Workplace psychosocial risk factors for carpal tunnel syndrome: a pooled prospective study

Details

• Personal Author:
  Adamson CH ; Bao S ; Burt, Susan E. ; Dale, Ann M. ; Eisen E ; Evanoff B ; Garg, Arun ; Gerr F ; Hegman K ; Kapellusch J ; Merlino L ; Rempel D ; Silverstein B ; Thiese, Matt
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• Description:
  Objectives: Seven research groups conducted coordinated studies of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). In this analysis of the pooled cohort, we estimate associations of workplace psychosocial factors and CTS incidence with adjustment for biomechanical factors. Method: 3515 workers were followed up to 7 years. Case criteria included symptoms consistent with CTS and an abnormal electrodiagnostic study. Psychosocial exposure was measured using the Job Content Questionnaire to assess risk among those with high job strain measures. Individual level occupational biomechanical exposures included the % time spent >30 degrees wrist extension, % time in >30 degrees wrist flexion, total repetition rate, and the %time spent in forceful exertion (>1kg-pinch; >4kg-grip). A subcohort of 1091 participants had both psychosocial and biomechanical exposure data. Adjusted hazard ratios were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models. Results: After adjustment for gender, age and BMI in the subcohort, high job strain (HR=1.40; 95% CI:0.86-2.28) and high psychological demand (HR=1.25; 95% CI:0.79-1.98) showed statistically non-significant elevation in risk of CTS, and high decision latitude (HR=0.70; 95% CI:0.44-1.13) showed nonsignificant decrease in risk. When the same models were adjusted for biomechanical exposures, confounding was not evident; the primary exposure effect estimates changed between 1-7% for high job strain (HR=1.30; 95% CI:0.81-2.17), high psychological demand (HR=1.17; 95% CI:0.74-1.83), and high decision latitude (HR=0.71; 95% CI:0.43-1.18). Conclusions: For this sub-cohort analysis, adjustment for biomechanical exposures did not alter the associations between workplace psychosocial factors and incident CTS. The findings suggest that workplace psychosocial risk is independent of workplace biomechanical risk. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Aging
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Body Weight
  • Men
  • Musculoskeletal Diseases
  • Musculoskeletal System
  • Occupational Health
  • Risk Assessment
  • Risk Factors
  • Safety
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• Keywords:
  • Humans
  • Men
  • Women
  • Workers
  • Work-environment
  • Carpal-tunnel-syndrome
  • Analytical-processes
  • Statistical-analysis
  • Exposure-levels
  • Biomechanics
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• ISSN:
  1351-0711
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Georgia ; Illinois ; Iowa ; Missouri ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 7 ; OSHA Region 8 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Utah ; Washington ; Wisconsin
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• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  71
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20044617
• Citation:
  Occup Environ Med 2014 Jun; 71(Suppl 1):A40
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• Performing Organization:
  University of Utah
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Challenges for Occupational Epidemiology in the 21st Century, EPICOH 2014, June 24-27, 2014, Chicago, Illinois
• Supplement:
  1
• End Date:
  20280630
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/200284/cdc_200284_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 68.75 KB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:508f43d8d0cfc0f2e33014ddd29a5e195594d4de664e820d0740ce6f578425e1b7ac1388324b0d032c5d7fae6fdbb4a194a8be01bdd78b079ef3327b3d915ee3