produced pediplains that run to Tocantins River course. The very existence of considerable numbers of residual landforms contributes to the geomorphologic contrast. The predominance of the mechanical morphogenetic process can be divided into four sculptural phases resulting in differential dissection. Based on relief compartments it is possible to point out some considerations about the geographical distribution of the fauna in the Ecological Station's area and its surroundings, because at least part of it can be related to the topographic step-levels forms originated from geomorphological units. The biggest geographical barrier was created during Neoproterozoic, dividing the step-levels relief forms; the Mesozoic tilting produced the mesetas which by mechanical erosion formed pediments that suffered coalescence from Upper Cretaceous to Upper Tertiary. This process resulted into residual landforms, whose action in combination with ancient faults reactivations helped the isolation of biological compartments; continuing during Quaternary due to alternations of semi-arid to humid periods, mechanical erosion was initiated again and fluvial plains were formed.

Association between residents' perception of the neighborhood's environments and walking time in objectively different regions

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>The purpose of this study is to delineate the association between residents' perception of the neighborhood's environments and walking time in objectively different regions in Japan.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Two regions were selected as high and low walkable regions on the basis of differences in their residential density, mixed land use and street connectivity. The subjects in this study were participants in a health promotion program focused on walking sponsored by local governments. A questionnaire was sent to the participants asking about how their perception of the neighborhood's environment related to walking, and the time spent walking per week. There were 237 residents from the high walkable region and 195 from the low walkable region who completed the study survey.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The high walkable region had a larger residential density, a high mixed land use and a higher street connectivity than the low walkable region. Walking time, and the scores of the perception of the neighborhood's environment for the high walkable region residents were significantly higher than those for the low walkable region residents. Thus, residents' perception of the neighborhood's environment generally reflected the actual physical environmental characteristics. Residents in the high walkable region whose scores for accessibility and aesthetics were high, spent significantly more walking time. Residents in the low walkable region whose scores for accessibility, safety, convenience and aesthetics were high, spent significantly more walking time.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The study results suggested that the neighborhood's environment may influence daily walking time. The perceptions of the neighborhood's environmental factors that correlate with walking times differ between the different regional physical environments. Therefore, to promote physical activity, the consideration of environmental factors unique to residents' neighborhood's environments is needed.</p>

Health and environment in the context of urbanization

This paper introduces a series of research projects designed to fulfill the societal role of environmental health studies by investigating (1) the dynamic and complex relationships between environmental conditions and (2) health in an urban setting. Research in this first category has revealed the existence of the combined influence of multiple physical environmental factors on health and its mechanisms. In the second category, there have been a number of studies of the integrated influence of social environmental factors on health employing an aggregate modeling of multiple determinants of health and studies of individual topics related to social determinants of health. These research projects have contributed to the formulation of specific remedies and the development of comprehensive health policies. Participatory approaches have been used to enhance capacity building opportunities and to ensure that research results reflect the actual conditions in urban societies. Healthy Cities projects and programs have been developed in close collaboration with this type of research. Urban societies have become interdependent and share the same issues globally. Further research into the relationships between health and the environment in the context of urbanization will expand the base of evidence applicable to the complex realities in modern societies.

Health and Environment in the Context of Urbanization

This paper introduces a series of research projects designed to fulfill the societal role of environmental health studies by investigating (1) the dynamic and complex relationships between environmental conditions and (2) health in an urban setting. Research in this first category has revealed the existence of the combined influence of multiple physical environmental factors on health and its mechanisms. In the second category, there have been a number of studies of the integrated influence of social environmental factors on health employing an aggregate modeling of multiple determinants of health and studies of individual topics related to social determinants of health. These research projects have contributed to the formulation of specific remedies and the development of comprehensive health policies. Participatory approaches have been used to enhance capacity building opportunities and to ensure that research results reflect the actual conditions in urban societies. Healthy Cities projects and programs have been developed in close collaboration with this type of research. Urban societies have become interdependent and share the same issues globally. Further research into the relationships between health and the environment in the context of urbanization will expand the base of evidence applicable to the complex realities in modern societies.

Association between Residents\rq Perception of the Neighborhood\rqs Environments and Walking Time in Objectively Different Regions

Objective: The purpose of this study is to delineate the association between residents’ perception of the neighborhood’s environments and walking time in objectively different regions in Japan. Methods: Two regions were selected as high and low walkable regions on the basis of differences in their residential density, mixed land use and street connectivity. The subjects in this study were participants in a health promotion program focused on walking sponsored by local governments. A questionnaire was sent to the participants asking about how their perception of the neighborhood’s environment related to walking, and the time spent walking per week. There were 237 residents from the high walkable region and 195 from the low walkable region who completed the study survey. Results: The high walkable region had a larger residential density, a high mixed land use and a higher street connectivity than the low walkable region. Walking time, and the scores of the perception of the neighborhood’s environment for the high walkable region residents were significantly higher than those for the low walkable region residents. Thus, residents’ perception of the neighborhood’s environment generally reflected the actual physical environmental characteristics. Residents in the high walkable region whose scores for accessibility and aesthetics were high, spent significantly more walking time. Residents in the low walkable region whose scores for accessibility, safety, convenience and aesthetics were high, spent significantly more walking time. Conclusion: The study results suggested that the neighborhood’s environment may influence daily walking time. The perceptions of the neighborhood’s environmental factors that correlate with walking times differ between the different regional physical environments. Therefore, to promote physical activity, the consideration of environmental factors unique to residents’ neighborhood’s environments is needed.