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BACKGROUND: It is unknown whether questionnaires measuring psychosocial constructs related to low back pain (LBP) that were originally designed for adults are suitable for adolescents, and if paper and web-versions have similar measurement properties. OBJECTIVES: To examine selected psychometric properties for the paper- and web-based Back-Beliefs Questionnaire (BBQ) and the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ-phys) among adults and adolescents in two diverse countries and to determine whether differences existed between countries and pain groups. METHODS: A sample of 156 adults (Hong Kong, n = 75; Australia, n = 81) and 96 adolescents (Hong Kong, n = 61; Australia, n = 35) participated in this cross-sectional study. RESULTS: Main effects for country and administration mode were observed in adult BBQ scores, where Australian adults reported significantly higher BBQ scores than Hong Kong adults (mean difference (MD); 95% CI: 2.85; 0.96-4.74) and significantly higher scores were recorded on the web mode compared to the paper mode (MD 0.74; 0.10-1.38). Similarly, Hong Kong adults and adolescents reported higher FABQ-phys scores than Australian adults and adolescents (MD; 95% CI: 3.40; 1.37-5.43 and 4.88; 0.53-9.23, respectively). Internal consistency values were mostly acceptable (α⩾0.7). CONCLUSION: Differences exist between cultures for LBP-related beliefs. The BBQ and FABQ-phys have acceptable measurement properties in both administration modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Toe function is characterised by the strength and dexterity of toe motion. However, previous studies have mostly focused on the importance of toe strength. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the relationships between flexion strength and dexterity of the toes and physical performance. METHODS: Twenty healthy participants were included in this study. The flexion force of each toe was measured using a digital force gauge, and the toe dexterity was evaluated using the marble pick-up and rock-paper-scissors tests. These parameters were statistically analysed in relation to physical performance, including repeated side step and balance ability, which was evaluated using centre of pressure (COP) data during single-leg standing, tiptoe standing, and single-leg drop-jumping. RESULTS: A significant correlation was found between the first toe flexion force and the total trajectory length of the COP during one-leg standing and between the time required for marble pick-up and the rock-paper-scissors score and the COP during single-leg drop-jumping. CONCLUSION: The results underscore the importance of flexion strength and dexterity of the toes in human physical performance and the necessity for the evaluation and improvement of both functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: There are advantages to using digital textbooks, but also health concerns yet to be evaluated. OBJECTIVE: This study examines the use of digital textbooks' effects on carpal tunnel, considered one of the potential health risks in students using digital textbooks. METHODS: Data were obtained from 43 elementary school students in the sixth grade, selected from two groups who had used digital and paper textbooks, respectively. To assess carpal tunnel function, this study performed median motor nerve and median sensory nerve conduction studies. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between the groups, indicating that there were no functional differences related to carpal tunnel syndrome between the groups. CONCLUSION: Usage of digital textbook is expanding nationwide in the Republic of Korea. There is no short-term risk of carpal tunnel syndrome in this population of elementary school students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of MSS among office workers is high worldwide, having a significant effect on medical costs, absenteeism, and quality of life. In Bangladesh, there are many office workers but there is no data on the prevalence and impact of MSS. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this pilot study was to determine the prevalence and distribution of MSS among paper based office workers from one local office in order to determine whether or not an ergonomic intervention is required and the focus of the intervention needed.METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted among 200 paper based office workers using a proportional stratified random sample. The Standardized Nordic Questionnaire was used to determine the prevalence and distribution of MSS. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16.0. RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents was 43.0 years with a mean of 12.0 years work experience. 76.0% (n=152) of the respondents reported having MSS during the last 12 months. MSS complaints were reported primarily in the lower back region. 40.5% (n=81) of the respondents reported interruption of their normal daily activities within the last 12 months reportedly due to MSS.CONCLUSION: The current study showed the high prevalence rate of MSS among office workers in one workplace in Bangladesh. This was a pilot study, but it suggests that there is likely a need for further study into office workers' work sites and work practices to prevent work related injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Since the previous decade, researchers and academics have paid close attention to studying job embeddedness (JE), but the bibliometric examination of JE has not yet been explored. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to provide general information on the trends of the studies on JE as well as an overall perspective on the development of this topic by utilising a bibliometric analytic approach. METHOD: A bibliometric evaluation was conducted in the JE field since the first publication was documented in the Scopus database. The information retrieved examines 1572 JE papers from a variety of perspectives, including citation and publishing metrics. RESULTS: The research results pinpoint the most productive countries, universities, journals, authors, and JE articles. The study also classified the most important themes and offered some recommendations for further research. CONCLUSION: The study provided a snapshot of JE patterns and trajectories from 1993 to 2020, which can help academics and practitioners figure out the pattern and direction of future research. To the best of our knowledge, no other study examines the bibliographic data on JE and thus this work is one of the first contributions to the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: There is a widespread acceptance and shift towards sustainable, inclusive and smart mobility solutions around the world. However, in Karachi, poorly coordinated urban planning, lack of effective governance structure and investment in transport, has allowed the growth of an almost unregulated and ungovernable informal transport