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Work is a social determinant of health; working conditions can directly affect health; health behaviors vary within employed populations; and the absence of such data undermines the potential evaluation of workplace wellness and health and safety programs. Fifty percent of the U.S. population work, and Americans spend 50% of their waking hours at work. Work provides substantial benefits to health, but it may also pose substantial risks.
In the U.S. information on health status and the prevalence of injuries and illnesses among the working population is incomplete. Data on injuries and illnesses are largely based on employer reporting, and underreporting is likely. To address this gap, several states’ Occupational Health Surveillance Programs have been exploring non-traditional avenues to gather work-related injury data, such as population-based health surveys. This includes adding industry and occupation (I/O) questions to the BRFSS.
Adding I/O to the BRFSS helps to target state-level prevention efforts and address health disparities. Health promotion activities, which are often employment-based, can be better-designed with these data. States can also supplement I/O with state-added questions to assess relevant work-related health outcomes (hearing loss, injuries, musculoskeletal disorders, etc), exposures, and behavioral risk factors.
METHODS:
We propose a special session with 3-4 speakers from key state occupational health surveillance programs who have asked the I/O questions for the past 2-3 years. Speakers will present analysis and evaluation of the relationships between occupation and industry and health status, prevalence of chronic disease, and health behaviors.
RESULTS:
States with I/O data in BRFSS will share results of analysis of important determinants or indicators of health, cross-tabulated to identify high-risk behaviors and health outcomes in each state. Examples of these include demographic information, household income, education level, health status (self-rated), life satisfaction (self-rated), asthma (ever diagnosed), body mass index, access to healthcare, cardiovascular disease (ever diagnosed), disability, tobacco use (history and current use), alcohol consumption (# drinks per day past 30 days), exercise (outside of work, past month), and sleep (days with insufficient amount, past month).
CONCLUSIONS:
Addition of industry and occupation in BRFSS will assist states, academic and industry partners, and the various CDC programs in assessing the population’s health, integrating workplace prevention efforts and health promotion,[1] and measuring progress toward state and national health objectives.
[1] NIOSH Total Worker HealthTM http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/twh/