241773 Occupational Surveillance by Industry: The NIOSH NHIS Monograph Series

Sunday, October 30, 2011

David Lee, PhD , Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine - NIOSH Research Group, Miami, FL
Manuel Ocasio, BA , Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL
Evelyn P. Davila, PhD, MPH , Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL
William G. LeBlanc, PhD , Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine - NIOSH Research Group, Miami, FL
John Sestito, JD, MS , Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies (DSHEFS), Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health, Cincinati, OH
Kathryn E. McCollister, PhD , Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL
Peter Muennig, MD, MPH , Department of Health Policy and Management, Columbia University, New York, NY
Kristopher L. Arheart, EdD , Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine - NIOSH Research Group, Miami, FL
Lora E. Fleming, MD, PhD , European Centre for Environment and Human Health (PCMD) and Univesity of Miami OHH Center and NIOSH Research Group, Miami, FL
Background: Traditional occupational health surveillance has focused primarily on occupation rather than on industry. With the new NIOSH National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA), there is an urgent need for detailed health-related data for US Workers in the NORA Industry Sectors. The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) provides a large and nationally representative sample of all US civilian workers. Methods: Using the currently available 1986-2008 NHIS database for >700,000 US workers >18 years (representing >120 million US workers/yr), after adjustment for sample design, several Monographs have been created on morbidity, disability, mortality, and quality of life issues by NORA subgroup and demographic variables. Results: Differences in the distribution of the demographic factors between NORA Sectors are associated with increased disability and morbidity risks. For example, NORA Sectors with less insurance and access to medical care (e.g. Construction, Agriculture/Forestry/Fishing) were more likely to report both less healthcare utilization and less diagnosis of medical conditions, but also experienced higher mortality rates. With the exception of obesity, Healthcare/Social Assistance workers were also more likely to report better health behaviors (e.g. less current smoking) compared to both Construction and Mining workers. Finally, quality-adjusted life years was lowest among workers in the Agriculture/Forestry/Fishing Sector. Conclusions: The surveillance of the NORA Industry Sector subgroups using the rich array of NHIS health indicators provides a comprehensive understanding of the working population's burden of disease, disability, and mortality, and allows for the identification of priority population sub-groups for workplace interventions designed to enhance worker health and well-being.

Learning Areas:
Epidemiology
Occupational health and safety

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe morbidity and mortality rates among US workers by National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) industry sector using nationally representative survey data. 2. Identify potential correlations between health behaviors, access to healthcare and morbidity burden by industry sector. 3. Compare quality-adjusted life years among industry sectors to measure disease burden.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to be an abstract author because I oversee the NIOSH Research group at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine and have first-hand experience working with occupational health surveillance.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.