Background: Nurses experience high levels of distress due to the nature of their work and workplaces; Antonovsky’s salutogenic theory shows that individual and work-related factors can influence human health. The aim of this paper is to analyze the possible correlations with different work-related and individual variables, which influence or are influenced by Sense of Coherence (SOC) and verify the possible use of SOC scales to prevent negative health determinants in workplaces. Methods: Electronic databases were searched with selected studies compared for sample, sample size, study design and basic results. Cross-sectional studies were reviewed for correlations between individual physical and mental health, distress, burnout, job satisfaction and SOC, with intervention studies used to assess the possible impact of training on nurses’ SOC. Results: The review found several correlations between SOC and different work-related variables; but also with several individual characteristics. Conclusion: The review found that SOC was predictor of depressive state, burnout, job dissatisfaction among female nurses; therefore, SOC could be a health promoting resource.

The cultivation of tobacco has serious consequences for the environment: it impoverishes the soil by assimilating its nutrients, it involves an intensive use of highly polluting pesticides, it perturbs the ecosystem through deforestation, and it releases nicotine into the environment, which is toxic for humans. Italy is the first producer of raw tobacco in Europe and the Valtiberina area is among the most profitable. The first cultivations can be reconducted to the period around 1400. The objective of this experimental work is to verify the sustainability of tobacco cultivation near other crops using nicotine as an indicator. The nicotine on medicinal and wild plants adjacent to tobacco crops has been analyzed, assessing whether it is present or not and which is the concentration. To measure the nicotine present with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC), LC/MS (liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry) method was used with LOQ (quantification limit) of 0.005 mg/kg. A total of 300 lots of aromatic herbs were sampled, and nicotine was detected in 82.3% of the samples in 2015 and 62.9% in 2016. Furthermore, in 2015, 121 samples of wild material were analyzed, of which 88.4% showed traces of nicotine. These first results indicate a possible potential threat for the population health. This shows that the tobacco cultivation should not be in close proximity to other plantation destined for nutrition, neither for man and nor animals. The elevated impact of nicotine on the ecosystem has negative consequences not only for the economy but it is also a potential public health threat.

Background Workplace Health Promotion (WHP) is the combined efforts of employers, employees and society to improve the health and well-being of people at work. Sense of Coherence (SOC) is the ability to perceive and manage stressful events. The aims of this study are: to prove the SOC-13 scale sensitivity and, using this tool, to investigate employers' welfare in a company promoting ENWHP model. Methods We selected an Italian company, that, since 2017, is carrying out a WHP project. We sent to all the workers (n = 358) the SOC scale-13 items, which investigates three dimensions: comprehensibility (C), manageability (Ma) and meaningfulness (Me), at T0 (October 2018) and T1 (April 2019). Each item is scored on a 7-point Likert scale, ranging 13-91, with higher score corresponding to a more developed SOC. Total score for C, Ma and Me subscales were calculated. The scores were compared using paired “T” tests. Results The response rate was 29% (n = 104) and 25% (n = 89) at T0 and at T1, respectively. At T1 SOC score and its three dimensions were higher (mean SOC ± SD: T0 =57,23 ± 11,00 vs T1= 61,90 ± 12,03 p = 0,005; mean C ± SD: T0=21,97±4,46 vs T1=23,02±5,16 p = 0,124; mean Ma ± SD: T0=16,64± 4,27 vs T1=17,96±4,36 p = 0,033; mean Me ± SD: T0=18,62 ±5,01 vs T1=20,92±4,89 p = 0,002). Conclusions Our findings suggest that a WHP project can promote healthy workplace environments, enhance workers quality of life and improve the individual capacity to cope successfully with stress. We showed that SOC-13 scale is an easy and appropriate tool to evaluate the employers' wellbeing, thanks to its high sensitivity. Key messages SOC scale-13 can record the quality of workplace health promotion measures and continually improve them. WHP good practices enhance workers’ welfare.