Well-being and self-assessed health among different groups of female personnel in geriatric care.
Educational qualifications are reliable predictors of women's self-assessed health.


OBJECTIVE
To study possible inequalities in health among women with different educational backgrounds working in geriatric care and to find groups that might need special public health measures.


METHODS
In this cross-sectional questionnaire reaching throughout Iceland, the participants were employees in 62 geriatric nursing homes and geriatric hospital wards with 10 or more employees. A total of 1886 questionnaires were distributed. The 84-item questionnaire included questions on demographic and work-related factors, health and life style. Age-adjusted odds ratios (OR) were calculated for work-related psychosocial, physical and health factors, and confidence intervals were set at 95% (95% CI). Registered nurses were taken as a reference category.


RESULTS
The response rate was 80%. Registered nurses accounted for 16%, practical nurses 21%, unskilled attendants 44%, cleaning personnel 8% and others 12%. The practical nurses, unskilled attendants and cleaning personnel assessed work as more physically difficult, and more monotonous both physically and mentally, than did the registered nurses, who enjoyed more physical and mental well-being than the others. However, the registered nurses visited doctors as often as the other groups did.


CONCLUSIONS
Personnel groups in geriatric care have different physical and psychosocial workloads. The results provide opportunities to guide public health measures for people employed in geriatric care and possibly in other settings, such as hospitals and health care institutions.
Gunnarsdottir
Holmfridur K
HK
Department of Research and Occupational Health, Administration of Occupational Safety and Health, Reykjavik, Iceland. hkg@ver.is
Tomasson
Kristinn
K
Rafnsdottir
Gudbjorg Linda
GL
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007055:Iceland; D008875:Middle Aged; D009735:Nursing Homes; D012647:Self-Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000078329:Workforce