A Process for Estimating the Association of Occupation and Chronic Disease

Details

• Personal Author:
  Dembe AE ; Dong X ; Shoben AB ; Wickizer T ; Yao X
• Description:
  In this study, a generalizable process was developed for estimating the relationship between long-term work history in a particular occupation and the likelihood of developing a chronic disease later in life. This process can be applied very broadly to many occupational classifications and a variety of common chronic diseases. The process was based on using surrogate indicators of occupational exposure from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (DOL/ETA), together with assessments of long-term chronic disease outcomes utilizing 32 years of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth,1979 (NLSY79), administered by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Within the O*NET database, each of 974 job classifications is characterized by a uniform, measurable set of 277 variables called "descriptors" that describe and rate job requirements, worker activities, workplace conditions, and worker perspectives within each of those occupational classifications. Ratings are assigned to each descriptor (on a standardized scale of 0 to 100) for a particular occupational classification. The ratings are based on accumulated empirical data collected and analyzed by DOL/ETA, and its processor, the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, since 1939. Our research strategy involved creating job histories over a 32-year period (1978 through 2009) for 12,686 men and women in the NLSY79 cohort and then matching those job histories with O*NET ratings of work exposures for each job held by every cohort member during that period. To test the efficacy of this process, several analyses were conducted using a variety of predictor variables from O*NET. For example, in one study, six O*NET job descriptors were used as surrogate measures of physical work demands. Logistic regression measured the association between those demands and arthritis occurrence after 32 years. We found that the risk of osteoarthritis was significantly associated with several O*NET descriptors including handling and moving objects, kneeling, crouching, and crawling, bending and twisting, working in a cramped or awkward posture, and performing general physical activities. In another similar study, we utilized O*NET job indicator ratings to show that the risk of contracting asthma and COPD was significantly associated with long-term work in very hot or cold temperatures, performing physically demanding activities, working outdoors exposed to weather, and workplace exposure to contaminants. We used that same methodology to demonstrate significant associations between occupational psychosocial exposures (e.g., decision latitude, interpersonal relationships, etc.) and three major workers' compensation outcomes (lost work days, total indemnity costs and total medical costs per claim). Utilizing O*NET indicators as measures of exposure provides a different, but complementary and potentially informative, framework for investigating potential predictors of chronic disease. The primary advantage of using O*NET is its ability to provide a general approach for estimating risk, even in the absence of direct measurements. Because resources are scarce, extensive on-site exposure assessment may not always be feasible. The approach we describe here, based on O*NET, can provide a relatively easy and accessible screening device to help identify general patterns of chronic disease risk and indicate whether more in-depth assessment appears to be warranted. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Chronic Disease Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Workplace
• Keywords:
  Chronic Diseases Exposure Assessment Occupational Exposure Occupations Psychosocial Factors Risk Factors Screening Methods Surveillance Work Environment Workers Compensation Workplace Monitoring

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• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-13
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054075
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2019-100549
• Citation:
  Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, R21-OH-010323, 2015 May; :1-13
• Contact Point Address:
  Allard E. Dembe, Sc.D., Division of Health Services Management & Policy, Director, Center for Health Outcomes, Policy and Evaluation Studies, The Ohio State University College of Public Health, 283 Cunz Hall, 1841 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210
• Email:
  adembe@cph.osu.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services
• Performing Organization:
  Ohio State University
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20120701
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20150630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:aa8afc5551816525897100bf5cde37ae64080a0108104068f5cec62a20ca998a7edd482d53c9ca82aaf113a2eb0c73a6f2680ed4f10c67df090487ea5c63dfd0
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/218796/cdc_218796_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 110.68 KB ]