Role of disability in the association between obesity and unintentional injuries

Understanding the confluence of injury and obesity in a Grade 2 obesity and above population

OBJECTIVE

Obesity and injury are major inter-related public health challenges. The objective of this study was to explore the perceptions of injury in people with severe obesity.

METHODS

A cross-sectional design was employed to capture injury perception and lifestyle habits via questionnaires. Weight (kg) and height (m) were measured by clinicians for patients attending a weight loss group program. Univariate, chi-square, ANOVA and ordinal regression analyses were undertaken.

RESULTS

There were 292 participants (67.1% female), mean age 49.3 years and Body Mass Index 47.2 kg/m² (range 30.7-91.9 kg/m²). Concern about having an injury was found in 83%, and 74.2% thought that weight would increase the likelihood of injury. A greater concern of being injured at baseline was associated with less weight loss at eight weeks (F=3.567; p=0.03). Depression, anxiety and sleepiness score were higher in those who reported greater 'Concern about having an injury'.

CONCLUSIONS

People with obesity fear injury and falling, which limits their willingness to exercise. Anxiety symptoms appear to exacerbate this connection.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH

In individuals with obesity, anxiety, sleepiness and depression are associated with a fear of being injured. Addressing fear and reducing anxiety may decrease barriers to participating in physical activity.

Risk of Injury Events in Patients With Visual Impairments: A Swedish Survey Study Among Hospital Social Workers

Introduction: People with visual impairments (those who are blind or have low vision) are exposed to risks in everyday life, especially injury risks. This study aimed to examine experiences and practical knowledge among hospital social workers in Sweden concerning meetings with patients with visual impairments who have been affected by injury events in residential environments. Methods: Swedish hospital social workers specializing in patients with visual impairments ( n=30) answered a questionnaire comprising 14 questions. Both fixed and open-ended questions were included, allowing an analysis of both comparable numeric data and subjectively perceived experiences and opinions. Results: A majority of the respondents had met patients who had been injured in the residential setting; the most common injury mechanism reported was tripping or falling on the stairs, or accidentally stumbling into furniture. The hospital social workers acknowledged that they could work more preventively in their professional role by encouraging patients to use orientation and mobility devices such as long canes, increasing collaboration with other professions, and conducting home visits to enable trustful dialogues with both patients and relatives. Discussion: According to these specialized hospital social workers, the provision of education and information to patients with visual impairments could potentially prevent future injury. However, in order to achieve this, there is a need to first enable a trustful dialogue between social workers and patients. Implications for practitioners: This study provides a better understanding of the importance of trustful dialogue between hospital social workers and patients with visual impairments, from the point of view injury prevention. It also offers a summary of the knowledge of hospital social workers about risks and injury events in residential settings for patients with visual impairments.

The impact of non-fatal workplace injuries and illnesses on mortality

BACKGROUND

Little research has examined the relationship between non-fatal workplace injuries and illnesses, and long-term mortality.

METHODS

We linked non-fatal injury cases reported to the New Mexico workers' compensation system for 1994-2000 with Social Security Administration data on individual earnings and mortality through 2014. We then derived sex-specific Kaplan-Meier curves to show time to death for workers with lost-time injuries (n = 36,377) and comparison workers (n = 70,951). We fit multivariable Cox survival models to estimate the hazard ratio separately for male and female workers with lost-time injuries.

RESULTS

The estimated hazard ratio for lost-time injuries is 1.24 for women and 1.21 for men. Ninety-five percent confidence intervals were 1.15, 1.35 and 1.15, 1.27, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Lost-time occupational injuries are associated with a substantially elevated mortality hazard. This implies an important formerly unmeasured cost of these injuries and a further reason to focus on preventing them. Am. J. Ind. Med. 59:1061-1069, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.