Developing a pooled job physical exposure data set from multiple independent studies: an example of a consortium study of carpal tunnel syndrome

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bao SS ; Burt, Susan E. ; Dale, Ann M. ; Evanoff BA ; Garg, Arun ; Gerr FE ; Harris-Adamson C ; Hegmann KT ; Kapellusch JM ; Merlino LA ; Rempel DM ; Silverstein BA ; Thiese MS
• Description:
  Background: Six research groups independently conducted prospective studies of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) incidence in 54 US workplaces in 10 US States. Physical exposure variables were collected by all research groups at the individual worker level. Data from these research groups were pooled to increase the exposure spectrum and statistical power. Objective: This paper provides a detailed description of the characteristics of the pooled physical exposure variables and the source data information from the individual research studies. Methods: Physical exposure data were inspected and prepared by each of the individual research studies according to detailed instructions provided by an exposure subcommittee of the research consortium. Descriptive analyses were performed on the pooled physical exposure data set. Correlation analyses were performed among exposure variables estimating similar exposure aspects. Results: At baseline, there were a total of 3010 participants in the pooled physical exposure data set. Overall, the pooled data meaningfully increased the spectra of most exposure variables. The increased spectra were due to the wider range in exposure data of different jobs provided by the research studies. The correlations between variables estimating similar exposure aspects showed different patterns among data provided by the research studies. Conclusions The increased spectra of the physical exposure variables among the data pooled likely improved the possibility of detecting potential associations between these physical exposure variables and CTS incidence. It is also recognised that methods need to be developed for general use by all researchers for standardisation of physical exposure variable definition, data collection, processing and reduction. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Epidemiology Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Extremities Musculoskeletal System Musculoskeletal System Disorders Physiological Effects Physiology Statistical Analysis
• ISSN:
  1351-0711
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Iowa ; Missouri ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 7 ; OSHA Region 8 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Utah ; Washington ; Wisconsin
• 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
• Pages in Document:
  130-137
• Volume:
  72
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20045455
• Citation:
  Occup Environ Med 2015 Feb; 72(2):130-137
• Contact Point Address:
  Dr Stephen Bao, Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention (SHARP) Program, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, Olympia, WA 98504-4330
• Email:
  baos235@lni.wa.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• NORA Priority Area:
  Manufacturing ; Services
• Performing Organization:
  University of California-San Francisco
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20100901
• Source Full Name:
  Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• End Date:
  20140831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6f6ae07cabbd9f18cc2f3f70a8cec36ea7f480bfca05ff71b6377a2e2785eb9c4ca9112bb9e6ffc27219a90a86fe6af1d12b85639c907fb39e5343c48b0eb8b2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/200871/cdc_200871_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.47 MB ]