sector. Women are more severely affected by the poor service since men not only have more space allocated to them on public transport but also have the freedom to use alternative and cheaper private vehicles such as motorbikes and cycles. Poor representation of women in the transport sector further aggravates the situation. OBJECTIVE: The paper aims to highlight the gender-disaggregated effects of poor transport design, provision and lack of personal agency on mobility, for emphasising the social and cultural attitudes faced by female employees. It argues that not integrating the gender-based disadvantages faced by women into planning, reinforces their disadvantaged position and force them to take complex trips. METHODS: Scenario-based questions were designed for focus group discussion which covered not only the everyday mobility challenges but also their reactions to the potential solutions. For a gender-based comparative analysis, two separate focus group discussions were organised. RESULTS: Adopting a sector-based mapping approach of the issues discussed in the groups helped understand the complexity of female user experience at various levels, starting from planning or discussing the trips with families, to making modal choices. It also helped to tease out the impact of these issues on their employment opportunities as early-career women. CONCLUSION: The model proposed in this paper can help illustrate where changes can be made in the system considering the social aspects of transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Adolescent girls are prone to increased sedentary behavior and are more sedentary than their male peers or younger girls. This study compared the energy required for identical tasks in standing and sitting. METHOD: Energy expenditure (EE) was measured using indirect calorimetry (n = 24) in four tasks (sitting/standing quietly; reading; typing; sorting paper) under two postural conditions (sitting; standing). The currently accepted definition for sedentary behavior of energy expenditure of ≤1.5 metabolic equivalents (METs) and being in a seated or reclining position was used. RESULTS: All seated tasks resulted in mean EE <1.5 METs with the exception of sorting paper. All standing tasks resulted in mean EE of >1.5 METs with the exception of standing quietly. Standing sorting paper was the only task with a mean EE significantly >1.5 METs. A significant interaction between task and posture was found. CONCLUSIONS: Active tasks in standing had significantly greater EE than in sitting, and sorting paper while standing was the only task with an EE significantly >1.5 METs. The difference between the two postures is likely too low to produce positive metabolic health benefits in the short term. Studies of the effects of long-term use of standing desks in the classroom are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Nurses experience many job tensions, which lead to job burnout. The consequences of nurses' job burnout include absenteeism, reduced quality of patient care, interpersonal conflicts with colleagues, physical and mental problems, reluctance to provide care with patients, and quitting the job. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of job burnout among nurses in Iran using a meta-analysis method. METHOD: The study was conducted through a meta-analysis method based on the PRISMA checklist. An unlimited search was conducted until 2020 to access the Persian and English papers in national databases, including Medlib, SID, Iranmedex, and Magiran, and databases including Cochrane, Science-Direct, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. The keywords were "job burnout, nurse, and Iran." The data were searched and extracted by two researchers independently. All analyses were performed using version 2.0 of the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) software. RESULTS: The prevalence of job burnout was investigated in 14 papers with a sample size of 2271 individuals with an average age of 31.44 years old, and a confidence interval of 55% (44–66%). Fars province, with 89.2%, had the highest, and Zanjan province, with 25.9%, experienced the lowest prevalence of job burnout. The overall prevalence of job burnout was 44% in males and 66% in females so that the highest prevalence was in women. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of job burnout in nurses was high in some areas of Iran. A special attention by managers is needed in this field because of the several roles played by the nurses in the healthcare system and the improvement of public health. Implementation of plans to reduce the job burnout and to improve the mental health of nurses by reducing work hours, giving more opportunities to them to express their opinion(s) in amount of salary and benefits, and creating better working conditions are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Important qualitative findings have accumulated on return to work after cancer from the perspective of various stakeholders. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper was to critically appraise the evidence produced between 2008–2017 on several key stages of the return to work process against the key stakeholders identified in the articles included. METHODS: A systematic search was done on four databases to identify relevant papers. Papers were selected based on pre-defined selection criteria. A qualitative evidence synthesis was performed on the articles included. RESULTS: A total of 57 articles were included in the analysis. Using the secondary thematic analysis, this study identified three categories of articles relative to the stakeholders included: articles focusing on patients' experience (n = 41); articles dealing with multiple stakeholders, including patients (n = 12); and articles drawing on stakeholders other than patients (n = 4). The analysis also revealed five key stages of the return to work process which follow a sequential order and provide a comprehensive image of the process. CONCLUSIONS: More research is required on how employers view and are able to facilitate the return to work process after cancer. New forms of support must be planned and delivered by health professionals for patients who return on the labour market. The five stages model proposed in this study can help employers and policymakers to plan and deliver tailored legislation and guidance for RTW facilitation. All stakeholders must be further trained to embrace the idea that return to work is a complex process which continues long after the survivor returns to work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Recent studies concerning supply chain management have shown that topics such as supply chain risk management (SCRM) and supply chain resilience (SCRes) are the new trends in supply chain management. Initial studies in the early 2000s developed frameworks to identify, measure and mitigate risks and assess/evaluate the degree of resilience of a company or supply chain. Recently, a large