Recovery of Cognitive Performance and Fatigue after One Night of Sleep Deprivation: Kazunori Ikegami, et al. Department of Mental Health, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, JapanObjectives: The aim of this study was to investigate how subjective sleepiness, mood states, simple and high‐order cognitive performance change after one night of sleep deprivation (SD) and recover to after 7 h normal recovery sleep opportunity during three recovery days.Methods: Ten healthy subjects participated in this study. We measured their subjective sleepiness, mood states and their performances of 2 simple tasks and 4 high‐order cognitive tasks twice a day for 5 days, on the baseline day, post‐vigil day and 3 recovery days after SD. This study was conducted considering each participant's motivation for task, learning effect and diurnal variation of performance.Results: The performances of simple tasks such as addition or short‐term memory were not reduced after SD and were the poorest on the baseline day, and improved gradually; however the high‐order cognitive performances were at their lowest on the post‐vigil day and needed 2 recovery sleep opportunities to return to the baseline level. Fatigue and confusion in mood states and subjective sleepiness were also at their lowest after SD. Subjective sleepiness nearly recovered to the baseline level on the 1st recovery day, but fatigue and confusion reached the baseline levels on the 2nd recovery day.Conclusion: These results suggest that cognitive deterioration and the recovery process may differ between simple task performance and high‐order cognitive task performance, which needed 2 ordinary sleep opportunities to recover to the baseline level, and the change of subjective mood states were also different for each mood.

Objective Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, telecommuting has become a new way of working that has not only changed individuals’ work, but also their health and lifestyle. We examined the relationship between telecommuting frequency and unhealthy dietary habits among Japanese workers. Methods A total of 33,302 workers completed an Internet survey about telecommuting and dietary habits. Data from 13,468 office workers who telecommuted were analyzed. Telecommuting frequency during the COVID-19 pandemic was extracted from a questionnaire. The odds ratios (ORs) of four types of dietary habits, namely, skipping breakfast, solitary eating, lower meal frequency, and meal substitution associated with telecommuting frequency were estimated using multilevel logistic regression nested in the prefecture of residence to control for differences in residential area. Results The multivariate OR of skipping breakfast was 1.15 (95% CI: 1.03–1.29, p = .013) for participants who telecommuted in excess of four days per week compared to those who rarely telecommuted. Similarly, the OR of solitary eating, lower meal frequency and meal substitution were 1.44 (95% CI: 1.28–1.63, p < .001), 2.39 (95% CI: 1.66–3.44, p < .001), and 1.26 (95% CI: 1.04–1.51, p = .015) for those who telecommuted in excess of four days per week compared to those who rarely telecommuted. There was a statistically significant increase in the dose-response trend in ORs of solitary eating (p for trend <.001), lower meal frequency (p for trend <.001), and meal substitution (p for trend = .001) with increasing telecommuting frequency. Conclusion Telecommuters may develop unhealthy dietary habits, indicating the need for strategies to help telecommuters manage their nutrition and diet.

Objectives: This study examined the relationship between frequency of working from home and low back pain (LBP), considering the quality of work environment. Methods: The study was based on a cross-sectional internet-based survey. Of 33 302 respondents, data from 12 774 desk workers were retained for analysis. We used a 0–10 numerical rating scale to assess LBP. Work environment was assessed using five subjective questions. Mixed-effects logistic regression nested by city level was used to analyze the relationship between frequency of working from home and LBP, stratified by work environment condition. Results: The prevalence of LBP was 21.0%. Among those reporting a poor work environment, as opposed to almost never working from home, the multivariate odds ratio (OR) of LBP were as follows: working from home less than 1 day per week: OR = 1.25, 95% CI: 0.89–1.76, p = .190; 2–3 days per week: OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.16–2.16, p = .004; and 4 or more days per week: OR = 1.82, 95% CI: 1.38–2.40, p < .001. By contrast, among those reporting a good work environment, the OR of LBP did not increase as the frequency of working from home increased. Conclusions: The relationship between LBP and frequency of working from home was found to vary with the quality of the work environment; more specifically, LBP was associated with frequency of teleworking in a poor work environment. This study suggests that employers should give more support to their employees in promoting a good work environment to prevent LBP. (Words: 240/250).

Objective: To examine the relationship between the physical work environment and work function while working from home (WFH). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Data from 5760 workers who worked from home at least 1 day a month were analyzed. The physical work environment while WFH was used as an exposure factor. The presence of work functioning impairment was measured using Work Functioning impairment Scale (WFun). Mixed-effects logistic regression was used with the prefecture of residence as a random effect. Results: Work functioning impairment was significantly associated with a “No” response to recommended environments. The highest odds ratio (OR) of work functioning impairment was associated with a “No” response to “There is enough light to do my work” (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.02, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.73 to 2.35, P < 0.01). Conclusions: Improving work environments may prevent negative health effects and improve productivity while WFH.

The work style reforms and the coronavirus disease pandemic in Japan have prompted efforts toward teleworking, mainly work from home (WFH). This study aimed to prospectively evaluate the impact of ...

Objective: Many companies in Japan have been increasingly interested in “health and productivity management (H&PM).” In terms of H&PM, we hypothesized that companies can enhance their employees’ perceived workplace health support (PWHS) by supporting workers’ lively working and healthy living. This could then improve their health-related quality of life (HRQOL) by increasing PWHS. Consequently, this study explored the relationship between PWHS and HRQOL. Methods: In December 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted an Internet-based nationwide health survey of Japanese workers (CORoNaWork study). A database of 27 036 participants was created. The intensity of PWHS was measured using a four-point Likert scale. We used multilevel ordered logistic regression to analyze the relationship between PWHS intensity and the four domains of the Centers for Disease Control’s HRQOL-4 (self-rated health, number of poor physical health days, number of poor mental health days, and activity limitation days during the past 30 days). Results: In the sex- and age-adjusted and multivariate models, the intensity of PWHS significantly affected self-rated health and the three domains of unhealthy days (physical, mental, and activity limitation). There was also a trend toward worse HRQOL scores as the PWHS decreased. Conclusions: We found that the higher the PWHS of Japanese workers, the higher their self-rated health and the fewer their unhealthy days. Companies need to assess workers’ PWHS and HRQOL and promote H&PM. H&PM is also necessary to maintain and promote the health of workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.