WeCanWork Study: Well-Being of Male Cancer Survivors Working Physically Demanding Jobs

Details

• Journal Article:
  BMC Public Health
• Personal Author:
  Schwatka, Natalie V. ; Dally, Miranda ; Dye-Robinson, Amy ; Tenney, Liliana ; Brown, Carol E. ; Goering, Madison ; Williams, Brian ; Newman, Lee S. ; Bradley, Cathy J.
• Description:
  Background: Male cancer survivors performing physically demanding work have received less attention in the scientific literature compared to other groups. We hypothesized that men newly diagnosed with cancer have better well-being if they have less physically demanding jobs. Methods: Seventy-six male workers completed the NIOSH Worker Well-being Questionnaire (WellBQ) approximately three months after starting cancer treatment. We used descriptive statistics to describe the demographics and worker well-being of the study sample and pooled t-tests to determine whether there were differences between respondents who had more physically demanding work and those with fewer physical demands. Results: Male cancer survivors with physically demanding jobs reported poorer wage (p < 0.001) and benefit (p = 0.04) satisfaction, less autonomy (p = 0.03) and flexibility (p = 0.004), and greater financial insecurity (p = 0.002). They also experienced more negative job attitudes (p = 0.0003), and workplace safety concerns (p < 0.001) and less sleep (p = 0.05), with less support outside of work (p = 0.03) compared to men with less physically demanding jobs. Conclusions: Our study highlights worker well-being differences approximately three months after initiating cancer treatment between men with and without physically demanding jobs. There are opportunities for employers to support worker well-being, specifically those with physically demanding jobs. Additionally, male cancer survivors with physically demanding jobs may need greater support outside of the workplace. Future research with a larger and longitudinal sample of male cancer survivors could inform how to support survivors from diagnosis through treatment and beyond.
• Subjects:
  Cancer Survivors Men Neoplasms Occupational Health Safety Work-Life Balance
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Total Worker Health; Worker Well-being; Job Demands; Cancer Survivorship; Employment; Work Demands Cancer Survivors; Men; Men; Wellbeing; Questionnaires; Work Arrangements; Job Design; Sleep; Worker Safety; Quality Of Work Life; QWL; Employment; Total Worker Health; TWH;
• Source:
  BMC Public Health 2025 May; 25:2025
• ISSN:
  1471-2458
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; Mississippi ; Denver Region [OSHA] ; Birmingham Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  10 pdf pages
• Volume:
  25
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071441
• Contact Point Address:
  Natalie Schwatka, Centers for Health, Work & Environment, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E 17th Pl, 3rd Floor Mail Stop 119, Aurora, CO, 80045
• Email:
  natalie.schwatka@cuanschutz.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Performing Organization:
  University of Colorado Denver, Aurora
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20160901
• End Date:
  20260831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:71197f87234236f48cc2d7eecd49cc752f8448ab7b4eebb004881716b17d35e2eee0fa30c6a26c5911ca0c942795339afc00b6179baa7a6dc72b56f11dde0f47
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/259040/cdc_259040_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.17 MB ]