BACKGROUND:The number of workers who have previously undergone a cancer treatment is increasing, and possible late treatment effects (fatigue, physical and cognitive complaints) may affect work ability.OBJECTIVE:The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of late treatment effects and of job resources (autonomy, supportive leadership style, and colleagues’ social support) on the future work ability of employees living 2–10 years beyond a breast cancer diagnosis.METHODS:Data at T1 (baseline questionnaire) and at T2 (9 months later) were collected in 2018 and 2019 (N = 287) among Dutch-speaking workers with a breast cancer diagnosis 2–10 years ago. Longitudinal regression analyses, controlling for years since diagnosis, living with cancer (recurrence or metastasis), other chronic or severe diseases, and work ability at baseline were executed.RESULTS:Higher levels of fatigue and cognitive complaints at baseline predicted lower future work ability. The three job resources did not predict higher future work ability, but did relate cross-sectionally with higher work ability at baseline. Autonomy negatively moderated the association between physical complaints and future work ability.CONCLUSIONS:Fatigue and cognitive complaints among employees 2–10 years past breast cancer diagnosis need awareness and interventions to prevent lower future work ability. Among participants with average or high levels of physical complaints, there was no difference in future work ability between medium and high autonomy. However, future work ability was remarkably lower when autonomy was low.
Background To gain insight into the role of plantar intrinsic foot muscles in fall-related gait parameters in older adults, it is fundamental to assess foot muscles separately. Ultrasonography is considered a promising instrument to quantify the strength capacity of individual muscles by assessing their morphology. The main goal of this study was to investigate the intra-assessor reliability and measurement error for ultrasound measures for the morphology of selected foot muscles and the plantar fascia in older adults using a tablet-based device. The secondary aim was to compare the measurement error between older and younger adults and between two different ultrasound machines. Methods Ultrasound images of selected foot muscles and the plantar fascia were collected in younger and older adults by a single operator, intensively trained in scanning the foot muscles, on two occasions, 1–8 days apart, using a tablet-based and a mainframe system. The intra-assessor reliability and standard error of measurement for the cross-sectional area and/or thickness were assessed by analysis of variance. The error variance was statistically compared across age groups and machines. Results Eighteen physically active older adults (mean age 73.8 (SD: 4.9) years) and ten younger adults (mean age 21.9 (SD: 1.8) years) participated in the study. In older adults, the standard error of measurement ranged from 2.8 to 11.9%. The ICC ranged from 0.57 to 0.97, but was excellent in most cases. The error variance for six morphology measures was statistically smaller in younger adults, but was small in older adults as well. When different error variances were observed across machines, overall, the tablet-based device showed superior repeatability. Conclusions This intra-assessor reliability study showed that a tablet-based ultrasound machine can be reliably used to assess the morphology of selected foot muscles in older adults, with the exception of plantar fascia thickness. Although the measurement errors were sometimes smaller in younger adults, they seem adequate in older adults to detect group mean hypertrophy as a response to training. A tablet-based ultrasound device seems to be a reliable alternative to a mainframe system. This advocates its use when foot muscle morphology in older adults is of interest.
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Low heart rate variability (HRV) is related to health problems that are known reasons for sick-leave or early retirement. A 1-minute-protocol could allow large scale HRV measurement for screening of health problems and, potentially, sustained employability. Our objectives were to explore the association of HRV with measures of health. Cross-sectional design with 877 Dutch employees assessed during a Workers’ Health Assessment. Personal and job characteristics, workability, psychological and mental problems, and lifestyle were measured with questionnaires. Biometry was measured (BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol). HRV was assessed with a 1-minute paced deep-breathing protocol and expressed as mean heart rate range (MHRR). A low MHRR indicates a higher health risk. Groups were classified age adjusted for HRV and compared. Spearman correlations between raw MHRR and the other measures were calculated. Significant univariable correlations (p < 0.05) were entered in a linear regression model to explore the multivariable association with MHRR. Age, years of employment, BMI and waist circumference differed significantly between HRV groups. Significant correlations were found between MHRR and age, workability, BMI, waist circumference, cholesterol, systolic and diastolic blood-pressure and reported physical activity and alcohol consumption. In the multivariable analyses 21.1% of variance was explained: a low HRV correlates with aging, higher BMI and higher levels of reported physically activity. HRV was significantly associated with age, measures of obesity (BMI, waist circumference), and with reported physical activity, which provides a first glance of the utility of a 1-minute paced deep-breathing HRV protocol as part of a comprehensive preventive Workers’ Health Assessment.Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creat ivecommons .org/licen ses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate redit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
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“Wij kunnen niet meer garanderen dat bij toekomstige woningen drinkwater beschikbaar is, terwijl wij nu al nee moeten verkopen aan bedrijven voor nieuwe aansluitingen’, aldus drinkwaterbedrijf Vitens, hetgeen duidelijk het probleem of beter de uitdaging beschrijft, waarvoor wij als Nederland staan. 1. Toenemende waterschaarste in Nederland: waterschaarste is niet langer een probleem alleen geassocieerd met warme en droge landen, maar ook Nederland krijgt te maken met watertekorten, en de kans hierop wordt steeds groter. 2. Onderzoek naar alternatief watergebruik: de testcase stelt voor alternatieve waterbronnen te onderzoeken om aan de toenemende vraag naar water te voldoen: het hergebruik van afvalwater, zoals water uit douches en wastafel, voor het doorspoelen van toiletten. 3. Innovatieve technologieën voor waterzuivering: De testcase is gebaseerd op een geavanceerd proces voor waterzuivering, inclusief verschillende stappen zoals skimming, zandfiltratie, ultrafiltratie en desinfectie met UV-straling. Dit proces zorgt ervoor dat het gerecyclede water geschikt is voor gebruik als spoelwater voor toiletten. 4. Testen van de technologie op festivals en andere locaties: de installatie gaat getest worden op festivals met campingfaciliteiten, waar veel water wordt gebruikt. Dit biedt een praktische gelegenheid om de haalbaarheid en effectiviteit van het systeem te beoordelen. 5. Potentiële besparingen en voordelen: met deze installatie kan tot 40% water bespaard worden en kan een aanzienlijk deel van de warmte van het douchewater worden teruggewonnen. Dit leidt tot aanzienlijke milieuvoordelen en kostenbesparingen. Met deze installatie kan 50 m3 water gezuiverd worden tot wc spoelwater, waarmee 8.333 boodschappen weggespoeld kunnen worden. Tevens wordt na zuivering de warmte uitgewisseld voor weer een warme douche. Daarmee kan bijvoorbeeld al het douche water van badhuis 6.01 van de Zwarte Cross volledig hergebruikt worden. Al met al een veelbelovende concept om de uitdagingen van waterschaarste op te lossen en duurzaam watergebruik in Nederland te stimuleren.
