Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #114952

Lora E. Fleming, MD PhD, MPH, MSc¹, David James Lee, PhD¹, Orlando Gomez Marin, Phd², William LeBlanc, Phd¹, Terry Pitman¹, and Alberto Juan Caban, BSc, MPH¹. (1) Epidemiology & Public Health, University of Miami School of Medicine, 1801 NW 9th Avenue, Highland Professional Building, Suite 200, Miami, FL 33136, 305-243-6980, Lfleming@med.miami.edu, (2) Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Miami School of Medicine, 1801 NW 9th Ave Suite 200, Miami, FL 33136

Objectives: A comparison of unintentional injury mortality risk in US workers categorized into 41 occupational groups based on US Census classifications.

Methods: The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is a multipurpose household survey of the US civilian non-institutionalized population conducted yearly since 1957. From 1986-1994, over 450,000 US workers, > 18 years, participated in the NHIS. Mortality linkage with the National Death Index was performed through 2002 with 97% completeness. Cause of death was recoded and reported using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). There were 41 occupations based on a NHIS re-coding of the US Census Occupational Codes. A series of hazard ratios were calculated comparing each occupational group with all other workers, controlling for age and gender.

Results: Physically active “blue collar” workers were at significantly greater risk of dying from unintentional injury compared to all other US workers. The following occupations had a significantly higher risk for adjusted unintentional injury mortality compared to all other workers: forestry and fishing occupations (Hazard Ratio=1.57; 95% confidence intervals: 1.04-2.36), construction laborers (1.45; 1.16-1.79), and farmworkers and other agricultural workers (1.38; 1.18-1.60). The following occupations had the significantly lowest reduced risk for unintentional injury mortality: engineers (0.56; 0.46-0.70), financial records processing workers (0.71; 0.58-0.88), and teachers, librarians and counselors (0.73; 0.64-0.84).

Conclusions: These findings aid in the identification of worker groups that require increased attention for injury research and prevention by the occupational health community.

Learning Objectives:

• 1.Describe the design of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) including strengths and limitations with respect to its utility for mortality analyses.
• 2.Describe the occupations at greatest and lowest risk for unintentional injury mortality.
• 3.Discuss the need for additional research in worker groups identified as having the highest rates of unintentional injury mortality

Keywords: Occupational Health, Injury

Related Web page: www.rsmas.miami.edu/groups/niehs/niosh/

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.