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Occupational Category (occupational + category)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	78%
Life Sciences	14%

Selected Abstracts

Occupational categories at risk for Parkinson's disease

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 6 2001
Kandace L. Kirkey MPH
Abstract Background The etiology of Parkinson's disease (PD) is considered to have a strong environmental component, but relatively few studies have investigated the potential association between occupation and the disease. Methods In a population-based case-control study, we collected comprehensive occupational histories from all study participants, 144 case and 464 control subjects. Results Chi-square analysis revealed that working in an agricultural occupation increased estimated PD risk (OR,=,1.74; 95% CI,=,0.85, 3.60). In contrast, a history of ever working in a service occupation was negatively associated with PD risk (OR,=,0.69; 95% CI,=,0.47, 1.00). Risk estimates were close to one for specific service occupations. Adjusted odds ratios for all non-service occupational and industrial categories were similar, and working in a service occupation was the only significant inverse predictor of PD risk. Conclusions Future investigations focusing on lifestyle factors and environmental exposures within the agricultural and service occupational categories are warranted. Am. J. Ind. Med. 39:564,571, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Occurrence of seizures in association with work-related stress in young male army recruits

EPILEPSIA, Issue 8 2008
Shlomo Moshe
Summary Purpose: To examine the risk of undergoing an epileptic seizure as a function of differing levels of occupational stress (physical and mental) in new military recruits with no previous history of epilepsy or with epilepsy in remission for over 2 years. Methods: The medical records of over 300,000 18-year-old men recruited to the Israeli army between mid-eighties and mid-nineties were used to assemble a cohort, which was followed for a period of 30 months. The severity of epilepsy at recruitment was determined according to four categories, 0 (no history of seizures) and 1,3 (history of seizures with different relapse-free periods, with or without treatment). The soldiers were subdivided according to their occupational categories to: combat units (CU), maintenance units (MU), and administrative units (AU). Results: The annual incidence rates per 100,000 in category 0 were 317, 298, and 401 in AU, MU, and CU, respectively. The incidence of seizures in category 0 was higher (relative risk [RR]= 1.29, CI = 1.03,1.62) in CU compared to AU and MU. No differences were found for seizure recurrence among various occupational groups. Conclusion: The increased risk of seizures in CU compared to AU and MU may indicate contribution of service conditions in CU, like physical and mental stress. The equivalent rates of seizure relapse, regardless of the type of occupation, suggests the need for minimal occupational restrictions for epilepsy patients who have been free of seizures for long periods. [source]

The Onset of Health Problems and the Propensity of Workers to Change Employers and Occupations

GROWTH AND CHANGE, Issue 3 2003
Jodi Messer Pelkowski
Although many studies have investigated how poor health affects hours of work and labor force participation, few have examined the extent to which individuals adapt in order to remain in the labor market. Individuals experiencing health problems may move to different types of work in order to remain in the labor force or to reduce the negative labor market consequences of illness. This paper investigates the movement between employers, and among occupation categories when changing employers, using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). One advantage of the HRS is that its questions on life-cycle employment and health patterns permit a long-term perspective on job mobility that is unavailable in most other datasets. Workers with health problems are more likely than healthy workers to remain with their current employer than to switch employers. But among those who switch employers, those with health problems are more likely to change broad occupational categories than are healthy workers. While many individuals remain with the same employer after the onset of health problems, many do switch employers and occupations, even in the presence of ADA legislation. [source]

A global perspective of migration and occupational health

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 4 2010
Marc B. Schenker MD
Abstract Background Global migration has dramatically increased over the past decade and is at an all-time high, approaching 200 million persons per year. Demographics and economic interdependence suggest that immigration will continue for the near future at record high levels. Methods A review of the few studies that have investigated occupational injury and illness rates among immigrant populations. Results Existing data indicate that higher rates of fatal and non-fatal injuries are common compared to native populations. This increase is in part due to immigrants working in higher risk occupations (e.g., agriculture, construction), but occupational morbidity and mortality is higher among immigrants than native-born workers within occupational categories. Conclusions Research is needed to identify the causes of increased risk among immigrants and to provide direction to effective public health interventions. Research methods must be adapted to different epidemiologic characteristics of immigrant populations, including lack of standard sampling frames, different language and culture from the dominant culture, and precarious work status. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:329,337, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Prevalence of common mental disorders and their work consequences in France, according to occupational category