variety of studies has emerged, including more conceptual and review studies as well as more sophisticated, quantitative studies. However, studies on human-related factors are still lacking, and there is no systematic method to answer questions such as "What literature is available concerning human factors related to SCRM and SCRes?", "Which human factors contribute to SCRes?" and "Which human factor can amplify SC Risks?" OBJECTIVE: The main goal of this paper is to conduct a systematic literature review to identify human factors that impact supply chain resilience and supply chain risk management. METHOD: This study was performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method. The objective of using this review protocol is to ensure that the review has the minimum amount of bias due to research expectations. RESULTS: This study highlighted a summary of human-related risk and resilience factors as well as a discussion about these preliminary findings. CONCLUSIONS: As our main conclusion, we highlight that human factors may generate significant risks in the supply chain, nevertheless, there are other human factors that must be nourished to obtain SCRes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Radiographic methods to assess skeletal maturity (SM) have a key role in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) management, allowing to predict risk of spinal curve progression. Cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) has been recently introduced as an alternative tool to assess skeletal maturity; however, its clinical role is still debated. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review aimed to investigate the reliability of CVM in the SM assessment of growing subjects, comparing it to hand wrist maturation (HVM). METHODS: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were systematically searched from inception until 31 st December 2020 to identify observational studies presenting: growing subjects as participants; CVM methods as intervention; HVM methods as comparator; reliability for SM assessment as outcome. A 10-item quality tool has been used to assess study quality. RESULTS: Out of 205 papers, 12 papers were included in the data synthesis. We classified 10 studies (83.3%) as medium-quality studies and 2 studies (16.7%) as high-quality studies. Eight studies reported a significant correlation between CVM Baccetti and different HWM methods. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these findings suggested that CVM might be considered as reliable SM assessment method compared to HWM in growing subjects. However, further studies are warranted to confirm these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The Quick Exposure Check (QEC) assesses four major body parts and engages users in assessing some physical interactions relevant to design in task analysis. OBJECTIVE: In this paper, we investigated the application of QEC as the ergonomic intervention to detect pre-production ergonomic design faults in the apple sorting machine by applying physical and virtual prototyping for three different tasks analysis divided into two phases (Task 1: Apple harvesting and preparation for sorting; Task 2: Sorting control and separation of waste fruits; Task 3: Transfer of separated apples). METHOD: First, the QEC questionnaire was administered while Iranian participants interacted with the machine to detect abnormal posture. Second, we redesigned a concept of the machine and assessed it with QEC by a focus group. RESULTS: Before design, the high pressure in Task 1 is on the back (dynamic), shoulder/arm, and very high pressure in Task 2, and in Task 3 on the back (static), arm/shoulder/neck, making an uncomfortable situation for posture. After redesign, we observed decreased pressures on the back/shoulder/arm in Task 1 from high to medium, in Task 3 from very high to low, and also in Task 2, this was detectable decreasing from very high pressures on the back/shoulder/arm and the high pressures on the neck to medium. CONCLUSION: Prototyping with QEC demonstrated that accurate redesigning of the machine with concentration on shifting from static tasks to dynamic or conversely, and ease of access by adjusting dimensions according to anthropometry and auxiliary products, could reduce musculoskeletal disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: During the 1990s, voluntary teleworking became more grounded, because of expected advantages as increased productivity and comfort. However, COVID-19 obliged employees to work from home (WFH), even in unsuitable houses, which might have reduced their mental health. A holistic overview of methods and measures of the physical home-workspace characteristics and mental health is currently lacking. Insights in the potential influence of the physical home-workspace on mental health are also not yet holistically examined. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to provide insights in previously studied relationships between the physical home-workspace and mental health and to identify measures for both using a systematic scoping review. METHODS: This study used the PRISMA method to systematically review existing literature. RESULTS: Most studies focussed on noise, acoustics, and privacy, in relation to productivity, concentration, and sleep quality. Only a few studies used objective measures for physical home-workspace characteristics. CONCLUSION: The list of relevant measures can be used by academics to examine relationships between the home-workspace and mental health further. Workplace managers can use it to help employees in optimizing their home-workspace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are a serious problem, and manual material handling (MMH) tasks remain common in most industries. Thus, a lightweight and active exoskeleton is needed. OBJECTIVE: A facile, convenient, multifunctional, wearable lumbar support exoskeleton (WLSE) was proposed to relieve the muscular tension and fatigue especially in the way of WMSDs. METHOD: Based on the screw theory and virtual power principle, the parallel structure was used as the scheme choice for selecting suitable actuators and joints. The exoskeleton, which was characterized by high adaptability and complied with human motion, included branch unit, mechanism branch units, control units and sensors. Furthermore, using surface electromyography (sEMG) signal evaluation, an experiment which contains several tests was designed to evaluate whether WLSE had effect on supporting and reliving muscular fatigue while lifting-up different weight of objects under wearing without traction (T1) and wearing with traction (T2). RESULTS: Data collected were analyzed statistically by the two-way ANOVA. It showed that the RMS of sEMG was obviously reduced while carrying the heavy objects with WLSE under T2, and the MF values always performed the decreasing trend in T2/T1. CONCLUSION: This paper proposed a facile, convenient, multifunctional WLSE. From the results, it