Need and opportunity for addressing asthma in the workplace

Like many chronic diseases, asthma has health equity implications. Studies repeatedly confirm that those who are within the lowest socio-economic brackets are disproportionately impacted, impeding their quality of life and productivity at work. The Asthma Regional Council (ARC) recently completed a comprehensive surveillance report entitled, “Living with Asthma in New England: Results from the 2006 BRFSS and Call-Back Surveys”. Data was analyzed from “call-back” telephone interviews with adults (N=1,986) who had indicated they had been diagnosed with asthma through the standard BRFSS. Job-related asthma emerged as a significant matter of concern, particularly affecting low-income workers. Results, concerning respondents’ views on the connection between work exposures and their asthma, will be presented. To address occupational asthma, and identify opportunities for making improvements in the lives of those workers living with the disease, the University of Massachusetts Lowell and the Asthma Regional Council recently released a policy and practice report entitled, “Asthma: A Business Case for Employers and Health Care Purchasers”. This report reviews the evidence of the cost-effectiveness of multi-faceted interventions for asthma, and makes a “business case” for three priority steps employers can take to cost-effectively reduce the burden of asthma among employees and their dependents. The report includes recommendations for improving health care benefits coverage, supporting employees in overcoming barriers to effective asthma self-management, and promoting healthier work environments. The recommendations have implications for business, large health purchasers and unions.