Perceived Adequacy of Infection Control Practices and Symptoms of Anxiety Among In-Person Elementary School Educators in Ontario

Smith, Peter M. PhD; Oudyk, John MSc; Cedillo, Leonor ScD; Inouye, Kimiko MA; Potter, Guy PhD; Mustard, Cameron ScD

Abstract

Objective
The aim of this study was to examine the association between the perceived adequacy of infection control practices (ICPs) and symptoms of anxiety among educators in Ontario, Canada.

Methods
Data from 4947 educators were collected in December 2020. Modified Poisson models assessed the association between adequacy of ICPs and moderate or severe anxiety symptoms, adjusting for a range of covariates.

Results
Approximately 60% of respondents reported moderate or severe anxiety symptoms. Two-thirds (66.5%) of the sample had less than half of their ICP needs met. Respondents with less than half their ICP needs met were more than three times more likely to have moderate or severe anxiety, compared with respondents with their ICP needs met.

Conclusion
Findings highlight the importance of adequate administrative and engineering controls in schools, not only to minimize risk of infection, but also for educator's mental health.

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Longitudinal Reciprocal Relationships Between the Psychosocial Work Environment and Burnout

Shahidi, Faraz Vahid PhD; Smith, Peter M. PhD; Oudyk, John MSc; Gignac, Monique A.M. PhD

Abstract

Objective:
To examine longitudinal reciprocal relationships between the psychosocial work environment and burnout.

Methods:
We used two-wave cross-lagged panel models to estimate associations between a wide range of psychosocial work factors (ie, job demands, job control, job insecurity, coworker support, supervisor support, and organizational justice) and burnout in a broadly representative sample of the general working population in Canada (n = 453).

Results:
Bidirectional associations between the psychosocial work environment and burnout were observed. Results supported the causal predominance of psychosocial work factors over burnout. Higher job demands, lower job control, higher job insecurity, and lower organizational justice predicted burnout over time. Burnout only predicted lower supervisor support over time.

Conclusions:
Our findings suggest that stress at work is better understood as a cause rather than a consequence of burnout in the general working population.

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The psychosocial work environment among educators during the COVID-19 pandemic

P. Smith, J Oudyk, L Cedillo, K Inouye, G Potter, C Mustard

Abstract

Background
The education sector has been heavily impacted by COVID-19. While the impact on school-aged children has received much attention, less attention has focused on the experiences of educators.

Aims
To compare various dimensions of the psychosocial work environment and health outcomes between educators engaged in online learning to those engaged in in-person learning in the Canadian province of Ontario.

Methods
Responses from 5438 educators engaged in either online or in-person learning were collected between 23 November and 21 December 2020; three months after the start of the 2020/21 academic year in September 2020. Psychosocial outcomes included quantitative demands, work pace, predictability, role conflicts, and social support from supervisors and co-workers; assessed using an abbreviated version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire. Secondary outcomes included burnout and sleep troubles. Ordinary Least-Squares regression models examined adjusted mean differences in the levels of outcomes for respondents in in-person versus online learning, after adjustment for a variety of covariates.

Results
Compared to respondents engaged in in-person learning, respondents engaged in online learning reported less predictability, higher role conflicts and less support from supervisors and co-workers. Statistically significant differences in work pace, burnout and sleep troubles were also observed across learning modes, although these differences did not exceed previously suggested thresholds for minimum important differences.

Conclusions
Important differences in the psychosocial work environment were observed between respondents engaged in in-person learning versus online learning. Addressing these differences is required, given the potential continued importance of online learning within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

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McIntyre Powder and its potential contributions to cardiovascular disease risk: A literature review through the McIntyre Powder historical lens

Andrew Zarnke, Christine Oliver, Sandra Dorman

Abstract

McIntyre Powder (MP) is a fine aluminum powder that was developed to prevent silicosis in gold and uranium mine workers in Ontario, Canada, and was administered to miners there from 1943 to 1979. Mine workers were exposed to high concentrations (35.6 mg/m3 ) of MP for approximately 10 min before every work shift. Contemporary physical and chemical characterizations of this powder have revealed that 12% of the powder is in the ultrafine particle size-range (nanoparticles); and the remaining 88%, in the fine particulate size range (below 2.5 µm in diameter). The confluence of ultrafine particulate (UFP) composition and high airborne concentration of MP would be expected to overwhelm the defense mechanisms of the lung and increase the lung dust burden of the mine worker exposed to respirable dust in the mine. Published studies revealing associations between air pollution particulates and increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) shown a dose-response relationship with ambient PM2.5 and UFP and suggest that miners exposed to MP may also be at increased risk of CVD. The historical perspective of the use of MP in northern Ontario hard-rock mines and its potential implications for CVD in exposed mine workers are discussed.

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