was concluded that the WLSE was significantly effective in reliving the muscle tension and muscle fatigue while lifting to prevent and treat WMSDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: There are some rules that furniture designers must take into consideration to design ergonomic furniture. The main design principle is the target group for which the furniture will be designed, considering the dimensions of people who use the furniture. OBJECTIVE: The paper presents the correlation between 12 parts of children's body, as well as the proportion between stature and 11 other parts of the body which are used for the purposes of furniture and interior designers. METHODS: Field measurements include: Stature (S), Sitting height (She), Shoulder height (Sh), Popliteal height (Ph), Hip width (Hb), Elbow rest height (Erh), Buttock-popliteal length (Bpl), Buttock-knee length (Bkl), Thigh clearance (Tc), Eye height sitting (Eh), Knee height (Kh) and Shoulder breadth (Sb) to pupils aged 6–11 (grades 1 to 5). The measurements were done in 687 children in 12 primary schools in 4 different regions in Kosovo. RESULTS: The data of the study shows that, in general, there is a correlation (in some parts strong and in some medium) for the measured parts. Also, the study presents the proportion between the stature and other parts of the body which are necessary for the design of children's furniture. CONCLUSION: Using this data will enable furniture designers to easily target the dimensions of the group they will design, even by measuring only one dimension, i.e. stature and then setting the proportions for each piece separately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: While positive short-term effects from corrective exercise on neck-shoulder pain (NSP) are evident, maintenance effects after cessation of the exercise remain unknown. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study was to assess the lasting effects of corrective exercise in NSP and workability after a year of detraining. METHODS: A cohort study with 1-year follow-up was carried out in two previous training groups (n = 24) using a self-reported paper-based questionnaire, which was completed three times (baseline, 8-week exercise, and 1-year detraining). The subjects (mean±SD age: 39.0±6.4, 38.1±8.0) responded to the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for NSP as the primary outcome. A single validated item from the Workability Index determined workability as the secondary outcome. Between and within-group differences of the two groups were investigated using non-parametric tests, including 12 subjects in each group. RESULTS: The results indicated that 8-week exercise improvements in NSP and mental and physical workability were largely maintained after one year of detraining. The lasting effects of NSP and physical and mental workability were statistically identified in 8-week and 1-year follow-ups. Nevertheless, it is noticeably warranted to adhere to the exercise program. CONCLUSION: The current study indicates that a brief 8-week exercise period once per year is sufficient to reduce pain and improve workability among workers. This knowledge can make exercise interventions more feasible and cost-effective for companies aiming to improve employee health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Despite the prevalence of publications focusing on the trends of the studies on ergonomics, the information of the aging focused studies within these publications is limited. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to provide general information regarding the trends of the studies on ergonomics and aging by using bibliometric analysis techniques and to provide a general view regarding to the development of this field. METHODS: The bibliometric data of the publications on ergonomics and aging were retrieved from the WOS Database and analysed by using the Bibliometrix extension of the R Packet Programme. For the visualisation of the bibliometric data, the Vosviewer programme was used. RESULTS: Analysis results of the 405 papers published between the years of 1979 and 2020 show that main themes were digital human modelling, design for all, workplace ergonomics, transport and vehicle design, kitchen design, human factors, care and vision in old age. CONCLUSIONS: The content of the studies on ergonomics and aging changed from basic elements of ergonomic design for older people to the investigations about computer-aided applications and the effect of the developing technology. Therefore, it can be said that the studies on ergonomics and aging are changing parallel to the development of the technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Occupational stress-related factors among working municipal police officers in Poland have not been examined in the literature. The purpose of the paper was to evaluate the impact of selected work-related factors on occupational stress in active municipal police officers in Warsaw by using configural frequency analysis (CFA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 578 participants, which accounted for 55.1% of all municipal police officers in Warsaw. The majority of study participants were men (72%) (mean age 43 years old). Two groups of workplace-related stress factors were analysed in the study: physical conditions and organisational working conditions causing stress. The study was carried out using the PAPI method (Paper-and-Pencil Interviewing), based on a proprietary questionnaire developed for the study. CFA searches for templates and patterns in contingency tables. RESULTS: Municipal police officers who claimed that stress did not affect health, took advantage of psychological/psychiatric advice less often than those who thought so (1.7% vs 10.1%; χ2 = 20.152, df = 2, P = 0.000). Those who declared that they often experienced stress at work were also more prone to claiming that one or two factors affected their level of stress: physical abuse, contact with infectious materials, working at uncomfortable temperatures or working in a noisy environment. In the opinion of the study population, there were some factors which contributed to the occurrence of stress at work, and these factors included: working in a hurry, lack of necessary resources, devices and materials at work, the need to be available at all times and the unpredictability of the work. The municipal police officers from the study population combined two or three methods to cope with stress, such as watching TV, surfing the Internet and talking with their families. CONCLUSION: Due to the specificity of a municipal police officer's occupation, special attention should be paid to the occupational stress risk factors characteristic for this group of professionals, and measures should be taken to reduce the number of stressors. It is important to organise training events devoted to effective methods of coping with stress. There is need to carry out more in-depth studies of occupational stress among