Eda Merisalu

Eda Merisalu
Estonian University of Life Sciences | EMU · Institute of Technology, Chair of Bioengineering

PhD

About

63
Publications
15,496
Reads
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1,745
Citations
Additional affiliations
January 2016 - May 2016
University of Tartu
Position
  • Medical Doctor, visitor lector

Publications

Publications (63)
Article
Full-text available
Objectives Work-related stress is highly prevalent. Recent systematic reviews concluded on a significant association between common work-related stress measures and depression. Our scoping review aims to explore whether work-related psychosocial stress is generally associated with depression or depressiveness, the extent and methodology of the prim...
Chapter
The most prevalent health problem among military personnel is noise-induced hearing loss due to impulse noise from gunfire and blasts or high noise levels from different types of military vehicles used by the Land, Naval and Air Forces. The current study aims to assess the noise levels military personnel are exposed to while conducting peacetime ex...
Article
Background: Multisite musculoskeletal pain is common and disabling. This study aimed to prospectively investigate distribution of musculoskeletal pain anatomically, and explore risk factors for increases/reductions in the number of painful sites. Methods: Using data from participants working in 45 occupational groups in 18 countries, we explored...
Article
Full-text available
Objective A consensual definition of occupational burnout is currently lacking. We aimed to harmonize the definition of occupational burnout as a health outcome in medical research and reach a consensus on this definition within the Network on the Coordination and Harmonisation of European Occupational Cohorts (OMEGA-NET). Methods First, we perform...
Article
Musculoskeletal disorders are the most common occupational diseases in Estonia and in the European Union as a whole. Sewing machine operators’ work is very monotonous, in continuous sitting position, with repetitive one-side movements of the upper limbs and legs. Working in an awkward posture and doing the same movements for a long period of time i...
Article
Context: Hearing loss (HL) is a major health concern among military personnel due to noise from shooting, blasts, military vehicles, and noisy training environments. Nevertheless, one's exposure can be partially reduced by using personal protective equipment (PPE). The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence of HL among military personnel,...
Article
Introduction: The Defence Forces' members are exposed to high-level noise that increases their risk of hearing loss (HL). Besides military noise, the other risk factors include age and gender, ototoxic chemicals, vibration, and chronic stress. The current study was designed to study the effects of personal, work conditions-related risk factors, an...
Article
Full-text available
Objectives To explore the association of sickness absence ascribed to pain at specific anatomical sites with wider propensity to musculoskeletal pain. Methods As part of the CUPID (Cultural and Psychosocial Influences on Disability) study, potential risk factors for sickness absence from musculoskeletal pain were determined for 11 922 participants...
Article
Full-text available
Background: Previous research has indicated that wide international variation in the prevalence of disabling low back pain among working populations is largely driven by factors predisposing to musculoskeletal pain more generally. This paper explores whether the same applies to disabling wrist/hand pain (WHP). Methods: Using data from the Cultur...
Article
Full-text available
The research question that will be addressed here is: Which factors contribute to the onset of burnout among workers? The goal of this work is to identify as exhaustively as possible all causal predictors of burnout in adult working population. Once addressed accurately, the evidence gathered will be helpful for identifying and prioritizing prevent...
Preprint
Full-text available
The research question that will be addressed here is: Which factors contribute to the onset of burnout among workers? The goal of this work is to identify as exhaustively as possible all causal predictors of burnout in adult working population. Once addressed accurately, the evidence gathered will be helpful for identifying and prioritizing prevent...
Article
Introduction Noise-induced hearing loss is one of the most common health problems among military service personnel. Exposure to noise in military vehicles constitutes a large proportion of total noise exposure. This pilot study aimed to evaluate in-vehicle noise levels depending on the type of vehicle, riding compartment and road surface. Method N...
Article
Full-text available
The research question that will be addressed here is: Which factors contribute to the onset of burnout among workers? The goal of this work is to identify as exhaustively as possible all causal predictors of burnout in adult working population. Once addressed accurately, the evidence gathered will be helpful for identifying and prioritizing prevent...
