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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing
Session: Ergonomic exposures and socioeconomic status: Findings of the PHASE in Healthcare research project
4329.0: Tuesday, November 07, 2006: 4:30 PM-6:00 PM
Oral
Ergonomic exposures and socioeconomic status: Findings of the PHASE in Healthcare research project
Socioeconomic status (SES) has repeatedly been demonstrated to predict an impressive range of health outcomes, including musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The mechanism of this gradient is under active discussion; candidate causal pathways - not necessarily mutually exclusive - include material deprivation, less access to health information, adverse “lifestyle” conditions (smoking, poor nutrition, etc.), and relative deprivation leading to social mistrust. Less often highlighted by social epidemiologists is the possibility that some of the socioeconomic gradient may be due to occupational conditions. Regarding MSD risk factors, lower SES jobs tend to involve more physically strenuous and repetitive work and lower decision latitude. Such differences in exposures have, however, previously been treated primarily as dichotomous comparisons and have not been examined in the health care sector in particular. In addition, hospital laboratory work has not been analyzed in much detail beyond the task of pipetting (because of its association with upper extremity MSDs). This panel will present findings from “Promoting Healthy and Safe Employment (PHASE) in Healthcare,” a large interdisciplinary study of hospitals and nursing homes. Ergonomic exposure data have been collected by direct observation as well as by questionnaire, and study jobs have been linked to the national O*NET database for additional exposure information. Presenters will describe the extent to which MSD risk factors vary by SES in the healthcare sector; will provide an overview of the biomechanical features of hospital laboratory jobs; and will discuss agreement between psychosocial exposure measures from self-report and O*NET.
Learning Objectives: Participants will learn how occupational exposures to ergonomic risk factors for low back and upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders, and psychosocial working conditions, vary by socioeconomic status in health care workers. Attendants will also learn about the biomechanical features of work in hospital laboratories.
Organizer(s):Laura Punnett
Moderator(s):Laura Punnett
4:30 PMErgonomic exposures and socioeconomic status: Findings of the "PHASE in Healthcare" research project  [ Recorded presentation ]
Laura Punnett, The PHASE in Healthcare Research Team
4:36 PMAssessment of biomechanical exposure to upper extremity musculoskeletal disorder risk factors in hospital laboratories  [ Recorded presentation ]
Jungkeun Park, Jon Boyer, Bryan Buchholz, Jamie Tessler, Laura Punnett, The PHASE in Healthcare Research Team
4:57 PMSocioeconomic status and back disorder risk factors in healthcare workers  [ Recorded presentation ]
Jon Boyer, Jungkeun Park, Jamie Tessler, Patrick Scollin, Manuel Cifuentes, Laura Punnett
5:18 PMAssociation between O*NET and survey measures of psychosocial exposure in healthcare workers  [ Recorded presentation ]
Manuel Cifuentes, Rebecca Gore, PhD, Jon Boyer, Jamie Tessler, Angelo D'Errico, MD, Patrick Scollin, Laura Punnett, The PHASE in Healthcare Research Team
5:39 PMUpper Extremity Musculoskeletal Exposures and the Healthcare Worker: Is there a Gradient by Socioeconomic Status?  [ Recorded presentation ]
Jamie Tessler, Jon Boyer, Manuel Cifuentes, Jungkeun Park, Patrick Scollin, Laura Punnett, The PHASE in Healthcare Research Team
See individual abstracts for presenting author's disclosure statement and author's information.
Organized by:Occupational Health and Safety
Endorsed by:Public Health Nursing; Socialist Caucus; Vietnam Caucus
CE Credits:CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing

The 134th Annual Meeting & Exposition (November 4-8, 2006) of APHA