The aim of our work was to study the physical symptoms of upper- and lower-level white-collar workers using a questionnaire. The study was cross-sectional with a questionnaire posted to 15 000 working-age persons. The responses (6121) included 970 upper- and 1150 lower-level white-collar workers. In the upper - and lower-level white-collar worker groups, 45.7 and 56.0%, respectively, had experienced pain, numbness and aches in the neck either pretty often or more frequently. When comparing daily computer users and nonusers, there were significant differences in pain, numbness and aches in the neck or in the shoulders. In addition, age and gender influenced some physical symptoms. In the future, it is essential to take into account that working with computers can be especially associated with physical symptoms in the neck and in the shoulders when workers use computers daily.
Objectives Almost nothing is known about the effect of occupational noise on diabetes, and this is particularly relevant given the wide spread of both noise exposure and diabetes. This study has aimed to determine whether occupational noise exposure is associated with higher risk of diabetes in Europe. Material and Methods This study is based on 7th European Social Survey (ESS7, 2014) – a multi-country population-based questionnaire survey, which covered 28 221 Europeans aged ≥ 15 years old. Data on self-reported noise exposure, diabetes and other sociodemographic and work-related factors was available. The odds of prevalent diabetes were explored using unconditional logistic regression. Results In the total sample (N = 23 486), participants ever exposed to very loud noise had no substantive increase in the odds of diabetes (odds ratio (OR) = 1.01, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.78–1.32). There were subgroups with non-significantly increased odds: men (OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 0.87–1.45), the elderly (OR = 1.09, 95% CI: 0.91–1.31), ethnic minority members (OR = 1.55, 95% CI: 0.91–2.62), those with secondary education (OR = 1.05, 95% CI: 0.78–1.41) and those living in small cities/towns (OR = 1.07, 95% CI: 0.89–1.29). Low-skilled white-collar workers had OR = 1.34 (95% CI: 1.09–1.64). Among participants employed during the preceding 5 years the odds were OR = 1.24 (95% CI: 0.95–1.61). Conclusions Self-reported occupational noise was not associated with increased odds of prevalent diabetes in the total sample. Sensitivity analyses revealed some subgroups with non-significantly higher odds. Our results suggest that further delve into the relationship between occupational noise and diabetes is feasible and warranted. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2017;30(4):537–551
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