Article
Full-text available
Background Wide international variation in the prevalence of disabling low back pain (LBP) among working populations is not explained by known risk factors. It would be useful to know whether the drivers of this variation are specific to the spine or factors that predispose to musculoskeletal pain more generally. Methods Baseline information abou...
Article
Full-text available
Background Wide international variation in the prevalence of disabling low back pain (LBP) among working populations is not explained by known risk factors. It would be useful to know whether the drivers of this variation are specific to the spine or factors that predispose to musculoskeletal pain more generally. Methods Baseline information about...
Article
Full-text available
The aims of this study were to describe job-specific factors and prevalence of musculoskeletal pains (MSPs) by the occupation and body regions in the past 12 months and past month, to analyse multisite and disabling pain and sick leave among office workers (OW), nurses and caregivers (CG); and to find relationships between the observed indicators....
Article
Full-text available
Background. Musculoskeletal pain is the most common cause of incapacity among nurses. This study aimed to report the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain among hospital nurses and to explore the associations of work-related psychosocial factors and mental health problems with musculoskeletal pain. Methods. A cross-sectional survey was carried out amo...
Article
Full-text available
Study design: Cross-sectional survey with longitudinal follow-up OBJECTIVES.: To test the hypothesis that pain which is localised to the low back differs epidemiologically from that which occurs simultaneously or close in time to pain at other anatomical sites SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA.: Low back pain (LBP) often occurs in combination with other...
Article
The aim of study was to analyse relationships between individual and job related risk factors and prevalence of musculoskeletal pain among sewing machine operators. The target group was completed of 130 workers from the sewing industry in North-East Estonia. The anonymous e-questionnaire was carried out to analyse the main individual and job relate...
Article
Full-text available
Somatising tendency, defined as a predisposition to worry about common somatic symptoms, is importantly associated with various aspects of health and health-related behaviour, including musculoskeletal pain and associated disability. To explore its epidemiological characteristics, and how it can be specified most efficiently, we analysed data from...
Data
Committees which provided ethical approval for the CUPID study. (DOCX)
Article
Full-text available
To inform case-definition for neck/shoulder pain in epidemiological research, we compared levels of disability, patterns of association and prognosis for pain that was limited to the neck or shoulders (LNSP) and more generalised musculoskeletal pain that involved the neck or shoulder(s) (GPNS). Baseline data on musculoskeletal pain, disability and...
Article
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are a common and most often disabling problem among sewing machine operators and associated to work related factors. The aim of study was to determine work related and individual risk factors and the prevalence of MSDs among sewing machine operators and describe relationships between risk factors and MSDs. The data w...
Article
Full-text available
Background: Cervical and lumbar range of motion limitations are usually associated with musculoskeletal pain in the neck and lower back, and are a major health problem among nurses. Physical exercise has been evaluated as an effective intervention method for improving cervical and lumbar range of motion, and for preventing and reducing musculoskel...
Article
Current study aimed to analyse the prevalence of job specific risk factors (JSRF) and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among military personnel depending on demographic factors and type of service. An anonymous questionnaire study was carried out in five departments of Estonian Defence Forces (EDF) among local service personnel (LSP) and the Peace...
Poster
Full-text available
Aim. Physical exercise is often used to improve the functional status of the spine. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a home-exercise therapy programme on cervical and lumbar range of motion among intensive care nurses. Methods. Thirteen voluntary female nurses from three different intensive care units participated in the experi...
Article
Full-text available
Rapid changes in the Estonian health care system have placed extra pressure on the nursing profession, but the potential impacts of psychosocial changes have not been investigated. We aimed to explore the work-related psychosocial risk factors and their relationships with mental health problems (MHPs) amongst nurses at the university hospital in Es...
