Cardiovascular Health Risk Behaviors by Occupation in the NYC Labor Force

Interventions in the workplace to reduce risk factors for noncommunicable diseases: an umbrella review of systematic reviews of effectiveness

BACKGROUND

Workplaces are an important setting to deliver programs to reduce risk factors for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). To help decision makers understand the most current and relevant evidence regarding effectiveness of workplace programs, we conducted an umbrella review to present a comprehensive synthesis of the large volume of literature.

METHODS

Systematic reviews of workplace interventions targeting primary risk factors for NCDs-unhealthy diet, insufficient physical activity, overweight/obesity, tobacco use, and/or excessive alcohol use-published since 2010 were sourced. For each risk factor, reviews were categorized by intervention type and quality. The most recent, high-quality review was included for each intervention type. Evidence for the effectiveness of each intervention type was then broadly classified based on the review summary findings.

RESULTS

Twenty-one reviews were included. Most reviews focused on diet (n = 5), physical activity (n = 7), or obesity (n = 9) interventions, with fewer targeting alcohol (n = 2) or tobacco (n = 2) use. Reviews of interventions focusing on individual behavior (such as education or counseling) were most common. Across diet, obesity, physical activity, and tobacco use, multicomponent interventions were consistently likely to be classified as "likely effective." Motivational interviewing and broad health promotion interventions were identified as "promising" for alcohol use.

CONCLUSION

This umbrella review identified that multicomponent workplace interventions were effective to reduce NCD risk factors. There is a gap around interventions targeting alcohol use as most syntheses lacked enough studies to draw conclusions about effectiveness. Exploring the impact of interventions that utilize policy and/or environmental strategies is a critical gap for future research.

Perceptions of Job Hazards and Requests for Accommodation Among Pregnant Women in a Large Urban Hospital System

BACKGROUND

Many pregnant women remain uninformed about job accommodation options or have not been empowered to ask their employers.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey of a sample base of pregnant women from late first through third trimester was conducted. Associations between job perception variables, work characteristics, race/ethnicity, and income were assessed using binary logistic regression.

RESULTS

Workers in service/support occupations were twice as likely as those in management to perceive need for job duty change and to request job accommodation. Perception of needed job change was higher when jobs had high physical demands and low substantive complexity.

CONCLUSIONS

We found positive relationships between highly physical work, perception of harm, and need for job change in pregnancy. Further research could explore worker/employer characteristics explaining why these perceptions did not translate into requesting and receiving job accommodation during pregnancy.

A Comprehensive Evaluation of Occupational Epidemiology in Western Iran: A Cohort Study in Ravansar Noncommunicable Diseases

OBJECTIVE

The present study aims to evaluate the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), biochemical and anthropometric indicators, and lifestyle among 10 occupational groups.

METHOD

The sample included 4818 men aged 35 to 65 years. The occupational group is based on the International Standard Classification of Occupations.

RESULT

The highest prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes mellitus was observed in managerial occupational groups (18.62%) and technicians and associate professionals ( 14 %), respectively. Musculoskeletal disorders were more in skilled agricultural, forestry, and fishery workers, as well as craft-related trades workers, and elementary occupations. The highest body mass index was related to the managers.

CONCLUSIONS

Noncommunicable diseases were higher in managers, while musculoskeletal disorders belonged to farmers and workers. Finally, lifestyle modification can help reduce NCDs and improve biochemical markers by increasing physical activity.

Incidence rates of injury, musculoskeletal, skin, pulmonary and chronic diseases among construction workers by classification of occupations in South Korea: a 1,027 subject-based cohort of the Korean Construction Worker's Cohort (KCWC)

Background

The objective of this study is to investigate the differences in incidence rates of targeted diseases by classification of occupations among construction workers in Korea.

Methods

In a subject-based cohort of the Korean Construction Worker's Cohort, we surveyed a total of 1,027 construction workers. As occupational exposure, the classification of occupations was developed using two axes: construction business and job type. To analyze disease incidence, we linked survey data with National Health Insurance Service data. Eleven target disease categories with high prevalence or estimated work-relatedness among construction workers were evaluated in our study. The average incidence rates were calculated as cases per 1,000 person-years (PY).

Results

Injury, poisoning, and certain other consequences of external causes had the highest incidence rate of 344.08 per 1,000 PY, followed by disease of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue for 208.64 and diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue for 197.87 in our cohort. We especially found that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was more common in construction painters, civil engineering welders, and civil engineering frame mold carpenters, asthma in construction painters, landscape, and construction water proofers, interstitial lung diseases in construction water proofers.

Conclusions

This is the first study to systematically classify complex construction occupations in order to analyze occupational diseases in Korean construction workers. There were differences in disease incidences among construction workers based on the classification of occupations. It is necessary to develop customized occupational safety and health policies for high-risk occupations for each disease in the construction industry.

Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Among Immigrant and US-Born Adults in New York City

OBJECTIVES

Immigrant adults tend to have better health than native-born adults despite lower incomes, but the health advantage decreases with length of residence. To determine whether immigrant adults have a health advantage over US-born adults in New York City, we compared cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among both groups.

METHODS

Using data from the New York City Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013-2014, we assessed health insurance coverage, health behaviors, and health conditions, comparing adults ages ≥20 born in the 50 states or the District of Columbia (US-born) with adults born in a US territory or outside the United States (immigrants, following the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) and comparing US-born adults with (1) adults who immigrated recently (≤10 years) and (2) adults who immigrated earlier (>10 years).

RESULTS

For immigrant adults, the mean time since arrival in the United States was 21.8 years. Immigrant adults were significantly more likely than US-born adults to lack health insurance (22% vs 12%), report fair or poor health (26% vs 17%), have hypertension (30% vs 23%), and have diabetes (20% vs 11%) but significantly less likely to smoke (18% vs 27%) (all P < .05). Comparable proportions of immigrant adults and US-born adults were overweight or obese (67% vs 63%) and reported CVD (both 7%). Immigrant adults who arrived recently were less likely than immigrant adults who arrived earlier to have diabetes or high cholesterol but did not differ overall from US-born adults.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings may help guide prevention programs and policy efforts to ensure that immigrant adults remain healthy.