Journal of Occupational

Background: Today, obesity is considered as a health problem that increases the risk of some diseases. Therefore, identifying the effective factors on obesity is of great importance. Shift work is one of the indicators for increased risk of obesity in society and also shift work may cause various health problems for workers in military organizations. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between shift work, and body mass index (BMI) and waist-hip ratio (WHR) among military personnel in 2016.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 100 male military personnel in Southern Iran in June-July 2016. The participants were divided into two groups based on their working schedule; shift work (50 personnel) and day work (50 personnel). The two groups were similar in terms of type of work. The subjects were selected through ‎simple random sampling. The data collection tools consisted of a tape measure and a digital balance. Data analysis and comparison of BMI and WHR in the two groups were performed using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation in SPSS.

Results: The findings revealed that mean body weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, BMI, and WHR were higher in shift workers than day workers. The findings of the current study showed that 81.6% of shift workers had a BMI of higher than 25 kg/m² and 80.3% of shift workers had a WHR of higher than 0.90 m. Moreover, 86.2% of day workers had a BMI of less than 25 kg/m² and 83.1% of days workers had a WHR of less than 0.90 m. The Pearson correlation coefficient for BMI (r = 0.71) and WHR (r = 0.64) in shift workers were higher than day workers.

Conclusions: The findings of this research showed that shift work increased the risk of overweight and obesity. Increased BMI and WHR are the cause of disease and require intervention measures (job rotation, sports activities, and avoidance of long duration of shift work) among shift workers.

Background: Musculoskeletal pain accompanied by psychological problems leads to reduced health efficiency. On the other hand, work-related anxiety and depression is another important factor that could result in reduced productivity in organizations and physical and mental problems in personnel. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the most common occupational health problems that have high costs and lead to productivity loss in military personnel. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of anxiety and depression with MSDs among military personnel in 2016.

Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytic and cross-sectional study was conducted on 70 military personnel in July 2016 through convenience sampling method. The data collection tools used were the Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ)‎ and Goldberg Anxiety and Depression ‎Scale. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation test, and ANOVA in SPSS software.

Results: The highest prevalence of MSDs was observed in the back (48%), thoracic spine (41%), and shoulder (37%). The Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scale scores showed that anxiety and depression were at a medium level. The Pearson correlation test showed a significant correlation between anxiety (P = 0.01) (r = 0.79) and depression (P = 0.01) (r = 0.76), and MSDs; with increase in anxiety and depression, MSDs also increased.

Conclusions: The results of this study showed that anxiety and depression have a direct relationship with MSDs. Therefore, interventions must be carried out for MSDs prevention such as reducing physical and psychological job demands, and reducing anxiety and depression level among military personnel.

Background: Mental workload is one of the factors that influence individuals’ performance in the work environment as well as their efficiency and productivity. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Rating Scale Mental Effort (RSME) for mental workload in nurses.

Materials and Methods: This study was descriptive and cross-sectional conducted on 75 nurses. For assessment of mental workload, first NASA task load index (NASA-TLX) and then RSME were measured. After from data gathering, the data were analyzed using SPSS, descriptive statistics, Student’s independent t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Pearson correlation test.

Results: The results of the assessment workload using RSME and NASA-TLX index of nurses showed that nurses' workload was high. Pearson correlation test regression coefficient showed a good correlation between scores of RSME and NASA-TLX index (r = 0.72) (r² = 0.51). Also there was no significant association between age and work experience with mental workload score in RMSE (P = 0.09) (P = 0.08) and NASA-TLX index (P = 0.08) (P = 0.06). Student’s t-test showed that no significant relationship was observed between sex and scores of RMSE (P = 0.08) and NASA-TLX index (P = 0.07).

Conclusions: The results of this study showed that RMSE is a good method for assessing mental workload and there was acceptable correlation with NASA-TLX valid indices. RMSE index can be used to assess the mental workload.