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Journal of Voice : Official Journal of... Sep 2023While many occupations are at risk for vocal health issues much of the current research has focused on teachers. The prevalence of hoarseness among nurses has not...
While many occupations are at risk for vocal health issues much of the current research has focused on teachers. The prevalence of hoarseness among nurses has not received much attention. The aim of this study was to determine the current prevalence of hoarseness among nurses and also to identify potential environmental risk factors from their working environment. The health data was collected from Finnish healthcare workers. Our findings are based on 13,560 health questionnaires which were statistically analyzed. Our results suggest that the one-year period prevalence of hoarseness was 30% and all the environmental problems which we evaluated (draft, room temperature too high, variable room temperature, room temperature too low, dry air, stuffy indoor air, moist air/ high humidity, inadequate ventilation, smell of mold or cellar, sewer odor, other unpleasant odors, tobacco smoke, noise and detectable dust or dirt) had an increasing effect on hoarseness. In conclusion, clear associations were found between environmental problems and hoarseness in nurses. Furthermore, efforts should be made to repair defective ventilation systems, remediate indoor air problems due to moisture damage and improve overall maintenance to protect the vocal health of nurses.
Topics: Humans; Air Pollution, Indoor; Hoarseness; Humidity; Ventilation; Nurses
PubMed: 34016510
DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2021.03.030 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jun 2023This review aimed to identify and synthesize the existing literature on the effects of socioeconomic status (SES) changes on health. (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVES
This review aimed to identify and synthesize the existing literature on the effects of socioeconomic status (SES) changes on health.
METHODS
A review was conducted using Medline, Cochrane library, and CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature). All longitudinal or cross-sectional studies that examined links between changes to SES across different time periods and measured health outcomes were included. Screening was conducted using select inclusion and exclusion criteria in order of title, abstract, and full text. Two independent reviewers assessed the quality of the full text articles using the Downs and Black checklist.
RESULTS
Our literature search led to 2719 peer reviewed articles, 2639 of which were title screened after duplicates were removed. A total of 117 abstracts and 12 full text articles were screened. Overall, findings from 11 articles form the basis of this review. Eight different types of measures of changes to SES were identified. These include education, occupation, economic security, income sufficiency, home ownership, car ownership, health insurance, and marital status. Assessed outcomes included measures related to physical health, cardiovascular disease, mental health, and oral health. A large proportion of studies found that an SES change impacts health. Evidence suggests that those with consistently high SES have the best health outcomes, followed by those who report their SES change from low to high (upward social mobility). Evidence on the relative health effects for those who report their SES change from high to low (downward social mobility) compared to those who report consistently low SES is inconsistent.
CONCLUSION
Current evidence suggests that an SES change has an impact on an individual's health. More research on the effects of SES changes on health outcomes in adulthood is needed and can inform various areas of health research including health resiliency and development. Future studies should focus on individual SES indicators and their effects on health outcomes at multiple points throughout life.
Topics: Cross-Sectional Studies; Occupations; Social Mobility; Income
PubMed: 37444097
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20136249 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2023
Topics: Humans; Neoplasms; Occupations; Risk Factors
PubMed: 38239791
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1343952 -
MBio May 2024In this editorial, I share advice and general principles based on recent experiences as a mentor and evaluator for early-career microbiology and immunology faculty...
In this editorial, I share advice and general principles based on recent experiences as a mentor and evaluator for early-career microbiology and immunology faculty seeking promotion and tenure. I outline 10 recommendations covering research, service, teaching, and mentoring. In addition, I encourage nuanced conversations with colleagues to strategically navigate the unique promotion and tenure processes at different institutions. I hope that these practical tips will assist early-career faculty in attaining promotion and tenure, contributing to long-term scientific and career advances.
Topics: Microbiology; Humans; Allergy and Immunology; Career Mobility; Faculty; Mentoring; Mentors
PubMed: 38551369
DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00631-24 -
Nature Feb 2024Each year, people spend less time reading and more time viewing images, which are proliferating online. Images from platforms such as Google and Wikipedia are downloaded...
Each year, people spend less time reading and more time viewing images, which are proliferating online. Images from platforms such as Google and Wikipedia are downloaded by millions every day, and millions more are interacting through social media, such as Instagram and TikTok, that primarily consist of exchanging visual content. In parallel, news agencies and digital advertisers are increasingly capturing attention online through the use of images, which people process more quickly, implicitly and memorably than text. Here we show that the rise of images online significantly exacerbates gender bias, both in its statistical prevalence and its psychological impact. We examine the gender associations of 3,495 social categories (such as 'nurse' or 'banker') in more than one million images from Google, Wikipedia and Internet Movie Database (IMDb), and in billions of words from these platforms. We find that gender bias is consistently more prevalent in images than text for both female- and male-typed categories. We also show that the documented underrepresentation of women online is substantially worse in images than in text, public opinion and US census data. Finally, we conducted a nationally representative, preregistered experiment that shows that googling for images rather than textual descriptions of occupations amplifies gender bias in participants' beliefs. Addressing the societal effect of this large-scale shift towards visual communication will be essential for developing a fair and inclusive future for the internet.