Article
Full-text available
Background Occupational use of computers has increased rapidly over recent decades, and has been linked with various musculoskeletal disorders, which are now the most commonly diagnosed occupational diseases in Estonia. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain (MSP) by anatomical region during the past 12 months an...
Article
Background Occupational use of computers has increased rapidly over recent decades, and has been linked with various musculoskeletal disorders, which are now the most commonly diagnosed occupational diseases in Estonia. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain (MSP) by anatomical region during the past 12 months an...
Article
Full-text available
The aim of the study was to explore the role of managerial style, work environment factors and burnout in determining job satisfaction during the implementation of quality improvement activities in a dental clinic. Quantitative research was carried out using a prestructured anonymous questionnaire to survey 302 respondents in Kaarli Dental Clinic,...
Article
Eesmärk. Kirjeldada arstiüliõpilaste hinnanguid oma stressitasemele, tervise-, meeleolu-, motivatsiooni- ja läbipõlemisnäitajatele esimesel, kolmandal ja viiendal semestril ning võrrelda tulemusi semestrite ja erialade kaupa. Metoodika. 2010. aasta sügisel korraldati esimest, kolmandat ja viiendat semestrit ülikoolis õppivate arstiüliõpilaste hulga...
Article
Full-text available
Routine statistics indicate a high frequency of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in Estonia. We aimed to describe the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain (MSP) amongst Estonian nurses, and to explore associations with personal characteristics and occupational risk factors. As a part of an international investigation (the Cultural and Psychosoc...
Article
Methods As a part of an international investigation (the Cultural and Psychosocial Influences on Disability (CUPID) study), a cross-sectional survey was carried out amongst registered nurses at Tartu University Hospital, focusing on pain at six anatomical sites (low back, neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist/hand and knee) lasting for more than a day durin...
Article
Aim The purpose of present study was to examine relations between work environment factors, burnout and state of health of the military personnel and to find factors that can affect the level of burnout and adverse health status. Method The data has been gathered by the anonymous questionnaire in 2008–2009. The target group consisted of 3199 milita...
Article
Objectives Longlasting sitting position has often been associated with the discomfort and/or pain in neck-shoulder region. The objective of this study was to examine the trapezius muscle parameters among sitting and standing workers and to investigate which is more overreaching to trapezius muscle. Methods A total of 42 female workers in two differ...
Thesis
Objective This study examined the associations of work environment factors with the mental health disorders in nursing profession. Methods A cross-sectional survey was carried out among registered nurses in the Tartu University Hospital. The electronic questionnaire was sent to all 906 full staff nurses working in hospital. The Estonian translation...
Article
To compare the prevalence of disabling low back pain (DLBP) and disabling wrist/hand pain (DWHP) among groups of workers carrying out similar physical activities in different cultural environments, and to explore explanations for observed differences, we conducted a cross-sectional survey in 18 countries. Standardised questionnaires were used to as...
Article
To compare the prevalence of disabling low back pain (DLBP) and disabling wrist/hand pain (DWHP) among groups of workers carrying out similar physical activities in different cultural environments, and to explore explanations for observed differences, we conducted a cross-sectional survey in 18 countries. Standardised questionnaires were used to as...
Article
To explore definitions for multi-site pain, and compare associations with risk factors for different patterns of musculoskeletal pain, we analysed cross-sectional data from the Cultural and Psychosocial Influences on Disability (CUPID) study. The study sample comprised 12,410 adults aged 20-59 years from 47 occupational groups in 18 countries. A st...
Article
Full-text available
The CUPID (Cultural and Psychosocial Influences on Disability) study was established to explore the hypothesis that common musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and associated disability are importantly influenced by culturally determined health beliefs and expectations. This paper describes the methods of data collection and various characteristics of...
Data
Committees which provided ethical approval for the cupid study. (DOCX)
Data
Baseline questionnaire. (DOCX)
Data
Follow-up questionnaire. (DOCX)
Poster
Full-text available
