Strong association of physical job demands with functional limitations among active people: a population-based study in North-eastern France

• Published in: International archives of occupational and environmental health Vol. 82; no. 7; pp. 857 - 866
• Main Authors: Chau, N., Khlat, M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01-07-2009; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Addictive behaviors; Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Aged; Alcoholism; Alcoholism - epidemiology; Alcoholism and acute alcohol poisoning; Biological and medical sciences; Cognition & reasoning; Cognition Disorders - epidemiology; Cognition Disorders - psychology; Cognitive ability; Disability Evaluation; Earth and Environmental Science; Employment - statistics & numerical data; Environment; Environmental Health; Female; France - epidemiology; Health behavior; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Mental Processes - physiology; Metabolic diseases; Middle Aged; Obesity; Occupational Diseases - epidemiology; Occupational Diseases - physiopathology; Occupational Diseases - psychology; Occupational health; Occupational Medicine/Industrial Medicine; Odds Ratio; Original Article; Population studies; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Rehabilitation; Self-Assessment; Socioeconomic Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; Toxicology; Working conditions; Workload - statistics & numerical data; Young Adult; France; Europe; Lorraine; Obesity; Living alone; Functional limitations; Physical job demands; Alcohol abuse; Educational level; Human; Evaluation; Questionnaire; Education level; Alcoholism; Cognitive ability; Substance abuse; Confounding factor; Epidemiology; Statistical study; Physical job demand; Functional capacity; Physical fitness; Sociodemographic factor; Social isolation; Population-based survey; Nutritional status; Occupational medicine
• ISSN: 0340-0131; 1432-1246
• DOI: 10.1007/s00420-009-0394-9

Purpose
To assess the association between physical job demands (PJD) and physical/cognitive functional limitations, and the role of adverse health behaviours, obesity, and socio-demographic factors as confounders of those associations.
Methods
The sample included 3,368 active subjects aged 18–64 years, randomly selected from North-eastern France. Subjects completed a post-mailed questionnaire. PJD score was defined as the product of years of employment with the cumulative number of a wide range of high job demands. Data were analysed through the logistic regression models.
Results
The physical and cognitive functional limitations affected 16.9 and 28.6% of subjects, respectively. A strong relationship was found between PJD and physical functional limitation: significant odds ratios (OR) adjusted for all the factors studied 1.41 for PJD1-29, 1.72 for PJD30-99, and 2.57 for PJD ≥100 versus PJD0; and between PJD and cognitive functional limitation: OR 1.28 for PJD1-29, 1.60 for PJD30-99, and 2.00 for PJD ≥100 versus PJD0. Adverse health behaviours, obesity and job category were modest confounders of those associations.
Conclusions
This study identified a wide range of job demands and individual characteristics related to physical/cognitive functional limitations. Prevention should aim at improving working conditions and adverse health behaviours.