Affiliations: Instituto de Ensino Superior e Pesquisa,
Fundação Educacional de Divinópolis (FUNEDI/UEMG), Minas Gerais, Brazil | Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências
da Reabilitação da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Minas
Gerais, Brazil | Departamento de Estatística, Instituto de
Ciências Exatas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Minas Gerais, Brazil
Note: [] Corresponding author: Rosana Ferreira Sampaio, Universidade
Federal de Minas Gerais, Escola de Educação Física, Fisioterapia e
Terapia Ocupacional, Av. Antônio Carlos, n°. 6627, Campus
Pampulha. Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. CEP: 31270-901, Brazil. Tel.: +55 31
34094783; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Work ability depends on a balance between
individual resources and work demands. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated
factors that are associated with inadequate work ability among workers in the
clothing industry. METHOD: We conducted a cross-sectional
observational study of 306 workers in 40 small and medium-sized enterprises. We
assessed work ability, individual resources, physical and psychosocial demands,
and aspects of life outside work using a binary logistic regression model with
hierarchical data entry. RESULTS: The mean work ability was 42.5 (SD=3.5); when adjusted for age, only 11% of the workers showed inadequate
work ability. The final model revealed that smoking, high isometric physical
load, and poor physical environmental conditions were the most significant
predictors of inadequate work ability. CONCLUSIONS: Good working conditions and worker education must be implemented to eliminate factors that
can be changed and that have a negative impact on work ability. These
initiatives include anti-smoking measures, improved postures at work, and
better physical environmental conditions.
Keywords: Physical demands, psychosocial demands, work environment