Abstract Introduction: Musculoskeletal pain (MSP) is more common workplace health problem in Europe. According to the European Labour Force Survey 2007 (Eurostat 2009) 8.6% of workers in the EU experienced work-related health problems and most prevalent of them were musculoskeletal problems. MSP is also one of the main occupational health problems...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Objectives We describe the prevalence of musculo-skeletal disorders (MSD) among Estonian office workers, nurses and caregivers. Methods A postal survey was carried out in 2008, in course of international study “Cultural and Psychosocial Influences on Disability” (CUPID). The study group, office workers of Tartu University and Estonian University o...
Article
Full-text available
Particulate matter (PM) is the major air pollution problem with health impacts in Estonia. The prevailing sources of particles are traffic and local heating. In this study, we quantified the health effects of PM in neighbourhoods of five main cities with a health impact assessment (HIA) approach that uses information on exposure, baseline mortality...
Article
Peat will be used more widely for heating in Tartu (Estonia), therefore the potential health effects needed to be assessed. In transition from today's gas heating to burning of peat, the amount of exhaust gases emitted will increase and more than 100 000 people will be exposed to greater health risks. Based on the peat quality data, the emissions w...
Article
Full-text available
Health impact assessments (HIA) use information on exposure, baseline mortality/morbidity and exposure-response functions from epidemiological studies in order to quantify the health impacts of existing situations and/or alternative scenarios. The aim of this study was to improve HIA methods for air pollution studies in situations where exposures c...
Article
The particles in the examined cyclone fly ash were all smaller than 0.25 mm. in diameter, and particles smaller than 0.075 mm. in diameter accounted for 88.4 % of the ash weight. This result indicates that cyclone fly ash consists of particles with a small diameter. The metals in the cyclone fly ash were enriched in small particles. The highest con...
Article
Full-text available
The health-promoting hospitals (HPH) movement in Estonia was initiated in 1999. This study aimed to compare the implementation of health-promoting and quality-related activities in HPH and those which have not joined the HPH network (non-HPH). In the beginning of 2005, a postal survey was conducted among the top managers of 54 Estonian hospitals. T...
Article
Viimase 10 aasta jooksul on Eesti haiglates hakatud rohkem tähelepanu pöörama töötajate rahulolule. Aastatel 2004–2006 uuriti seda anonüümse ankeetküsitluse abil neljas Eesti haiglas. Käesolevas töös on analüüsitud töötajate rahulolu oma tööga, töökorralduse, töötingimuste ja töösuhetega ning võrreldud rahuloluhinnanguid erinevate ametite vahel. Uu...
Article
Viimastel aastakümnetel on linnaõhu saastumisest saanud rahvatervise probleem üle maailma. Kütteallikate arvu ja liiklustiheduse kiirest kasvust tingituna on ka Eesti linnades õhusaaste suurenemas. On teada, et õhusaaste avaldab mõju eelkõige inimese hingamisteedele ja südamele-veresoonkonnale. Seetõttu võib sellega seostada linlaste tervise halven...
Article
1990. aastate keskpaigas algatati Maailma Terviseorganisatsiooni eestvedamisel tervist edendavate haiglate (TEH) liikumine, mille eesmärgiks oli lisaks diagnostikale ja ravile julgus tada haiglaid tegelema rohkem ka haiguste ennetamise ning tervise edendamisega. Tervist edendav haigla peaks kaasa aitama nii oma patsientide kui ka töötajate tervise...
Article
Apteegitöös esineb hulgaliselt ohutegureid, mis mõjutavad proviisorite/farmatseutide tervist ja töövõimet. Sagedamini esinevateks tervisehäireteks on üldine väsimus, silmade ärritusnähud, nägemise halvenemine ja valud skeleti- ning lihassüsteemis. Tervisekaebused tulenevad eelkõige töökorraldusest, -tingimustest ja -iseloomust. Rohkem peaks tähelep...
Article
The effects of developmental lead exposure on the emotional reactivity, contextual fear conditioning and neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of 60–80 days‐old rats were studied. Wistar rat pups were exposed to 0.2% lead acetate via their dams’ drinking water from postnatal day (PND) 1 to PND 21 and directly via drinking water from weaning until PND 3...
Article
To determine the role of the sympatho-adrenal (SAS) and hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical system (HPAS) after head injury, the relationship between venous blood epinephrine (E), norepinephrine (NE), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol levels, and clinical condition was examined in 55 patients. These observations suggest that head injury...
Article
A total of 43 males with craniocerebral injury of varying severity were studied for the venous blood plasma levels of adrenaline, noradrenaline, adrenocorticotrophic hormone, and hydrocortisone in dynamics. Their computed tomograms were quantitatively analysed to identify the site of contusion foci in the cerebral hemispheres, especially the lesion...

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