Latest developments in stress for week ending 25 March 2005
Employers risk flood of claims over work stress
Employers are in danger of being overwhelmed by a flood of compensation claims because they are failing to introduce measures to combat stress in the workplace, according to a new study. The survey of 1,400 personnel managers reveals that 80% of organisations have not introduced employee stress risk assessments required by the Health & Safety Executive. The HSE has targeted the financial services, health and education sectors for particular scrutiny to ensure employers are fulfilling their statutory duties.
Long hours working is destroying family life
Working long hours is having a disastrous effect on family life and parents' health, according to a new report. More people than ever feel obliged to put in extra hours at work - and end up over-eating, drinking too much alcohol and failing to take enough exercise. They also suffer from headaches, exhaustion and depression, and do not see enough of their children, according to the report, ‘Time, Health and the Family: What Working Families Want’. The survey showed that more than half of working parents felt that working long hours was necessary just to get their job done - rising to 73% of parents who worked more than 45 hours a week. More people now work long hours than before. One in five is contracted to work more than 40 hours a week, but 56% of the sample of 646 working parents ended up working more than that. Only 4% are meant to work more than 45 hours, but 21% did so on a regular basis. The result is that many suffer from stress at work. Over a third of working parents felt stressed at work, rising to 45% of those who worked more than 45 hours. The impact on their health could be seen in increased irritability (48%), sleeplessness (44%), lack of exercise (36%) and exhaustion (35%).
Lost productivity costs UK business £15bn a year
Tough measures to counter absenteeism in the workplace are contributing to ‘presenteeism’ which can be equally damaging for business performance, new research has revealed. Presenteeism is when employees come into work despite being too sick, stressed or distracted to be productive. According to the latest data from FirstAssist, nearly a quarter of people calling its legal advice lines were suffering from emotional health issues such as work-related stress or depression, and FirstAssist pointed to a report from human resource consultancy PPC Worldwide which estimates that lost productivity cost UK businesses £15bn in 2004.
Extreme exertion or emotion can spark repeat heart attacks
Compelling evidence indicates that in people with a history of heart disease, physical exertion and emotional stress can trigger heart attacks, some of them fatal. Authors Philip Strike and Andrew Steptoe of University College London point out that the triggers for heart attacks may be quite different from the factors that lead to the development of coronary heart disease over the long term, such as smoking, lack of exercise, work stress, social isolation, anxiety and depression. The review notes that physical exertion has an apparently paradoxical association with triggering severe chest pain, heart attack or sudden death. Physically fit people enjoy a reduced risk of heart attacks, while inactive cardiac patients who suddenly engage in vigorous activity may do so at their peril. Emotional distress, along with natural disasters, war and sporting events may also trigger heart attacks in vulnerable individuals.
The increasing nightmare of sleep deprivation
Lack of sleep is becoming more and more of a nightmare for an increasing number of people who say the pace and stress of modern life is keeping them awake at night, according to research conducted for the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy by the Future Foundation. The average Briton gets only six hours 53 minutes of sleep a night - well below the recommended eight hours - but many people, especially women, cannot hope to get even this much. The report found that 27% of the adult population - 12 million people - have at least three bad nights sleep in an average week, and three million adults have a bad night every night. The problem also seems to be getting worse, with the study finding that almost one in four people were finding it increasingly difficult to sleep well. Asked what disturbed their sleep, more people cited anxiety than anything else. 'Fear has become a powerful tool in society,' said Brian Garvey, project manager at the Future Foundation. 'A nervousness permeates our current lives, and this may explain why people believe they are becoming more anxious and that this is disturbing their sleep.'
Obesity 'may reduce life expectancy by five years'
Obesity is predicted to cut life expectancy in America by five years within the next 50 years - and Britain is likely to see a similar trend. Researchers at the University of Illinois say obesity could eventually have more effect on longevity than either cancer or heart disease. Academics in Britain say that the United Kingdom is running just ‘a few years behind the US’ and is already ‘in the throes of an epidemic of obesity among children’. Dr David Wilson, senior lecturer in paediatric gastroenterology and nutrition at Edinburgh University, said obesity would lead to more ill health in early adult life and an increased mortality rate here. Until now most forecasts of life expectancy have shown rises. These are based on historical trends and the fact that medicines have conquered diseases. But the authors of a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine say past estimates failed to consider the ‘obesity epidemic’. More than 30% of Americans (59 million people) are classified as obese.
Taking vitamin E 'could raise risk of heart failure'
Taking vitamin E to cut the risks of heart disease or cancer has no effect and might even increase the chance of heart failure. Researchers in Canada strongly advise against people with existing heart disease or diabetes taking vitamin E supplements. Their study in the Journal of the American Medical Association followed patients for almost seven years and is one of the longest trials of vitamin E supplement use.
Salt in food is main concern for shoppers
Salt has overtaken food poisoning as the main concern for shoppers. A survey on behalf of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has found that the top food-related concerns were salt (57%), food poisoning (56%), fatty food (53%) and sugar in food (50%). The results back up other findings from the poll showing that people are changing their eating habits. More than one-third of the 3,229 adults questioned by Mori claimed to be eating more healthily than a year ago. For example, there has been a big jump in the number of people eating the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. More than half of those questioned claimed to have eaten five portions the previous day - up from 28% in 2003. However, 55% said their diet was the same and 7% admitted it had got worse.
