health occupational

Residents of long-term care facilities are particularly vulnerable to communicable diseases. Low-cost interventions to increase air exchange rates (AERs) may be useful in reducing the transmission of airborne communicable diseases between long-term care residents and staff. In this study, carbon dioxide gas was used as a tracer to evaluate the AER associated with the implementation of low-cost ventilation interventions. Under baseline conditions with the room's door closed, the mean AER was 0.67 ACH; while baseline conditions with the door open had a significantly higher mean AER of 3...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Given the high variability of secondary agricultural teacher background and facility constraints, the instruction of tractor (and similar agricultural machinery) component identification, function, maintenance, and corresponding safety precautions oftentimes prove difficult and/or inconsistent. This study focused on the development and plausible application of quick response codes, commonly referred to as QR codes, placed on a demonstration tractor or machine to be used as a self-guided student learning experience for training the next generation of safe operators...

Home care (HC) aides experience numerous safety hazards in clients' homes; many hazards also put clients at risk. We hypothesized that safety coaching led by nurse managers (NMs) during their initial HC needs assessment could prompt clients to improve safety conditions in their homes. Following a 2-arm proof-of-concept intervention study design, intervention NMs used motivational interviewing (MI), facilitated by a safety handbook and video, to coach clients on home safety improvements. Control arm NMs performed intake assessments with no changes to usual practices...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

OBJECTIVES: This study: (i) quantified the typical noise levels in an Irish neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and compared the values to recommendations by the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) and the European Standards for Care for Newborn Health (EFCNI) and to occupational exposure limit value and exposure action values; and (ii) qualified the perception of noise levels and the sources of noise across the various stakeholders within a typical NICU. METHODS: A noise survey was conducted in an Irish NICU...

PURPOSE: Work-related low back pain (WRLBP) is a highly prevalent health problem worldwide leading to work disability and increased healthcare utilisation. General practitioners (GPs) play an important role in the management of WRLBP. Despite this, understanding of GP service use for WRLBP is limited. This systematic review aimed to determine the prevalence, patterns and determinants of GP service use for WRLBP. METHODS: MEDLINE, Embase via Ovid, Scopus and Web of Science were searched for relevant peer-reviewed articles published in English without any restriction on time of publications...

The prevalence of asthma in the United States (U.S.) has doubled since 1970, coinciding with the increased use of gypsum-drywall in home construction. Mold growth is promoted when gypsum-drywall gets wet. Since asthma is linked to mold exposures, accurate quantification of mold contamination in homes is critical. Therefore, qPCR assays were created and then used to quantify 36 common molds in dust collected in representative U.S. homes during the first American Health Homes Survey (AHHS). The concentrations of the 36 molds, i...

OBJECTIVES: Farmworkers in Michigan face precarious and exploitative labor conditions that affect their access to affordable, fair, and quality housing, which are key social determinants of health. We sought to assess the health, working conditions, and housing access, affordability, and quality of farmworkers living in and outside of employer-provided housing during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We conducted a mixed methods cross-sectional study in collaboration with community partners from the Michigan Farmworker Project and the Michigan Department of Civil Rights...

INTRODUCTION: Pre-discharge home assessments by occupational therapists facilitate safe and timely discharge from hospital and are associated with better health outcomes. Digital technology offers the potential to reduce duplication of documentation and improve communication and sharing of home assessment findings. OBJECTIVE: This quality improvement project evaluated time-cost; clinician satisfaction and confidence; and acceptability of the use of a digital approach to home assessments...

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluated the effectiveness of participatory action-oriented training (PAOT) intervention for hypertension management among intercity van drivers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This quasi-experimental study applied concept and process of participatory actionoriented training and self-management to guide the development of the intervention addressing improvement in hypertension management behaviors. A total of 104 intercity van drivers with uncontrolled hypertension in Thailand were recruited to participate in this program...

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the population characteristics of apheresis platelet donors in Chongqing Province and provide a scientific basis for the development of precise and efficient recruitment strategies. The ultimate goal is to increase the number of regular platelet donors in preparation for public health emergencies. METHODS: This study involved 53,089 blood donors who donated apheresis platelets to the Chongqing Blood Center from 2020 to 2022...

Given the dense population on university campuses, indoor and outdoor airborne bacterial contamination may lead to the rapid spread of diseases in a university environment. However, there are few studies of the characteristics of airborne and pathogenic bacterial communities in different sites on a university campus. In this study, we collected particulate matter samples from indoor and outdoor locations at a university in Bengbu City, Anhui Province, China, and analyzed the community characteristics of airborne and pathogenic bacteria using a high-throughput sequencing technique...

This paper investigates the impact of health investment on household income distribution, drawing from data spanning over 10 years from the China Nutrition and Health Survey. The study aims to contribute to the literature by examining the nuanced pathways through which health investment influences income distribution. Utilizing a rich dataset, rigorous empirical methods including quantile regression and cross-sectional data modeling are employed to explore the relationship between health investment and income distribution...

BACKGROUND: High blood lead levels (BLLs) in pregnant women are associated with poor outcome in neonates. One of the newest non-occupational sources of lead contamination is opium consumption. Accordingly, this study aimed to assess BLLs in mothers addicted to opium and their neonates in Kerman. METHODS: This cross-sectional was conducted in Afzalipour hospital in Kerman, from February 2019 to February 2020. The BLLs were measured in 100 opium-addicted and non-addicted mothers and their newborns, and the lead levels higher than 5 μg/dL were considered contamination...

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the effects of different magnification systems on the angular deviations of the neck and trunk and the muscle activities of the upper back and neck during preclinical cavity preparation. METHODS: This was an experimental laboratory study, with the angular deviations from the neutral positions of the neck and trunk and the activities of the bilateral upper back (the descending and ascending trapezius) and neck (sternocleidomastoid) muscles as the dependent variables...

BACKGROUND: Primary healthcare in South Africa aims to transform the national health system by emphasising community-based care and preventive strategies. However, rehabilitation services, particularly for individuals with disabilities and chronic non-communicable diseases, are often overlooked in primary healthcare. This study aimed to investigate the provision of primary healthcare rehabilitation services in the Johannesburg Metropolitan District by exploring client sociodemographics and variations in services provided by rehabilitation professionals...

Solid waste workers encounter a number of occupational hazards that are likely to induce stress. Thus, there are likely to be psychosocial factors that also contribute to their overall perceptions of organizational health. However, attitudes regarding the aforementioned among solid waste workers' have not been assessed. This descriptive, cross-sectional pilot study operationalized the INPUTS Survey to determine workers' perceptions of organizational health and other psychosocial factors of work. Percentage and mean responses to each INPUTS domain are presented in accordance with their survey manual...

INTRODUCTION: Leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) decreases allostatic load (AL), a measure of burden of chronic stress. However, the role of occupational PA (OPA) is unknown. This study examined associations of OPA and LTPA with AL among workers in the United States (US). METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 6944 US workers aged 20-64 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007-2018). PA was assessed using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire...