ONLINE STRESS NEWS, INTERNATIONAL, 2002

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HEALTH & NUTRITION

FOOTBALL PENALTY SHOOT-OUTS TRIGGER HEART ATTACKS. According to researchers at University of Birmingham, UK, the stress of watching penalty shoot-outs can trigger heart attacks. The researchers found that hospital admissions for heart attacks rose by 25 per cent on the day Argentina knocked England out of the World Cup, and for the two following days. 21/12/02

WORK-RELATED STRESS DOUBLES UK ABSENTEEISM. The UK Health and Safety Commission found 33 million days were lost in the past year from work-related ill-health. The last survey in 1995 found that 18 million days were lost and 550,000 days lost through strikes. It seems that stress is now the main occupational health problem noted on sickness certificates. 13/12/02

CAFFEINE AY CUT RISK OF GALLSTONES. According to researchers from Harvard University, women who drink at least four cups of coffee a day may be cutting their risk of gallstones, according to new research. They were about 25 per cent less likely than non-drinkers to need surgery for gallstones. Other research has found similar results for men. However, decaffeinated coffee does not appear to reduce the risk of gallstones. 7/12/02

ADULTEROUS AFFAIRS TRIGGER HEART ATTACKS! Dr Jackson of St Thomas’s Hospital, London, UK, announced at a conference in Hamberg, Germany that 75% of cases of sudden death during sexual activity occur when people are having sex in extra-marital situations. This risk is worsened if there is an age differential between the two parties concerned. 7/12/02

FISH IS GOOD FOR THE BRAIN! According to a seven year research study published in the British Medical Journal, older people who eat seafood or fish at least once a week are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. 28/10/02

CATS AND DOGS MAY BE BETTER STRESS COUNSELLORS THAN A PARTNER! Pet owners seem to have lower baseline blood pressure and heart rate levels than non-pet owners. The research study was undertaken by the State University of New York, Buffalo and showed that owning a pet may act as a buffer to acute stress. 28/09/02

CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME: FISH OILS MAY HELP. Research undertaken by Imperial College Medical School, London, England, found that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) sufferers may have a chemical imbalance in the brain. Almost a quarter of a million people are affected by CFS in the UK. The levels of two chemicals, choline and creatine, were different when compared to non-sufferers of CFS. The research was published in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. It has been suggested that fish oil which contains the fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) may correct the imbalance. NB CFS is sometimes known as Myalgic Encephalopathy (ME). 8/9/02

WORKING MOTHERS: A CASE OF BURNOUT! A new study commissioned by Pfizer has found that more than a fifth of women who return to work shortly after childbirth suffer from mental and physical burnout by the time their child has reached 18 months. In the survey of new mothers, 70% of the sample intended or actually returned to work although only 20% returned for social or intellectual reasons. The majority cite financial reasons for returning to work. Motherhood and work combined exhausted about 22% and half of the sample relied on relatives to provide their childcare. The survey obtained information from 2,280 new mothers. 28/8/02

CENTRE FOR COACHING, LONDON, DEVELOPS PSYCHOLOGICAL COACHING COURSES. The Centre for Coaching, London, England runs a number coaching training programmes at primary, certificate and diploma levels. These also include psychological coaching programmes. The Centre for Coaching courses are now recognised by the Association for Coaching.

Professor Stephen Palmer, Director of the Centre for Coaching says, 'If coachees are failing to achieve their goals, it is important for them to grasp how they maybe holding themselves back. Our psychological coaching programme provides an insight into how we often block ourselves and this training helps coaches to help their clients or coachees'. 1/8/02

NEW UK ASSOCIATION FOR COACHING WILL HOLD A REGISTER OF COACHES AND ACCREDIT COURSES. The recently launched Association for Coaching will be setting up a Register of Coaches. This will include executive, business, life, performance and stress management coaches. With the popularity of coaching growing daily and no regulation in place the Association for Coaching aims to provide an ethical framework and standards for coaches to work to as well as being a voice for coaching excellence.

Professor Cary Cooper, CBE, of the University of Manchester’s Institute of Science & Technology and Vice President of the Association believes that "the mobility of most people and the decline in social support systems together with the lack of balance between work and home life means there is an increasing need for individual support systems such as coaching and mentoring. This new Association will set the necessary standards needed to professionalize these approaches."

Katherine Tulpa, Association for Coaching Chair and Director of Urban Calm, a consultancy providing well-being and Coaching services to the professional sector sees the AC “as providing the means for professional Coaches to expand their client base, increase their knowledge of best practice, learn about the latest trends within the Coaching industry and enhance their practices through the creditability gained from being involved with a body committed to the highest standards.”

As an effective Coaching Strategy can assist in increasing profitability, gaining competitor advantage and reducing staff turnover, it is vital that decision makers have access to the best coaches as well as up-to- date Coaching methodologies and proven tools to maximise these efforts.

Gladeana McMahon, Head of Media Relations for the AC, author of “Confidence Works – learn to be your own Life Coach” and GMTV’s Life Coach believes “that the AC fills a very real need. The potential to bring together the best is a very exciting prospect". 10/7/02

BRITISH SEEK JOBS!

A study published by the recruitment group, Reed, has found that up to 45% of the UK work force are either actively or passively seeking new jobs. Age and gender are associated with different rates: Males 52%, Women 37%; 25-34 age group 58% seeking new jobs. 1/06/02

ANOTHER GOOD REASON TO DRINK WINE!!

Researchers led by Professor Holger Schunemann at the University of Buffalo in New York State, USA have discovered that people who regularly consume a couple of glasses of white wine have stronger lungs than people who do not drink it. Although red wine can be beneficial for the lungs it is not as effective as white wine. The research involved 1555 participants who undertook standard lung-function tests which measure the total volume of air that is expelled in one breath (forced vital capacity)and what can be expelled in one second (forcibly expelled volume). High scores in both of these tests were associated with the moderate drinking of white wine (both lifetime or recent). Again, it seems that flavonoids and phenols both found in wine are likely to be associated with these results. (Research presented at the American Thoracic Society Annual Conference.) 20/5/02

BRITISH WORKERS STILL WORK LONG HOURS

Research undertaken by the Future of Work Programme, has found that 8 out of 10 UK workers who work long hours claim that they have to stay in the office due to deadlines and work pressures. Seventy five percent reported that they are required to stay late at work by their employeers. British workers still work, on average, the longest within the Europe at 43.6 hours a week. One in three male British employees works more than 50 hours a week. However Britains GDP per hour is less than many EU countries who work less hours and have more bank holidays and nnual leave!! In fact the average UK employee prodeuces 30% less output than the UKs competitors. 2/5/02

ONLINE BANKING

A recent Barclays study found that the most popular day for people to access their online bank was Monday morning between 9.00am to 10.00am. It was still the most popular time on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings. This raises the issue that many of these people may be accessing their banks online from the office instead of focusing on their work. Interestingly, the advantage of online banking is that it is a 24 hour service so employees could do this at home in their own time. 27/4/02

POOR WORK DESIGN AND ORGANISATION CONTRIBUTE TO HEART DISEASE - HSE SPONSORED RESEARCH

Poor work design and organisation a contributor to heart disease says HSE-sponsored research. The UK, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) today published research confirming that a stressful working environment can lead to coronary heart disease.

High job demands, low job control and effort-reward imbalance were related to an increased incidence of coronary heart disease. These effects were not explained by conventional risk factors, such as smoking, being overweight and having high blood pressure. Moreover, when workloads change, resulting in higher demands, less direct control and reduced support, an individual's mental health deteriorated.

The report, from the "Whitehall II" study of the health of more than 10,000 British civil servants looked at the influence of:

Job demands; the amount of say people have over how their work is done ("job control"); support from managers and colleagues; and an imbalance in the effort people put into work with the rewards they get from it on physical health. Such factors are related to how stressful people find their work. However, the results are applicable to a much wider group of workers than just civil servants.

Although previous reports have linked working conditions with self-reported heart disease, this research gives a clearer and more accurate picture as the participants' reports of heart disease were verified against medical records.

Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Director of the Whitehall II study, UCL said: The results from Whitehall II show how important stress at work is for people's health. There are two points to emphasise. First, stress at work is not simply a matter of having too much to do, but also results from too little control over the work and from insufficient reward for the effort expended. Second, the way work is organised is crucial. The way to address the problem of stress at work is to look hard at the organisation of the work place."

Elizabeth Gyngell, senior policy manager on stress for HSE said: This research gives us clearer data than ever before on the physical ill health consequences that can arise from not preventing work-related stress. Employers need to realise just how serious the effects of work-related stress can be, and take action to prevent it. HSE has published detailed guidance to help them do this. I urge all employers to read and act on the guidance now."

On a more positive note, the measured work characteristics were not generally associated with incidences of Type 2 diabetes, with the exception of effort-reward imbalance, that can be attributed to an increased incidence of Type 2 diabetes in men.

The report also discusses the contribution of alcohol consumption to work absence through accidents. As expected, alcohol consumption was related to a risk of sickness absence due to injury at moderate levels as well as for 'binge' drinking and alcohol dependency levels.

Additional information:

1. The report and the work it describes were funded by the HSE. Its contents, including any opinions and/or conclusions expressed, are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect HSE policy.

2. Type 2 diabetes, also known as adult-onset diabetes, is caused by the body becoming unresponsive to insulin. It is associated with lack of exercise and being overweight.

3. HSE's guidance on preventing stress is:

a) For large firms, 'Tackling work-related stress. A manager's guide to improving and maintaining employee health and well-being', HSG218, ISBN 0-7176-2050-6.

b) For small firms, 'Work-related stress: a short guide', INDG281rev1. Single copies free; also available in packs, ISBN 0-7176-2137-5.

4. 'Work environment, alcohol consumption and ill health. The Whitehall II study', by J Head, P Martikainen, M Kumari, H Kuper and M Marmot, is published as HSE Contract Research Report 422/2002, ISBN 0-7176-2314-9, price £15.00. Copies can be ordered online: http://www.hsebooks.co.uk or are available from HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 2WA, tel: 01787-881165 or fax: 01787-313995. HSE priced publications are also available from all good bookshops. 10/4/02

PEOPLE WORKING EVEN LONGER IN THE UK!Compared to ten years ago, more employees in the UK are working longer hours. A Trade Union Congress report (published 4/2/02) estimated that 16% of the workforce work more than the European Union's Working Time Direcive of 48 hours. This is about four million employees. Males work the longest hours with 25% working longer than 48 hours. 10% are working 55 hours. 5/2/02

UK COURT OF APPEAL JUDGEMENT ON OCCUPATIONAL STRESS. A recent Court of Appeal decision relating to stress cases has muddied the legal stress waters. Ignoring the employer's responsibility to assess the risk of injury at work and to take preventive steps, it was found that employees should inform their employers about their symptoms of stress! Of course, this assumes that the average employee recognises symptoms of stress!!! Two acts they did not consider were: 1995 Disability Discrimination Act; Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations and Code of Practice ,Jan. 1993. Disregarding the mounting evidence, it was found that no occupations should be regarded as intrinsically dangerous to employees' mental health. THis would be taking a purely cognitive model of stress. Another interesting finding included employers who offered their staff a confidential counselling service with access to treatment were unlikely to be found in breach of duty of care. For an action to be successful, the 'signs of stress in a worker must be plain enough for any reasonable employer to realise something should be done'. Finally it is up to the worker to decide whether he or she should leave the job. 9/2/02

MANY STUDENTS AT COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES IN THE UK SEEK COUNSELLING. According to new unpublished figures collected by the Association of University and College Counsellors, more than 100,000 students consulted college counsellors last year. This is on the increase. One in ten of these student were suicidal. Some experts have blamed the financial pressures on students, although many different issues could lead to an increase in stress whilst attending university. 12/2/02

SEVEN HOURS SLEEP MAY BE THE BEST FOR OPTIMAL HEALTH. A large scale population study of sleep from 1.1 million participants made some interesting findings. Participants who had between six or seven hours of sleep had a lower death rate than those who regularly slept four or less hours or eight or more hours. People who took sleeping pills were also likely to increase their chance of earlier death. Participants who slept eight hours were 12% more likey to die within the 6 year study period (1982-1988) than those who slept seven hours. Researchers were: American Cancer Society & University of California at the San Diego School of Medicine. (Published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, 2002:59:134-6.) 24/2/02

HAPPY NEW YEAR, FROM THE EDITORS AND STAFF AT ONLINE STRESS NEWS. WE WILL KEEP YOU UPDATED WITH STRESS NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE AS IT HITS OUR INBOX. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OVER THE PAST 30 MONTHS. 1/1/02

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