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 2 2009
Christine Cohidon MD
Abstract Background The aims of the study are to estimate the prevalence of the common mental disorders according to occupational category and to describe the consequences of these disorders on their work, in the French population. Methods It took place in France from 1999 to 2003. The sample consisted of about 36,000 people aged 18 years and older. Data were collected face-to-face using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Results Anxiety disorders were most common (17% in men and 26% in women), while prevalence estimates for mood disorders were 10% in men and 14% in women. Prevalence of troubles were consistently higher among those in the lowest occupational categories. Among those reporting mental disorders, about 50% said that their work was affected. The repercussions on job varied by occupational category and differently for men and women. Conclusion This study shows the social and occupational inequalities in the prevalence of mental disorders and their important work consequences in the French working population. Am. J. Ind. Med. 52:141,152, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Occupational categories at risk for Parkinson's disease

Associations between height, body mass, and frequency of decayed, extracted, and filled deciduous teeth among two cohorts of Taiwanese first graders

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 1 2009
B. Floyd
Abstract In this study, heights, weights, and numbers of decayed, extracted, and filled (DEF) deciduous teeth of 300 first-graders from a less affluent area of Taipei were compared with those of 277 first-graders from a more affluent one. Parents of all children self-identified as having ancestors from Fujian. This study tested the hypothesis that synergisms between under-nutrition and disease form part of a causal pathway contributing to the risk of deciduous caries. Within the less affluent community significant inverse associations between height and body mass index, as proxies for nutritional status, and the frequency of DEF deciduous teeth were anticipated. These associations were not expected in the more affluent community where nutritional status was adequate. An alternative hypothesis, that parental behavior potentially correlated with parental education, occupational backgrounds, housing, or family size contributed independently to offspring nutritional status and caries risk, was evaluated with available data. Consistent with the primary hypothesis, regression analyses revealed significant negative slopes of height (P = 0.002) and log BMI (P = 0.036) on total DEF deciduous teeth in the less affluent group, but not in the more affluent one. Direct tests of slope coefficients in the two groups indicate a significant difference for height (P = 0.041) but not log BMI (P = 0.29). Inclusion of parental education, occupational categories, housing, and numbers of siblings in the regression model provided no support to the alternative hypothesis. Results suggest that improving nutritional status significantly lowers caries risk, though most variation is probably attributable to other factors. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Farm work exposure of older male farmers in Saskatchewan,

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 7 2010
Donald C. Voaklander PhD
Abstract Background The average age of farmers in North America is increasing each year. Research has determined that age and health status are both related to increased risk of injury. The purpose of this research was to determine the association of health and medication factors with exposure to farm work in older male farmers. Methods As part of a cohort study to study determinants of injury on Saskatchewan farms, 5,502 farm people associated with 2,386 Saskatchewan farms were surveyed by mail questionnaire during the winter of 2007. The primary dependent variable was average hours per week of farm work. Independent variables included illnesses, age, and medication use. Results The mean number of hours worked per week by farmers aged 55 years and older was 48. There was a significant relationship between age and hours worked with each year of age accounting for about 0.85,hr less work per week. Medication use was related to a reduction in weekly work hours during the busy fall season but was not related to work exposure averaged over the whole year. In multivariable linear regression analysis, the main contributing variables to farm work exposure were: retired status (,), working off farm (,), and age (,). Conclusion The amount of hours older farmers work on the farm is considerable compared to any other occupational category. While there is a declining trend in the amount of work, a 75-year-old farmer still works, on average, about 34,hr per week. Some farmers do appear to self-limit during busy times of the year if they are taking medication. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:706,715, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Risks associated with tendinitis: effects from demographic, socioeconomic, and psychological status among Brazilian workers