Employers are in danger of being overwhelmed by a flood of compensation claims because they are failing to introduce measures to combat stress in the workplace, according to a new study. The survey of 1,400 personnel managers reveals that 80% of organisations have not introduced employee stress risk assessments required by the Health & Safety Executive. The HSE has targeted the financial services, health and education sectors for particular scrutiny to ensure employers are fulfilling their statutory duties.
Long hours working is destroying family life
Working long hours is having a disastrous effect on family life and parents' health, according to a new report. More people than ever feel obliged to put in extra hours at work - and end up over-eating, drinking too much alcohol and failing to take enough exercise. They also suffer from headaches, exhaustion and depression, and do not see enough of their children, according to the report, ‘Time, Health and the Family: What Working Families Want’. The survey showed that more than half of working parents felt that working long hours was necessary just to get their job done - rising to 73% of parents who worked more than 45 hours a week. More people now work long hours than before. One in five is contracted to work more than 40 hours a week, but 56% of the sample of 646 working parents ended up working more than that. Only 4% are meant to work more than 45 hours, but 21% did so on a regular basis. The result is that many suffer from stress at work. Over a third of working parents felt stressed at work, rising to 45% of those who worked more than 45 hours. The impact on their health could be seen in increased irritability (48%), sleeplessness (44%), lack of exercise (36%) and exhaustion (35%).
Lost productivity costs UK business £15bn a year
Tough measures to counter absenteeism in the workplace are contributing to ‘presenteeism’ which can be equally damaging for business performance, new research has revealed. Presenteeism is when employees come into work despite being too sick, stressed or distracted to be productive. According to the latest data from FirstAssist, nearly a quarter of people calling its legal advice lines were suffering from emotional health issues such as work-related stress or depression, and FirstAssist pointed to a report from human resource consultancy PPC Worldwide which estimates that lost productivity cost UK businesses £15bn in 2004.
Extreme exertion or emotion can spark repeat heart attacks
Compelling evidence indicates that in people with a history of heart disease, physical exertion and emotional stress can trigger heart attacks, some of them fatal. Authors Philip Strike and Andrew Steptoe of University College London point out that the triggers for heart attacks may be quite different from the factors that lead to the development of coronary heart disease over the long term, such as smoking, lack of exercise, work stress, social isolation, anxiety and depression. The review notes that physical exertion has an apparently paradoxical association with triggering severe chest pain, heart attack or sudden death. Physically fit people enjoy a reduced risk of heart attacks, while inactive cardiac patients who suddenly engage in vigorous activity may do so at their peril. Emotional distress, along with natural disasters, war and sporting events may also trigger heart attacks in vulnerable individuals.
The increasing nightmare of sleep deprivation
Lack of sleep is becoming more and more of a nightmare for an increasing number of people who say the pace and stress of modern life is keeping them awake at night, according to research conducted for the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy by the Future Foundation. The average Briton gets only six hours 53 minutes of sleep a night - well below the recommended eight hours - but many people, especially women, cannot hope to get even this much. The report found that 27% of the adult population - 12 million people - have at least three bad nights sleep in an average week, and three million adults have a bad night every night. The problem also seems to be getting worse, with the study finding that almost one in four people were finding it increasingly difficult to sleep well. Asked what disturbed their sleep, more people cited anxiety than anything else. 'Fear has become a powerful tool in society,' said Brian Garvey, project manager at the Future Foundation. 'A nervousness permeates our current lives, and this may explain why people believe they are becoming more anxious and that this is disturbing their sleep.'
Obesity 'may reduce life expectancy by five years'
Obesity is predicted to cut life expectancy in America by five years within the next 50 years - and Britain is likely to see a similar trend. Researchers at the University of Illinois say obesity could eventually have more effect on longevity than either cancer or heart disease. Academics in Britain say that the United Kingdom is running just ‘a few years behind the US’ and is already ‘in the throes of an epidemic of obesity among children’. Dr David Wilson, senior lecturer in paediatric gastroenterology and nutrition at Edinburgh University, said obesity would lead to more ill health in early adult life and an increased mortality rate here. Until now most forecasts of life expectancy have shown rises. These are based on historical trends and the fact that medicines have conquered diseases. But the authors of a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine say past estimates failed to consider the ‘obesity epidemic’. More than 30% of Americans (59 million people) are classified as obese.
Taking vitamin E 'could raise risk of heart failure'
Taking vitamin E to cut the risks of heart disease or cancer has no effect and might even increase the chance of heart failure. Researchers in Canada strongly advise against people with existing heart disease or diabetes taking vitamin E supplements. Their study in the Journal of the American Medical Association followed patients for almost seven years and is one of the longest trials of vitamin E supplement use.
Salt in food is main concern for shoppers
Salt has overtaken food poisoning as the main concern for shoppers. A survey on behalf of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has found that the top food-related concerns were salt (57%), food poisoning (56%), fatty food (53%) and sugar in food (50%). The results back up other findings from the poll showing that people are changing their eating habits. More than one-third of the 3,229 adults questioned by Mori claimed to be eating more healthily than a year ago. For example, there has been a big jump in the number of people eating the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. More than half of those questioned claimed to have eaten five portions the previous day - up from 28% in 2003. However, 55% said their diet was the same and 7% admitted it had got worse.
posted by Carole Spiers @ Thursday, March 31, 2005
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