Case-Crossover Studies of Occupational Trauma: Methodological Caveats

Details

• Personal Author:
  Gabel CL ; Lombardi DA ; Mittleman MA ; Smith GS ; Sorock, Gary S.
• Description:
  Objectives- The case-crossover study design was developed to examine triggers for the onset of myocardial infarction. This paper seeks to examine selected methodological issues when applying the case-crossover method to the study of traumatic injuries in the work environment. Methods- Researchers known to be working on occupational case-crossover studies were invited to present at a workshop held at the National Occupational Injury Research Symposium in October 2000. Data from ongoing studies were used to illustrate various methodological issues involved in case-crossover studies of occupational injury. Key findings and issues identified- To utilize the case-crossover design, investigators must clearly define the time during which a worker is at risk of injury, the period of time during which a particular transient exposure could cause an injury and carefully select control time periods that estimate the expected frequency of exposure. Other issues of concern are changing work tasks over time, correlated exposures over time and information bias. Conclusions and future research needs- More case-crossover studies of occupational injury are needed to compare results from multiple studies. The validation of the timing of transient exposures relative to injury onset, whether done in a laboratory or field setting, should be conducted. Nested case-crossover designs in other epidemiological studies (case-control or cohort) can examine both transient and fixed risk factors for occupational injury, and should be attempted. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Workplace
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Case-crossover Heart Attacks Methodology Myocardial Disorders Occupational Injury Risk Factors Traumatic Injuries Work Environment
• ISSN:
  1353-8047
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Wisconsin
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  7
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20056714
• Citation:
  Inj Prev 2001 Sep; 7(Suppl 1):i38-i42
• Contact Point Address:
  Dr Gary S Sorock, Senior Researcher/Epidemiology, Liberty Mutual Research Center for Safety and Health, 71 Frankland Road, Hopkinton, MA 01748, USA
• Email:
  gary.sorock@libertymutual.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2001
• Performing Organization:
  Harvard University School of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19980930
• Source Full Name:
  Injury Prevention
• Supplement:
  1
• End Date:
  20020929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:76cbea83cd53e57ffc56daa36e24e8ea498efd16a5e0bbb8b63a5d3e1ced1bb043ee7b196675e448d5f2b77a5ffd259010dfcf8773d6d56a0fc86403b648d154
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/214266/cdc_214266_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 161.28 KB ]