Low job satisfaction predicts delayed return to work after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

We studied 102 consecutive employed patients treated by elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy to determine job characteristics and psychological factors that predict delay in return to work after their procedure. Median sick leave was 13 days, and five variables significantly added to a model predicting sick leave of at least 20 days (31.4% of the workers): low job satisfaction (odds ratio [OR], 12.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.34 to 47.2); physical effort at work (OR, 4.99; 95% CI, 1.46 to 17.04); pain at 7 days (OR, 5.55; 95% CI, 1.56 to 19.76); patient's expectation of slow recovery (> 7 days) (OR, 6.12; 95% CI, 1.82 to 20.55); and patient's expectation of no financial loss (OR, 3.85; 95% CI, 1.14 to 12.50). The model was excellent (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 89.6%). We conclude that low job satisfaction is a major predictor of delayed return to work.

Smoking cessation and body mass index of occupationally active men: the Israeli CORDIS Study.

OBJECTIVES: This study estimated weight gain after smoking cessation and identified factors attenuating this gain. METHODS: We conducted a prospective follow-up of 1209 male factory workers for 2 to 4 years. The independent variables were smoking habits. age, sports activity, education, alcohol consumption, ethnicity, duration of follow-up, and body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) at entry. The dependent variable was increase in BMI during follow-up. RESULTS: The mean age-adjusted BMI at entry into the study was 26.6 kg/m2 among past smokers and 25.4 kg/m2 among current smokers. There were no differences in BMI between those who quit less than 3 years before entry and those who quit more than 6 years before entry. During follow-up, the average increase in BMI was 0.07 kg/m2 among never smokers, 0.19 kg/m2 among smokers who had stopped smoking before entry, 0.24 kg/m2 among current smokers, and 0.99 kg/m2 among those who stopped smoking after entry. Cessation of smoking after entry predicted an increased gain in BMI; older age, a higher BMI at entry, sports activity, and alcohol consumption attenuated this gain. CONCLUSIONS: The increased rate of weight gain after smoking cessation is transient. However, the weight gained is retained for at least 6 years.

Industrial noise exposure, noise annoyance, and serum lipid levels in blue-collar workers--the CORDIS Study.

Chronic noise exposure may constitute a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but the exact mechanism is unclear. The authors studied the association between industrial noise exposure, noise annoyance, and serum lipid/lipoprotein levels in male (n = 1,455) and female (n = 624) blue-collar workers. The authors found that young men (i.e., < or = 44 y of age) exposed to high noise levels (> or = 80 dB[A]) had higher total levels of cholesterol (p = .023) and triglycerides (p = .001), as well as a higher cholesterol ratio (p = .038), than men exposed to low noise levels, even after controlling for confounding variables. In women or in older (> 45 y) men, noise did not affect serum lipid/lipoprotein levels. The authors found no interaction between noise exposure level and noise annoyance (except for high-density lipoprotein in women). However, noise annoyance covaried independently with total cholesterol (p = .022) and high-density lipoprotein (p = .0039) levels in young men and with total cholesterol (p = .035), triglyceride (p = .035), and high-density lipoprotein levels in women (under high noise exposure conditions)(p = .048) levels in women. Noise annoyance and noise exposure levels had an additive effect on cholesterol levels. Young men who scored high on both variables had a 15-mg/dl higher mean cholesterol level (95 % confidence interval [CI] = 7.2, 22.8; p = .0003) than those who scored low on both variables; in women, the corresponding difference was 23 mg/dl (95% CI = 1.5, 42.9; p = .019). The authors concluded that the examination of serum lipid/lipoprotein levels may be useful in studies of the health effects of noise, and particular attention should be paid to noise-annoyed individuals.

Industrial accidents are related to relative body weight: the Israeli CORDIS study.

OBJECTIVES: The accident rate might be influenced by intrinsic characteristics of the workers, by risks inherent in the work environment, or a combination of these factors. As increased weight may be associated with sleep disturbances and fatigue, a high body mass index (BMI) might be an independent risk factor for accidents in industrial workers. METHODS: 3801 men were examined and followed up for two years for the occurrence of accidents. The objective environmental conditions were recorded and translated into a single score of ergonomic stress levels. Height and weight were recorded, as were possible confounding factors including measures of fatigue, type A personality, total night time sleep, job satisfaction, somatic complaints, smoking, and education levels. RESULTS: Both BMI and ergonomic stress levels independently predicted involvement in accidents (two or more) with those in the highest BMI quartile who worked in an environment with high ergonomic stress levels having a 4-6 times increased risk of accidents compared with those in the lowest BMI quartile who worked in an environment with low ergonomic stress levels (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 2.4-9.0, P < 0.001). Although increasing somatic complaints and a low educational level also were predictors of accidents, they did not mediate the effect of the BMI on the accident rate. Increasing age, less smoking, and decreased sleep hours were significantly associated with an increased BMI, but the association of BMI and involvement in accidents also could not be explained by those factors or the other confounders. CONCLUSIONS: BMI independently influences the accident rate. Further studies warranted to confirm these findings and to explore mechanisms supporting biological plausibility.

Absence from work among smokers and nonsmokers in Israeli industries--the Cordis Study.

While the negative economic effects of cigarette smoking are frequently examined in terms of the costs of health services and potential years of life lost, data on the indirect costs due to absence from work in Israel are scarce. During 1985-87, cigarette smoking habits and absence due to illness and accidents were examined in 5,826 employees (4,177 men and 1,649 women) in Israeli industry, screened in the framework of the Cordis Study. The absenteeism data related to the period 1986-87. Among men, smokers were absent an average of 2.6 days per employee more than nonsmokers (P < 0.001) over the 2-year period after adjusting for age and occupational category. Among women there was no significant difference in sickness absenteeism between smokers and nonsmokers. The excess days lost among male smokers was only partly explained by increased absence due to respiratory illness. Accident rates did not differ by smoking habits. There is a significant increase in absence due to illness among men employed in Israeli industry, which may be attributed to cigarette smoking. Since cigarette smoking continues to be a common practice, the overall costs to the economy may be considerable.