municipal police officers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Light and alertness studies have applied different measurement methodologies to determine lighting conditions. However, it has been demonstrated that researchers rarely measure or describe the lighting conditions of their studies in sufficient detail to generalize conclusions or derive universal guidelines. OBJECTIVE: Part I of this paper summarizes the current measurement methodologies used in light and alertness studies to potentially identify methodological issues. Part II determines the differences in lighting conditions for different viewing directions within an office environment. METHODS: A literature review (part I) and both experimental studies and an observational study (part II) were undertaken in this study. RESULTS: Part I demonstrates that most light and alertness studies include photometric quantities; however, it is recommended that one should measure radiometric quantities as well. Further, the light measurements should be performed at the individual level. Part II demonstrates large differences in lighting conditions between viewing directions. For example, when looking toward the window, vertical illuminances were at least 12 times higher when compared to looking in the opposite direction. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that when analysing or designing an office environment, office workers' positions and viewing direction should be included in the determination of personal lighting conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Modern medical education has flourished with an emergent interest in a variety of assessment approaches that entails direct observation of performance and provision of feedback. Workplace-based assessment (WPBA) has been embraced into specialty training in the United Kingdom (UK) within National Health Service (NHS). In Pakistan, this educational framework is incorporated to gauge the clinical proficiency of trainees at the postgraduate and undergraduate levels. The present study was done to identify how WPBA is perceived by dental field postgraduate trainees in Pakistan. OBJECTIVE: The study explored and ascertained trainees' perceptions, attitudes, and preferences considering their experiences with the systematic organization and execution of WPBA in dental educational settings. METHODS: This cross-sectional study design involved the clinical trainees of various cadres in a tertiary care hospital in Multan. A structured and validated questionnaire previously used for another analysis was administered among 90 trainees at the institute. The results were analyzed and tabulated using SPSS-21. Influential statistics (Pearson's Chi-Square Test) was performed and the confidence interval was set at 95% (P≤0.05). RESULTS: The response rate was 88%. Opinions were more positive compared to the former surveys. The majority of the respondents (65.8%) have shown a positive attitude towards WPBA and preferred it to be a valuable assessment system as it fosters reflective practices in educational settings. In addition, it was shown that WPBA has the potential to improve clinical training (72.2%) and aid in the effective implementation of clinical practice (68.4%). As the system of digital education has been introduced ever since the pandemic, the highest percentage of participants (56%) preferred a combination of on-paper and online assessment systems. CONCLUSION: The study reported that WPBA proposes the opportunity to associate teaching, learning, and assessment. The faculty training program is a significant input to upholding the quality of WPBA. Empirical research on WPBA is essential to be carried out to overcome the inadequacies thus endorsing its application universally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The Information Technology and Information Technology Enabled Services (IT and ITES) industry has been the backbone of the Indian economy. The sector is characterized by long working hours, strict deadlines, night shift, constant usage of computers, etc. Hence, the industry and nature of the job are influencing the psychological risk factors of the employees. PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to explore the psychological risk factors (job stressors) of technocrat millennials and critically analyze them from the socio-demographic perspective. METHODS: A single cross-sectional study with snowball sampling was collected from 300 technocrat millennials in Ahmedabad city (India). Job stressors are examined as psychological risk factors. MANOVA and independent-sample t-test has been put to use for establishing the relationship between psychological risk factors and socio-demographic variables. RESULTS: The study highlighted that the experience, current position, size of family, number of children, gender, and family type had an impact on psychological risk factors of technocrat millennials. CONCLUSIONS: The study contributes to the literature on the psychological risk factors and its association with demographic variables, and specifically in Ahmedabad city (India). Income did not have an impact on psychological risk factor; whereas education was the only demographic variable affecting the responsibility for persons. The experience influenced the role overload, role ambiguity, poor peer relations, and intrinsic impoverishment. The study explained each socio-demographic variable's impact on 12 psychological risk factors separately. The result of the paper will give insight to HR managers in the recruitment and selection of employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: There has been extensive literature examining the efficacy of exercise interventions in the treatment of depression over the past few decades. However, there is ongoing debate regarding the optimal dosage, and the implications of utilising physiotherapists for the management of clinically depressed adults using exercise has not been examined. OBJECTIVES: This review aimed to examine the effectiveness of exercise as a treatment for depression (without comorbidities) and to determine the most effective dosage/mode to treat this population. This review strived to appraise the literature for a potential role for physiotherapists in depression management. METHODS: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, a search for randomized controlled trials was conducted on the nine databases. All studies were appraised for quality using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale and Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool (RoB). Data was manually extracted, and pre- and post-intervention depression scores and program variables were analysed. RESULTS: Of the 5036 papers retrieved, 7 papers met this review's inclusion criteria. The results of the meta-analysis reveal that exercise as a sole treatment and as an add-on is significantly effective in reducing depressive symptoms. The findings support the use of moderate intensity aerobic exercise for