bims-cieche Biomed News
on Cost-of-illness and economic evaluation in occupational health & safety
Issue of 2025–06–08
two papers selected by
Jonas Stefaan Steel, IDEWE
  1. Move to improve: Meta-analysis of workplace physical activity interventions.
  2. Menopause and work performance: a systematic review of observational studies.
  1. J Occup Health Psychol. 2025 Jun;30(3): 176-198
    Move to improve: Meta-analysis of workplace physical activity interventions.
    Alexander Nath, Sophia Schimmelpfennig, Charlotte Kreienbaum, Udo Konradt.
      Extended periods of physical inactivity and sedentary behavior at the workplace are major risk factors for employees' health and functioning. To mitigate these risks, workplace physical activity interventions (WPAIs) are commonly implemented within occupational health management to promote employees' physical activity. This meta-analysis evaluates the effectiveness of WPAIs in reducing mental and physical health complaints and in improving organizational outcomes, such as absenteeism, job satisfaction, and productivity. Drawing on the biopsychosocial model, we investigate the additional impact of mindfulness-based intervention components (mind-body interventions) and group-based interventions. A systematic literature search for longitudinal randomized controlled trials across six databases (Web of Science, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE/Pubmed, Embase, APA PsycInfo, and Science Direct) yielded K = 80 randomized controlled trials. Using between-group postintervention comparisons, Bayesian three-level random-effects meta-analytic structural equation modeling revealed small to moderate positive effects for WPAIs. WPAIs were effective in reducing mental health complaints (k = 40, N = 6,602, g = -0.56), physical health complaints (k = 51, N = 7,856, g = -0.38), and improving organizational outcomes (k = 30, N = 6,680, g = 0.30). Mind-body interventions demonstrated greater effectiveness in reducing mental and physical health complaints and in improving organizational outcomes compared to body-only interventions. Group-based WPAIs were associated with better adherence within studies examining health complaints. A dose-response relationship was observed in studies investigating physical health complaints and organizational outcomes, indicating that increased WPAI usage increases benefits. Potential bias arising from unaccounted baseline values and substantial heterogeneity demand careful interpretation of findings and warrant further investigation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000401
  2. Menopause. 2025 Jun 03.
    Menopause and work performance: a systematic review of observational studies.
    Sasha Taylor, Brooke Callahan, Julia Grant, Rakibul M Islam, Susan R Davis.
       IMPORTANCE: Most Australian women will experience menopause while in paid employment, and many workplaces are introducing menopause-related policies. However, the quality of the evidence for the impact of menopause on women's work outcomes is unclear.
    OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the published literature that has examined the impact of menopausal status and symptoms on work ability and productivity.
    EVIDENCE REVIEW: A systematic review of English-language peer-reviewed literature. Data sources included Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Scopus databases searched from inception to 14 November 2024, Google Scholar, and reference lists of included articles. Eligible studies included a formal process to identify menopausal status; a robust questionnaire or validated tool for assessing menopausal symptoms; a comparator group by menopausal status, symptom presence or severity; assessment of work outcomes by a validated tool; and a sample size of at least 100 women. Two authors selected the articles for inclusion and extracted the data from the included studies. The risk of bias was assessed using the modified Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist for cohort studies and the modified Hoy tool for cross-sectional studies.
    FINDINGS: Of the 40 articles retrieved for full-text review, 10 met the inclusion criteria. Nine studies were cross-sectional and one was longitudinal. Menopausal status was not consistently related to work ability. The presence and severity of VMS and other menopause-related symptoms may impact work outcomes, but findings were mixed. A number of adverse employment, socioeconomic, and personal factors were independently associated with lower self-reported work ability in studies that examined such factors. Each included study was limited by a high risk of bias in at least one assessed domain, and only 6 of the studies adjusted for confounders. Heterogeneity in study design and analysis precluded a meta-analysis.
    CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Menopausal status alone was not consistently associated with work outcomes. Evidence for an adverse impact of menopausal symptoms on work ability is mixed and may be confounded by other factors impacting on women's work outcomes at midlife. Rigorously designed studies that assess the potential factors impacting work ability in midlife women are needed to ensure robust evidence underpins menopause-related workplace policies.
    Keywords:  Employment; Hot flashes; Menopause; Postmenopause; Work; Work performance
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1097/GME.0000000000002557
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