Person:

Sabbath, Erika

Objective: To analyze relationships between physical occupational exposures, post-retirement shoulder/knee pain, and obesity. Methods: 9 415 male participants (aged 63–73 in 2012) from the French GAZEL cohort answered self-administered questionnaires in 2006 and 2012. Occupational exposures retrospectively assessed in 2006 included arm elevation and squatting (never, <10 years, ≥10 years). “Severe” shoulder and knee pain were defined as ≥5 on an 8-point scale. BMI was self-reported. Results: Mean BMI was 26.59 kg/m2 +/−3.5 in 2012. Long-term occupational exposure to arm elevation and squatting predicted severe shoulder and knee pain after retirement. Obesity (BMI≥30 kg/m2) was a risk factor for severe shoulder pain (adjusted OR 1.28; 95% CI 1.03, 1.90). Overweight (adjusted OR 1.71; 1.28,2.29) and obesity (adjusted OR 3.21; 1.90,5.41) were risk factors for severe knee pain. In stratified models, associations between long-term squatting and severe knee pain varied by BMI. Conclusion: Obesity plays a role in relationships between occupational exposures and musculoskeletal pain. Further prospective studies should use BMI in analyses of musculoskeletal pain and occupational factors, and continue to clarify this relationship.

Our workplaces shape our health, whether through the stress of our workloads, pay and benefits we receive, interacting with physical surroundings, or obtaining support from colleagues and supervisors. This is as true for addiction treatment organizations as it is for any other workplace. However, the implications of working conditions in these settings are wider since how these workplaces shape worker health also impacts the health of clients seeking addiction treatment. Creating working conditions that support the health and wellbeing of the addiction treatment workforce is therefore central to providing consistent and effective addiction treatment for clients.

The considerable rise in substance use disorders has strained addiction treatment services across the United States, and this strain can be noticeably felt in organizations operating across Massachusetts—a state with one of the highest rates of overdose deaths in the country. The addiction treatment workforce has long been characterized by high rates of turnover and attrition, but with the rising rates of addiction, workforce shortages have greater implications for people seeking addiction care. This may be particularly true for residential addiction treatment facilities, which provide 24/7 care for individuals as they move into recovery.

The Substance Use Provider Occupational Wellbeing (SUPOW) Study aimed to understand how working conditions and larger socio-political influences impact the health and wellbeing of Massachusetts residential addiction providers working in state-funded facilities. This study also sought to identify how the health and wellbeing of providers impacted the organizations at which they worked and client care. As part of this community-initiated study, frontline providers, supervisors, and executive leaders participated in interviews and focus groups to share their perspectives and observations working in residential treatment across Massachusetts regions. As such, all analyses presented in this report are from the perspective of providers and leaders with first-hand experience working in residential addiction treatment.

This study examined whether vicarious trauma, the emotional and psychological effects of repeated exposure to others’ traumatic experiences, may affect hospital workers’ physical health. Focusing on nurses and patient care associates at two large hospitals, researchers linked workers’ vicarious trauma symptoms to subsequent health insurance claims for stress-sensitive gastrointestinal conditions. The research suggests that the effects of caring for traumatized patients may extend beyond emotional distress to become a broader occupational health risk.

This study examined whether a hospital safe patient-handling intervention worked equally well for nurses and patient care associates, two groups with different roles, job demands and exposures. The intervention itself went beyond equipment installation to include training, coaching, and organizational supports to help workers actually use the installed equipment. Although the intervention successfully reduced injuries overall, those reductions were concentrated among nurses rather than shared equally across worker groups. The study shows why workplace safety interventions should be judged not only by their overall impact, but also by whether they protect the workers facing the greatest risks.