three sessions per week. CONCLUSIONS: Exercise was shown to significantly improve depressive symptoms in depressed adults. This review adds to the growing body of evidence regarding the important role of physiotherapists in the treatment of psychiatric disorders in the design and implementation of exercise interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Digital applications have been vital to ensuring business continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, digital transformation is considered key to shaping Europe's future, including the opportunity for hybrid work. Consequently, a central issue is the experience and perception of workers and the effect on their mental well-being. OBJECTIVE: Building on the assumption that the more 'digitalized' and 'experienced with working from home (WFH),' the more positive peoples' perceptions are, this paper explores how workers in Italy and Denmark perceived WFH during the first COVID-19 lockdown from a psychosocial perspective and what lessons could be drawn for policy and industry. METHODS: Ranking top and bottom respectively on the European Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) and different pre-pandemic experiences of WFH, data about WFH perceptions and mental well-being were collected among Danes and Italians via a survey from March to May 2020. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, and ANOVA. RESULTS: The combination of high rank and pre-experience of WFH did not result in a positive perception of WFH. Mental well-being of Danes were mostly affected and they experienced WFH to be more challenging than the Italians, where the key disadvantages were related to "Home office constraints" and the isolation that followed. CONCLUSION: When digitalizing Europe and workplaces are likely to offer people the opportunity to have hybrid work, the results highlight how national conditions affect the prospects of the new ways of working including people's mental well-being and where actions are most needed for policy and industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The workplace accommodation process is often affected by ineffective and inefficient communications and information exchanges among disabled employees and other stakeholders. Information systems (IS) can play a key role in facilitating a more effective and efficient accommodation process since IS has been shown to facilitate business processes and effect positive organizational changes. OBJECTIVE: Since there is little to no research that exists on IS use to facilitate the workplace accommodation process, this paper, as a critical first step, examines how IS have been used in the accommodation process. METHODS: Thirty-six interviews were conducted with disabled employees from various organizations. Open, axial, and selective coding were part of the analysis. Fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis was used to identify different levels of IS use based on participants' descriptions. RESULTS: An IS used in the workplace accommodation process consists of electronic request form, accommodation checklist, special budget, specific role, ancillary service, formal policy and procedure. There are different levels of IS use in the current accommodation process. The high-level IS use often results in a better accommodation performance than the low-level IS use, including high efficiency, high effectiveness, and low emotional tolls. Nevertheless, the high-level IS use often uses a specific, inflexible template as well as disregards human elements in the accommodation process. CONCLUSION: This work provides implications that future IS design should raise awareness of disability and accommodation, account for individual differences, involve multiple stakeholder inputs, as well as address the fundamental social issues in the accommodation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Static muscular activity of muscles activated in the use of the conventional PC mouse is believed to represent a higher risk for the musculoskeletal health of the user than dynamic muscular activity. OBJECTIVE: This paper presents a compounded muscular activity dynamics indicator (akin to percent relative range), enabling comparison between computer handheld pointing devices. METHODS: This muscular dynamism approach considers baseline muscular activity (APL, ECR, ECU and ED) relative to the Maximum Voluntary Contraction as well as the dynamics of muscular activation. The latter is computed as the ratio of the difference between APDF90 and APDF10 divided by APDF50 (APDF-Amplitude Probability Distribution Function for the 90th, 50th and 10th percentiles). The paper demonstrates the approach with results of comparative evaluation of a horizontal, a slanted and a vertical PC mouse, through surface EMG monitoring of 20 participants performing standardized graphical task with the devices. RESULTS: Hand size impacts muscular activity dynamics in these four muscles, which supersedes differences in device geometry, across the range of devices tested. CONCLUSION: Smaller devices relative to hand size foster more dynamic muscular activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Implications of entrepreneurial education (EE), entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) and personality traits (PT) on the entrepreneurial intentions of the deaf is yet unknown in existing literature. OBJECTIVE: To examine the influence of EE, ESE and PT on the entrepreneurial intentions among some 250 Deaf and Hard of hearing (DHH) students from two post-secondary institutions in Oyo state, Nigeria. METHODS: A descriptive research design was adopted, while a structured paper questionnaire was used for data collection. The data generated were analysed using descriptive statistics and the inferential statistics of Pearson Product Moment Correlation and hierarchical multiple regression at a 0.05 level of significance. RESULTS: The entrepreneurial intentions of DHH college students had a significant positive correlation with EE (r = 0.18, p < 0.05), agreeableness (r = 0.23, p < 0.05), and conscientiousness (r = 0.19, p < 0.05); but had a negative correlation with ESE, neuroticism and openness. Furthermore, personality traits and ESE were the highest predictors of entrepreneurial intention among DHH college students. CONCLUSIONS: Personality traits were the greatest predictor of the entrepreneurial intention of DHH college students post the COVID-19 lockdowns in Nigeria. Therefore, higher education institutions should intensify their efforts in entrepreneurial education and parents of DHH students should encourage them to seek entrepreneurial opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Manual "picker-to-part" order picking takes place in a labour-intensive and time-consuming working environment where humans are the central actors and co-determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the process. Throughout Europe, work-related musculoskeletal disorders affect millions