OBJECTIVES: Research on digital platform work increasingly highlights unclear employment arrangements and pressures related to algorithmic management. This study aimed to describe psychosocial working conditions in web-based and on-location gig work using the job demands‑resources (JD-R) model and examine associations between job demands, job resources, factors preventing resource depletion (FPRD), and health outcomes among platform workers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Cross-sectional data were drawn from the GIG-OSH project conducted in 7 European countries (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom). Data were collected through an online survey in November 2023 - April 2024. The analytic sample comprised 3299 platform workers (1476 on-location, 1823 web-based). A project-specific questionnaire assessed socio-demographic characteristics, employment conditions, workload, occupational safety and health hazards, psychosocial working conditions, algorithmic management, and health outcomes. Psychosocial factors were classified as job demands, job resources, or FPRD within an extended JD-R framework. RESULTS: Platform work was characterized by an imbalance between job demands and resources, particularly among onlocation workers. Compared with web-based workers, they reported greater exposure to emotionally disturbing situations, aggression, violence, discrimination, and sexual harassment. Working alone was common in both groups but more prevalent in web-based work. Factors preventing resource depletion indicators, especially absence of fines and protection against fraudulent bookings, were more favourable in web-based work. Higher job demands were significantly associated with poorer health outcomes, with emotionally disturbing situations showing the strongest effect. Job resources demonstrated modest protective associations, whereas FPRD indicators, particularly not working while ill, were consistently associated with better health. CONCLUSIONS: Platform work involves substantial psychosocial risks linked to poorer well-being and health, supporting the JD-R model. Distinct psychosocial profiles of web-based and on-location work highlight the need for targeted occupational health and platform policy interventions. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2026;39(5).
OBJECTIVES: Particulate matter (PM) is an important component of air pollution and may contribute to the development or exacerbation of allergic diseases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the associations between 24-hour indoor PM concentrations and the prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis/allergic conjunctivitis, and atopic dermatitis among adolescents participating in the Polish Mother and Child Cohort Study (REPRO_PL). MATERIAL AND METHODS: concentrations were measured over a 24-hour period using portable air-sampling pumps. Information on adolescent health was obtained from questionnaires and medical records. Additional assessments included spirometry, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) measurement, and skin prick testing. Unadjusted comparisons and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed for 172 participants with complete data on the analyzed outcome and exposure variables. RESULTS: concentrations and allergic rhinitis/allergic conjunctivitis or atopic dermatitis. CONCLUSIONS: Further studies involving larger populations and repeated or longer-term air measurements are needed to clarify the relationship between indoor particulate matter exposure and allergic diseases. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2026;39(5).
OBJECTIVES: The pupillary light reflex (PLR), pupillary sleepiness test (PST), and visual evoked potentials (VEPs) are crucial for assessing the functional integrity of the visual and autonomic nervous systems. These responses integrate retinal phototransduction with midbrain reflex pathways and cortical visual processing, all of which are influenced by physiological and clinical disorders. Their temporal dynamics lay the groundwork for using pupillary reflexes and cortical potentials as biomarkers of fatigue and the effects of psychoactive substances on them. This study aimed to identify physiological biomarkers of fatigue by evaluating the PLR and VEPs. MATERIAL AND METHODS: These modalities were validated against the PST, pupillary unrest index parameters, and blink-rate analysis to assess autonomic and cortical contributions to fatigue. This study examined the effects of 48-hour sleep deprivation on pupillary behavior in 18 healthy adults under controlled conditions. RESULTS: , corresponding to pupil diameters at 20% and 80% recovery, respectively, were sensitive to changes in autonomic activation. These complemented the established fatigue indices, including constriction velocity, relative amplitude, time of minimum diameter, and latency. Visual evoked potentials analysis demonstrated that sustained wakefulness modulated cortical responses, with a delay and amplitude reduction in the N145 component. CONCLUSIONS: assessments. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2026;39(5).
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between shift work patterns and insulin resistance (IR) surrogates, and the potential moderating role of physical activity (PA). MATERIAL AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study analysed 992 adults from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017-2018. Participants were categorized into daytime and variable shift workers. Four IR surrogates were evaluated. Weighted linear regression models adjusted for demographics, anthropometrics, lifestyle, and clinical covariates assessed associations between work schedules, PA, and metabolic outcomes. Sensitivity analyses excluded individuals with diabetes. RESULTS: Compared to daytime workers, variable shift workers had significantly higher triglycerides, lower high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), and elevated levels of all IR surrogates. Physical activity was inversely associated with triglyceride-glucose - waist circumference (TyG-WC) and body mass index (TyG-BMI). The most pronounced combined beneficial association was observed for daytime schedules combined with sufficient PA on homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA‑IR) and TyG-BMI. However, when stratified, work-related PA correlated positively with these indices, while leisure-time PA exhibited stronger inverse associations; transportation PA showed no association. CONCLUSIONS: Variable shift work and insufficient PA are associated with adverse metabolic profiles and elevated IR. As a modifiable factor, PA may help mitigate metabolic risk in shift-working populations. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2026;39(5).