Topics: Female; Humans; Male; Occupations; Photography; Public Opinion; Sexism; Social Media; Social Change
PubMed: 38355800
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07068-x -
Telehealth Delivery of Evidence-Based Intervention Within Older Adult Populations: A Scoping Review.OTJR : Occupation, Participation and... Jul 2023Telehealth services enable individuals to participate in meaningful occupations; however, the evidence on this topic has not been synthesized in older adult populations.... (Review)
Review
Telehealth services enable individuals to participate in meaningful occupations; however, the evidence on this topic has not been synthesized in older adult populations. This scoping review synthesized the evidence on interventions delivered through telehealth (and the mode of delivery) in occupational therapy for older adult populations. A search for studies on occupational therapy, older adults, and telehealth was performed in six research databases, and identified 536 articles. Four reviewers independently screened the titles and abstracts; and reviewed eligible full text. Ten articles were extracted into a table and summarized through narrative format. The studies focused on performance-based intervention (60%), cognition (10%), health (10%), occupation (10%), and the environment (10%) in older adult populations ( = 1 - 208); including those with Alzheimer's disease, chronic pain, cancer, and stroke. The interventions were delivered through electronic audio-visual platforms (e.g., zoom) (80%) and teleconference platforms (e.g., phone calls) (20%).
Topics: Humans; Aged; Telemedicine; Alzheimer Disease; Evidence-Based Medicine
PubMed: 37322873
DOI: 10.1177/15394492231180838 -
Occupational and Environmental Medicine Jul 2023Testicular germ cell tumours (TGCT) are the most common cancer in men of working age and its incidence has increased notably over the past 40 years. Several occupations...
OBJECTIVE
Testicular germ cell tumours (TGCT) are the most common cancer in men of working age and its incidence has increased notably over the past 40 years. Several occupations have been identified as potentially associated with TGCT risk. The aim of this study was to further explore the relationship between occupations, industries and TGCT risk in men aged 18-45 years.
METHODS
The TESTIS study is a multicenter case-control study conducted between January 2015 and April 2018 in 20 of 23 university hospital centers in metropolitan France. A total of 454 TGCT cases and 670 controls were included. Full job histories were collected. Occupations were coded according to the International Standard Classification of Occupation 1968 version (ISCO-1968) and industry according to the 1999 version of Nomenclature d'Activités Française (NAF-1999). For each job held, ORs and 95% CIs were estimated using conditional logistic regression.
RESULTS
A positive association was observed between TGCT and occupation as agricultural, animal husbandry worker (ISCO: 6-2; OR 1.71; 95% CI (1.02 to 2.82)), as well as salesman (ISCO: 4-51; OR 1.84; 95% CI (1.20 to 2.82)). An increased risk was further observed among electrical fitters and related, electrical and electronics workers employed for 2 years or more (ISCO: 8-5; OR 1.83; 95% CI (1.01 to 3.32)). Analyses by industry supported these findings.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that agricultural, electrical and electronics workers, and salesmen workers experience an increased risk of TGCT. Further research is needed to identify the agents or chemicals in these high-risk occupations which are relevant in the TGCT development.
TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER
NCT02109926.
Topics: Male; Humans; Case-Control Studies; Occupations; Testicular Neoplasms; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal; Risk Factors
PubMed: 37230752
DOI: 10.1136/oemed-2022-108601 -
Journal of Health Economics Sep 2023Extreme heat negatively impacts cognition, learning, and task performance. With increasing global temperatures, workers may therefore be at increased risk of...
Extreme heat negatively impacts cognition, learning, and task performance. With increasing global temperatures, workers may therefore be at increased risk of work-related injuries and illness. This study estimates the effects of temperature on worker health using records spanning 1985-2020 from an Australian mandatory insurance scheme. High temperatures are found to cause significantly more claims, particularly among manual workers in outdoor-based industries. These adverse effects have not diminished across time, with the largest effect observed for the 2015-2020 period, indicating increasing vulnerability to heat. Within occupations, the workers most adversely affected by heat are female, older-aged and higher-earning. Finally, results from firm-level panel analyses show that the percentage increase in claims on hot days is largest at "safer" firms.
Topics: Humans; Female; Male; Hot Temperature; Occupational Injuries; Australia; Occupational Exposure; Temperature
PubMed: 37562282
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2023.102800 -
Salud Publica de Mexico Sep 2023To determine how primary lifetime occupation type is associated with mortality, and how the relationship varies by rural and urban dwelling.
OBJECTIVE
To determine how primary lifetime occupation type is associated with mortality, and how the relationship varies by rural and urban dwelling.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Data come from 2001-2018 Mexican Health and Aging Study (adults aged 50+, n=11 094). We created five occupation categories. Cox proportional hazard models predicted mortality using baseline covariates.
RESULTS
In both rural and urban settings, participants with manual jobs, such as agriculture and production/industrial jobs, had an increased risk of mortality compared to those with administrative/professional jobs. In urban settings, participants in the domestic/service and no main job categories had higher risk of mortality than those in the administrative/professional category. For men these differences remained, but not for women.
CONCLUSION
In a context of rural and urban demographic shifts, it is crucial to consider the implications that occupation as a socioeconomic factor can have on health and to identify the most vulnerable groups.
Topics: Adult; Male; Humans; Female; Socioeconomic Factors; Occupations; Rural Population; Mexico; Urban Population
PubMed: 38060914
DOI: 10.21149/14757