of workers, especially in the logistics sector, and cost employers billions of euros. OBJECTIVE: This paper studies how order pickers relate the use of technology as well as their relationship with the logistics company to their well-being, health and productivity. METHODS: To obtain data, a survey consisting of questions regarding work characteristics, health problems and the logistics company's relationship with employees was conducted in Poland, Slovenia and Croatia. RESULTS: Workers who carry most items manually experience more health problems than cart and forklift users. The most common complaint is lower back pain – only 6% of order pickers (n = 221) never experienced it. The use of barcode or RFID scanner/terminal/smart phone correlates with more health problems than the use of other technologies. Participation in the selection of transport means or in training on health preservation can reduce the perceived health problems. CONCLUSIONS: Workers' perception of the impact of the applied technology on health and productivity can differ from the impact that is calculated or measured. Through their relationship with employees, logistics companies can influence employees' perception of their health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Athletic fatigue is an inescapable issue in competitive sports. It belongs to a physiological response that is triggered when competitive athletes are trained to a critical point. OBJECTIVE: The study aims to explore the relationships involving boxers' social support, mental fatigue, coach leadership behaviors and psychological resilience. METHODS: 1050 boxers were selected in several provinces across China and investigated on the basis of the Social Support Questionnaire for Athletes, Mental Fatigue Scale, Psychological Resilience Scale, and Leadership Scale for Sport. RESULTS: Boxers' social support was negatively correlated with mental fatigue and psychological resilience, while it was positively correlated with coach leadership behaviors. Apart from direct effects on mental fatigue, other impacts are imposed by boxers' social support via mediating effects such as coach leadership behaviors and psychological resilience. The total effect value was -0.18, the direct effect value was -0.08, and the indirect effect value was -0.12; furthermore, coach leadership behaviors and psychological resilience play a mediating role, accounting for 65.57% of the total. CONCLUSION: In order to alleviate the stress from intense competitive training and abate mental fatigue, competitive athletes may be encouraged in subsequent training to seek all-sided social support for social interpersonal relationships. While clarifying the mechanism how the external environment affects individuals, this paper explains the principle of social support on athletes' psychological fatigue and identifies mutual influences between coaches and athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though speaking skills in the mother tongue develop naturally, developing reading skills requires training. Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability that can affect the reading ability in any language. Although many literature is available to address these challenges, the need to teach sentence reading was neglected. This paper addresses problems faced while reading sentences. As computer-based multi-sensory teaching is considered as an effective way to teach children with dyslexia (CwD), the proposed system uses multisensory teaching methods to teach sentence reading in Hindi and Bangla languages. It shows sentences as word packages to teach word sequence and help with comprehension. The platform records the response time of the user to generate a performance report to monitor her performance. For evaluating the system, an expert survey was conducted with 26 special educators in two phases, pre-test and post-test. The questionnaires were prepared following previous literature under the expert's supervision. The pre-test data helped in understanding the educators' experience and opinions about assistive technology and the post-test data were used to evaluate the system. In the evaluation, all educators agreed that the system will be very useful for their students and it will give a generalised solution for all the challenges their students face. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Sedentary tasks contribute to the deterioration of health and the appearance of chronic diseases. Physical exercise can contribute to the development of health, although the characteristics of the most appropriate program are unknown. OBJECTIVES: This is the second paper of the PRODET® intervention trial evaluating the effect of a supervised group exercise intervention in the worksite based on aerobic capacity and strength lasting 12 weeks. METHODS: The sample was composed of 67 subjects (N = 67, mean age 34.31 years) and the study investigated a 12-week group physical exercise program in the workplace, two days per week with 50-minute sessions, which was supervised and based on aerobic endurance and strength. The 67 subjects were working-age office workers, deemed as sedentary and randomized into an intervention (N = 40) or control (N = 27) group. Outcomes work ability, depression, anxiety and job satisfaction were assessed with questionnaires pre-and post-test in both groups. RESULTS: The program showed effects on the mental factor of work ability (Z = 2.36, P = 0.019, η2 = 0.09). However, there were no significant differences in the rest of the results. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention had an impact on the mental factor of work ability in the workers whose occupations were based on sedentary tasks, and reinforcing this variable with an exercise program in the workplace could contribute to reducing the mental factor of work ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Call center workers are highly susceptible to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) as well as mental stress. Nonetheless, there has been a surprising paucity in the body of the research regarding interventions among call center workers. