The mediating role of work-family conflicts in the association between work ability and depression among Egyptian civil workers.

BACKGROUND: Work ability and work-family conflicts (total-WFCs) were associated with the risk of depression among the working population. METHODS: We recruited 3104 Egyptian civil workers between October 2019 and January 2020. The Work Ability Index (WAI), Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) and Midlife Development in the United States questionnaires were used to collect the data. Following Baron and Kenny criteria, the mediation effect of total-WFCs on the association between WAI and CES-D scores was tested by multivariable linear regression models. RESULTS: Findings revealed a high prevalence of depressive symptoms (CES-D score ≥ 16) among Egyptian civil servants (43.4%). There were negative relationships between WAI score and both CES-D score (B = -0.70, P < 0.001) and total-WFCs score (B = -0.22, P < 0.001). Moreover, WAI score was still significantly associated with CES-D score after controlling for total-WFCs score (B = -0.40, P < 0.001) that suggests partial mediation. We estimated that ~44%, 38% and 20% of the total effect of work ability on the risk of depressive symptoms were mediated by total-WFCs, family-to-work conflict and work-to-family conflict, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions aiming for mitigation total-WFCs can help improve employees' mental health and reduce the risk of impaired work ability-related depression.

Antecedents of work-family conflict among Egyptian civil workers.

AIM: Previous studies have suggested variable levels of associations between work-family conflict (W_F_C) and its antecedents in different populations. We aimed to assess the antecedents of this conflict and its two types; work-to-family (WFC) and family-to-work (FWC) among Egyptian civil workers. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In a convenience sample of 3134 Egyptian civil workers, we assessed the W_F_C using the National Study of Midlife Development in the US and attributed it, by logistic and linear regression analyses, to several sociodemographic, work/family situational, behavioral, and health-related variables which were collected by a questionnaire survey between October 2019 and January 2020. RESULTS: W_F_C was prevalent in 56% of the sample (51% for WFC and 62% for FWC). The work and family situational factors were the most significant antecedents of the W_F_C and its two types; partial R 2 was 0.71. Both the health-related and behavioral clusters of antecedents were also predictors of W_F_C, while the sociodemographic antecedents contributed minimally to the FWC. The multivariable odds ratios (95% CIs) for high W_F_C in those with high vs low work demands, job control, social support at work, and family were 4.11 (2.89-7.03), 0.0 (0.66-0.90), 0.86 (0.62-0.98), and 0.74 (0.59-0.94), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Work and family situational factors were the most significant antecedents of the levels of W_F_C in Egyptian civil workers. The Egyptian authorities could reduce the civil workers' W_F_C by improving the work environment, finding ways to relieve the workload demands, and helping the civil workers to have more job control and social support.

Impact of various intensities and frequencies of non-occupational physical activity on the risk of dementia among physically independent older adults: the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between different intensities and frequencies of non-occupational physical activity (PA) and the risk of dementia among Japanese older adults. STUDY DESIGN: This was a prospective cohort study. METHODS: A total of 2194 participants aged ≥65 years from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study were followed up between 2010 and 2016. The standardised dementia scale of the long-term care insurance system was used to identify incident dementia, whereas non-occupational PA (<2 or ≥2 times/week on each intensity: light, moderate and vigorous) was assessed using a questionnaire. Cox regression was used to compute the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for incident dementia. RESULTS: After adjustment for sociodemographic and medical characteristics, the following frequencies and intensities of non-occupational PA, compared with no non-occupational PA at all, were associated with a reduced risk of dementia: light PA ≥2 times/week (HR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.38-0.97), moderate PA <2 times/week (HR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.28-0.76), moderate PA ≥2 times/week (HR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.36-0.91), vigorous PA <2 times/week (HR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.21-0.74) and vigorous PA ≥2 times/week (HR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.15-0.57). In the sex-specific analysis, moderate PA <2 times/week and vigorous PA ≥2 times/week were associated with a reduced risk of dementia in men, whereas light and moderate PA ≥2 times/week and all frequencies of vigorous PA were associated with a reduced risk of dementia in women. CONCLUSIONS: Practicing non-occupational PA was associated with a reduced risk of dementia among Japanese older adults.