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 1 2010
Paulo Frazão PhD
Abstract Background Self-reported tendinitis/tenosynovitis was evaluated by gender, age group, skin color, family income, and educational and psychological status. Methods !The study was carried out in a representative sample of formally contracted Brazilian workers from a household survey. A total of 54,660 participants were included. Occupations were stratified according to estimated prevalences of self-reported injuries. Non-conditional logistic regression was performed, and all variables were analyzed in two occupational groups. Results The overall prevalence rate of tendinitis/tenosynovitis was 3.1%: 5.5% in high-prevalence occupations (n = 10,726); and 2.5% in low-prevalence occupations (n = 43,934). White female workers between the ages of 45 and 64 years and at a higher socioeconomic level were more likely to report tendinitis/tenosynovitis regardless of their occupational category. An adjusted OR = 3.59 [95% CI: 3.15--4.09] was found between tendinitis/tenosynovitis and psychological status. Conclusion Among formally contracted Brazilian workers, higher income can imply greater physical and psychological demands that, regardless of occupational stratum, increase the risk of tendinitis/tenosynovitis. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:72,79, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Prevalence of common mental disorders and their work consequences in France, according to occupational category

Prevalence of common mental disorders and their work consequences in france, according to occupational category

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 2 2009
Christine Cohidon MD
Abstract In the previously published version of this article Marcel Goldberg name was misspelled within the authorship as Marcel Gorldberg. The corrected version, Marcel Goldberg, appears above to amend the record. [source]

Occupational risk factors for prostate cancer

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 8 2007
Andrea M. Sass-Kortsak PhD
Abstract Background Occupational risk factors for prostate cancer have been investigated with inconsistent findings. Methods This was a population-based case-control study of men in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. Cases (n,=,760) were from the Ontario Cancer Registry, 50 to 84 years old, and diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1995 and 1998. Age-frequency matched controls (n,=,1,632) were obtained from telephone listings. A questionnaire yielded information on occupational history and self-reported exposures to a list of occupational hazards. Exposures to these hazards were assessed by an occupational hygienist. Results An odds ratio estimate (OR) of 1.21 (95 percent confidence interval (% CI) 1.01, 1.46) was found for employment in trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations, possibly related to exposure to whole-body vibration (OR,=,1.38, 95% CI 1.07, 1.78). For the highest quartile of lifetime cumulative workplace physical activity an OR of 1.33 (95% CI 1.02, 1.74) was found. No statistically significant associations were found for any other occupational category or exposure. Conclusions This study does not provide strong evidence for significant occupational risk factors for prostate cancer. However, whole-body vibration exposures, as well as physical activity, may be worth pursuing in future occupational studies. Am. J. Ind. Med. 50:568,576, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Electromagnetic field exposure and health among RF plastic sealer operators

BIOELECTROMAGNETICS, Issue 1 2004
Jonna Wilén
Abstract Operators of RF plastic sealers (RF operators) are an occupational category highly exposed to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields. The aim of the present study was to make an appropriate exposure assessment of RF welding and examine the health status of the operators. In total, 35 RF operators and 37 controls were included. The leakage fields (electric and magnetic field strength) were measured, as well as induced and contact current. Information about welding time and productivity was used to calculate time integrated exposure. A neurophysiological examination and 24 h ECG were also carried out. The participants also had to answer a questionnaire about subjective symptoms. The measurements showed that RF operators were exposed to rather intense electric and magnetic fields. The mean values of the calculated 6 min, spatially averaged E and H field strengths, in line with ICNIRP reference levels, are 107 V/m and 0.24 A/m, respectively. The maximum measured field strengths were 2 kV/m and 1.5 A/m, respectively. The induced current in ankles and wrists varied, depending on the work situation, with a mean value of 101 mA and a maximum measured value of 1 A. In total, 11 out of 46 measured RF plastic sealers exceeded the ICNIRP reference levels. RF operators, especially the ready made clothing workers had a slightly disturbed two-point discrimination ability compared to a control group. A nonsignificant difference between RF operators and controls was found in the prevalence of subjective symptoms, but the time integrated exposure parameters seem to be of importance to the prevalence of some subjective symptoms: fatigue, headaches, and warmth sensations in the hands. Further, RF operators had a significantly lower heart rate (24 h registration) and more episodes of bradycardia compared to controls. Bioelectromagnetics 25:5,15, 2004. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]