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of a multicomponent ergonomic intervention program on mental workload, mental fatigue and WRMSDs of call center employees. METHOD: A non-randomized interventional study with a single group pretest-posttest design was conducted among 84 call center workers of a private telecommunication company in the city of Tehran, Iran. At the baseline, data regarding WRMSDs prevalence, mental workload and mental fatigue were collected by means of standard Nordic, NASA-TLX and SOFI questionnaires, respectively. Then, subjects participated in a multifaceted intervention program including comprehensive office ergonomic training, work layout improvement, supervised on-site face to face visits, and provision of quality break time encompassing regular exercise program. Follow-up assessment was carried out after 6 months. RESULTS: After the intervention, prevalence of WMSDs in the neck (10%, P = 0.022), lower back (8.4%, P = 0.04), and knees (9.5%, P = 0.02) decreased significantly, while improvements in other body areas remained insignificant. Results also showed a significant decrease in overall score of mental demand (P = 0.000) as well as three of its subscales including performance (P = 0.02), effort (P = 0.001), and frustration (P = 0.025). Additionally, positive effect of the intervention was also observable on overall mental fatigue of call center workers (P = 0.016). As for its subscales, Lack of energy was reported to decrease meaningfully (P = 0.007) while lack of motivation did not change significantly (P = 0.240). CONCLUSION: Although the primary focus of many ergonomic interventions has remained to measure physical outcomes of the work place, our findings show that multicomponent interventions are indeed capable of boosting cognitive aspects of the work as well. The future studies should consider investigating such outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The development of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) associated with forestry operations is an alarming issue. OBJECTIVE: In the present paper, an attempt was made to assess the location and the prevalence of the MSDs in timber harvesting tasks. METHODS: The analysis of logging-related risk factors was carried out by observing working postures with the use of the assessment tool RULA (Rapid Upper Limb Assessment) during harvesting jobs. In addition, the standardised Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) was used in order to record self-reported MSDs symptoms. RESULTS: Results revealed that, in all work stages, risk levels were extremely high. According to the results of the RULA analysis, 77.5% of the working postures adopted by the left side of the body and 61.25% of postures involving the right side belong to the very high-risk level. According to the results of the questionnaire, a high percentage of loggers (34%) reported that they were facing problems in their backs and knees. CONCLUSIONS: Training and informing operators about the correct positions and the manual movement techniques, as well as increasing the mechanisation level of harvesting operations could reduce physiological work hardship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: An appropriate match between a product and its end-users requires anthropometric data, which show variations among different countries. Proper Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) fit is key for safety and comfort. Chile had no head and facial anthropometric data available in order to design face/head PPE. OBJECTIVE: To describe face/head anthropometric characteristics of Chilean workers. Additionally, this study compared those dimensions against other populations (United States (US), South Korea and China). METHODS: An anthropometric survey involving 21 measures was conducted between September 2013 to May 2016 using stratified sampling. The measurements were based on ISO/TS 16976-2 and ISO 15535 to ensure the highest standards possible, and a total of 474 workers, aged from 18 to 66 years old, participated in the survey. RESULTS: The biggest differences were in Neck circumference, Weight, Nose breadth, Nose protrusion, Bitragion chin arc, Face length, Subnasale-sellion length, Face width, Bigonial breadth and Bitragion subnasal arc. Head length of Chileans were longer than Chinese and South Korean ones, but shorter than US Head length. Chilean Head breadth is smaller than Chinese and South Korean ones. Chileans Face length was the largest observed. Face width of Chileans was smaller than US and Chinese ones. Gender specific differences were also observed in the inter-country comparisons. Chilean males had larger anthropometric dimensions than females. CONCLUSION: Chilean Head and face dimensions differed significantly when compared against US, South Korean and Chines Head and Face dimensions. Chileans have longer and narrower faces with wider mouths, with a head size in between the US and Asian heads. Face and head PPE for Chileans should use dimensions in the current paper in order to ensure proper fit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Technology is widely used in school to assist students with visual impairments. Drawing with traditional methods is still difficult for those users. In this paper, we present and discuss an evaluation of a haptic and sound interactive drawing program (HIPP). OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to identify what aspects of the technological aid support the drawing skill development in children with visual impairment. METHODS: Interviews, observations and video recordings of use situations were used for data gathering. Our analysis is based on cultural-historical activity theory, and examines the mediation between the child and the object of their activity, their drawings, as well as the roles of teachers, classmates, assistants, and family. RESULTS: The haptic and audio drawing program supports the steps (doodling, interpretation, planning, and more intentional drawing) observed in visually-acquired drawing, although possible improvements have also been identified. Observations of the drawing program in use showed that its mix of dynamic multimodal interaction and a stable drawing feedback, enable visually impaired students and sighted teachers to jointly access a shared representation. CONCLUSIONS: Successful long-term use, together with the presented results of our analysis show how multimodal dynamic and stable interaction can successfully support drawing activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Smart mobile devices gain increasing importance at work. Integrating these smart mobile devices into the workplace creates new opportunities and challenges for occupational health and safety. OBJECTIVES: Therefore the aim of the following scoping review was to identify ergonomic challenges with the use of smart mobile devices at work with respect to physical problems. METHOD: A review of 36 papers based on literature including January 2016 was conducted. RESULTS: Biomechanical measures in the reviewed studies demonstrated i.e., head flexion angles exceeding 20° in 20 out of 26 different conditions described. Furthermore, laterally deviated wrists were frequently noted and thumb and finger flexor muscle activities generally greater than 5% MVC were reported. CONCLUSION: The reviewed literature indicated an elevated biomechanical risk, especially for the neck, the wrists and thumb. This was due to poor posture, ongoing and intermitted muscle tension, and/or repetitive movements. Papers addressing specific risks for smartphone and tablet use in different work environments are scarce. As the technology, as well as the use of smart mobile devices is rapidly changing, further research, especially for prolonged periods in the workplace is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]