Thiamine deficiency and cardiovascular disorders.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Thiamine, also known as vitamin B1, functions as a cofactor in the metabolism of carbohydrates and amino acids. Thiamine deficiency has been suggested to be associated with many cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and risk factors including type 1 and type 2 diabetes (T1D and T2D, respectively), obesity, chronic vascular inflammation, dyslipidemia, heart failure (HF), myocardial infarction (MI) and conduction defects, and depression. The aim of this review was to explore the evidence of thiamine deficiency among subjects with CVDs or risk factors, illustrate the theories explaining the thiamine-CVDs associations, and describe the effect of thiamine supplementation. METHODS: Human and animal studies were collected from various scientific databases following the PRISMA guidelines without limitation regarding the publication year. Studies investigating the prevalence of thiamine deficiency among patients with CVDs and the effect of thiamine supplementation on their conditions were summarized. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Thiamine deficiency could have a role in the development of CVDs. Future studies should focus on the impact of thiamine supplementation on reversing CVDs and risk factors associated with its deficiency.

Work-family conflict and self-rated health among dwellers in Minia, Egypt: Financial strain vs social support.

OBJECTIVES: Egypt's economic reform is accompanied by both financial and social strains. Due to lack of evidence, we examined the associations between work-family conflict in its 2 directions, work-to-family conflicts (WFCs), and family-to-work conflicts (FWCs) and self-rated health in Minia, Egypt, and whether the association will vary by being financially responsible for others and by the level of perceived social support. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional study that included 1021 healthy participants aged 18-60 years from Minia district. METHODS: Data on participants' work-family conflict, social, and demographic data and individual self-rated health were collected by a questionnaire survey. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) with its 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for poor self-rated health according to categories of work-family conflict. RESULTS: There were significant positive associations between the poor self-rated health and both high WFC and FWC. Compared with participants with low WFC and low FWC, participants with high WFC low FWC, low WFC high FWC, and high WFC high FWC had multivariable-adjusted ORs (95% CIs) for poor self-rated health of 6.93 (3.02-13.13), 2.09 (1.06-4.12), and 10.05 (4.98-20.27), respectively. Giving financial support to others but not the level of perceived social support from others was an effect modifier of the association. CONCLUSIONS: Work-family conflict was positively associated with the self-report of poor health, especially in those who were financially responsible for other family members.

Modification of the excess risk of coronary heart disease due to smoking by seafood/fish intake.

Seafood/fish intake has been regarded as a protective factor for coronary heart disease (CHD), while smoking is a strong risk factor. To examine whether associations between smoking and risk of CHD are modified by seafood/fish intake, we studied 72,012 Japanese men and women aged 45-74 years who completed 2 food frequency questionnaires, 5 years apart, during the period 1995-2009. After 878,163 person-years of follow-up, 584 incident cases of CHD (101 fatal and 483 nonfatal), including 516 myocardial infarctions, were documented. There was a clear dose-response association between smoking and CHD risk among subjects with a low seafood/fish intake (<86 g/day) but not among those with a high seafood/fish intake (≥86 g/day). Compared with never smokers, the multivariable hazard ratios in light (1-19 cigarettes/day), moderate (20-29 cigarettes/day), and heavy (≥30 cigarettes/day) smokers were 2.39 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.60, 3.56), 2.74 (95% CI: 1.90, 3.95), and 3.24 (95% CI: 2.12, 4.95), respectively, among low seafood/fish eaters and 1.13 (95% CI: 0.64, 1.99), 1.29 (95% CI: 0.95, 2.04), and 2.00 (95% CI: 1.18, 3.51), respectively, among high seafood/fish eaters. Compared with heavy smokers with a low seafood/fish intake, light smokers with a high seafood/fish intake had substantially reduced risk of CHD (hazard ratio = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.32, 0.98). High seafood/fish intake attenuated the positive association between smoking and risk of CHD.