University of Connecticut Study on Aging, Musculoskeletal Disorders and Work Capacity

Details

• Personal Author:
  Barnes-Farrell J ; Cherniack, Martin G. ; Dugan A ; Fortinisky R ; Garza J ; Henning R
• Description:
  The University of Connecticut Study on Aging, Musculoskeletal Disorders and Work Capacity -- 2R01OH008929-06A1 (2017-2022), subsequently referred to as UConn-SAM, continued the work performed under 5R01OH008929 (2008-2014). 2R01OH008929-06A1 was extended for two additional years under a no cost extension through September 30, 2022. The two-year extension was the consequence of the barriers to field work imposed by COVID-19. Viewed in its entirely, UConn-SAM has been the longest running cohort study that has been supported by NIOSH. In principle, longitudinal studies have been problematic in working cohorts because of interruptions in the inception group caused by job transfer and the complications of long-term follow-up once the place of employment is obviated. UConn-SAM was buffeted by two historical events - the Great Recession and COVID-19. This had effects on results and introduced new areas of inquiry that in most respects were more significant than the answers to the specific hypothesis. The pattern of not leaving work from 2008-13 was corrected in 2018 when turnover resumed in a historical pattern. The lack of association between health status, including musculoskeletal disease, and retiring or leaving work for other reasons was largely negative until 2022 when retirement and leaving work was explained by social and individual circumstances. Elder Care Responsibilities (ECR) were important study additions, and it was ECR providers who experienced the greatest degrees of health-related prevalent causes. UConn-SAM had three aims. The first was the determination of whether the low drop-out and retirement rates (study endpoints) observed from 2008-2014 would persist a decade after the Great Recession. The second was whether surveys could be refined to capture more financial, retirement planning, and ECR components, and whether physical testing could be refined given the earlier failure of these measures to predict outcomes. The third component was a pilot introduction of an intervention, which had been stalled by the onset of COVID-19. Key findings were identification of a restoration of historical retirement and dropout patterns by 2018. Surveys were refined and provided a more thorough window on ECR and the effects of social conditions on retirement planning. Also, the physical testing was refined to include more strenuous components for measuring physical fatigue and a more useful sub-maximal exercise test. At the conclusion of UConn-SAM, a pilot intervention was performed as planned with the North Central Area Agency on Aging (NCAAA). [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Age Factors Aging Cohort Studies Economics Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Musculoskeletal Diseases Occupational Health Safety Workload
• Keywords:
  Age Factors Aging Workforce Cohort Studies Economic Consequences Manufacturing MSD Musculoskeletal Disorders Work Capacity
• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  Connecticut ; OSHA Region 1
• 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:
  1-28
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20068389
• 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, R01-OH-008929, 2022 Dec; :1-28
• Contact Point Address:
  Martin Cherniack, MD, MPH, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, CT 06030-2017
• Email:
  cherniack@uchc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• NORA Priority Area:
  Manufacturing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Connecticut School of Medicine/Dentristy, Farmington
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20080901
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20200929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:223820c9ff8be6f6abcfd0a5fb1fa7e2b35b4ba6c8828284e966c03f06675ea93160db9892a14a5c8a5a1e2cb518310ebe2f7cf0f11842f3e809743788dbe27c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/219219/cdc_219219_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.68 MB ]