New European Study Looks At The Importance Of Good Health And The Psychosocial And Economic Consequences Of A Dynamic Labour Market

Main Category: Psychology / Psychiatry
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 29 Apr 2009 - 6:00 PDT

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As Labour Day approaches on May 1st, and Governments across Europe seek to keep their citizens healthy and productive in work, a new pan-European study is examining the economic, health, psychological and sociological consequences of unemployment.

Advised by a panel of leading experts on employment and health, the 25-country study is gathering data with a particular focus on people who live with Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs). The issue is a hot topic and has already been the subject of a recent European Commission proposal and a lunch debate in the European Parliament. The study, led by the Work Foundation, a UK-based not for profit research and consultancy organisation, is part of the Fit for Work initiative, and further background on Fit for Work - including blogs and videos casts from experts including Members of the European Parliament - will be hosted on http://www.fitforworkeurope.eu to be launched on May 1st.

"We are concerned that MSDs, if not appropriately addressed, have a serious, negative impact on the EU workforce and we need to understand more about them," says Stephen Bevan, from The Work Foundation, a UK-based not-for-profit research and consultancy organisation that is undertaking the study. "In these recessionary times, it is more vital than ever that those who can work should be able to work so that welfare systems do not bear potentially huge unnecessary costs."

An Advisory Board of six leading experts will advise The Work Foundation on the pan-European report. They are:

- Professor Paul Emery, arc Professor of Rheumatology and Head of the Academic Unit of Musculoskeletal Medicine at the University of Leeds and President-elect of EULAR

- Maarten de Wit, a Dutch national and Vice President of EULAR/PARE representing People with Arthritis/Rheumatism in Europe

- Mario Giaccone, Italian correspondent for the EWCO at the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions

- Dr Gisela Kobelt, President and Founder of European Health Economics

- Dr Tom Ling, Director of Evaluation and Audit, RAND Europe

- Dr Tuulikki Sokka, leading Rheumatologist at the Jyväskylä Central Hospital, Finland

The Work Foundation suspects that thousands of people with MSDs are being unnecessarily excluded from work at a huge economic and social cost to Europe. "There is not enough knowledge about certain chronic health conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, chronic lower back pain and injuries to joints, muscles and tendons and how best to prevent, diagnose and treat them," says Stephen Bevan, managing director of The Work Foundation.

Data will be collected from 25 countries by The Work Foundation researchers with the support of national partners in each country. The Work Foundation aims to report its key findings to employment and health policy-makers at a presentation in Brussels in October 2009.

For more information, visit http://www.fitforworkeurope.eu.

About Musculoskeletal Disorders

Musculoskeletal disorders is an umbrella term covering over 200 conditions that affect the muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments, peripheral nerves and supporting blood vessels, causing pain and functional impairment to sufferers (Punnett et al, 2004).

About The Work Foundation

The Work Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that through research, consultancy and advocacy aims to improve the quality of working life. Working with both public sector and private sector organisations, it offers a distinctive mix of practical consultancy, robust research and campaigning on policy issues. It also runs a major programme of research and consultancy around Health and Wellbeing issues.

About the Fit for Work initiative

The Work Foundation's Fit for Work project is supported by a research grant from Abbott, a global healthcare company. Fit for Work reports are produced independently by The Work Foundation, with full editorial control resting with The Work Foundation alone.

Source
The Work Foundation