Evaluation of obesity interventions targeting adults in the occupational setting

The study of obesity and its causes has evolved into one of the most important public health issues in the United States (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2007). Obesity is linked to several chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some cancers (National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2008b) and the public health concern resides in the present morbidity and mortality associated with obesity and related conditions (National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, 1998). Furthermore, obesity and its related conditions present economic challenges to employers in terms of medical health care, sick leave, short-term disability and long-term disability benefits utilized by employees (Østbye, Dement, and Krause, 2007). Recently, articles covering intervention programs targeting obesity in the occupational setting have surfaced in the body of scientific literature. The increased interest in this area stems from the fact that employees in the United States spend more time in the work environment than many industrialized nations, including Japan and most of Western Europe (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2006). Moreover, scientific literature supports the idea of investing in healthy human capital to promote productivity and output from employees (Berger, Howell, Nicholson, & Sharda, 2003). The time spent in the work environment, the business need for healthy employees, and the public health concern create an opportunity for planning, implementation and analysis of interventions for effectiveness. This paper aims to identify those intervention programs that focus on the occupational setting related to obesity, to analyze the overall effect of diet, physical fitness and behavioral change interventions targeting overweight and obesity in the occupational setting, and to evaluate the details and effectiveness of components, such as, intervention setting, target participant group, content, industry and length of follow up. Once strengths and weaknesses of the interventions are evaluated, ideas will be suggested for implementation in the future.^

Psychosocial factors and musculoskeletal symptoms in a vulnerable working population in Nicaragua

This research is a secondary data analysis of the CUPID-INCA Nicaragua study, a cross-sectional study comparing psychosocial and physical factors on musculoskeletal symptoms among nurses, office workers and maquiladoras in Nicaragua. There were three objectives for this thesis. (1) To describe the study population according to their socio-demographic, psychosocial (i.e. work organization and health beliefs) and physical factors. (2) To estimate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the study population (nurses, office workers and maquilas). (3) To analyze and compare the trends of association between psychosocial factors and MSDs to that of physical factors and MSDs in the study population. Trends of association between MSDs and psychosocial factors were also compared between nurses, office workers and maquilas. ^ Majority of the total study population were females, middle aged, non smokers and had been on the job for more than five years. Prevalence rates of low back pain and upper extremity pain were 28% and 37% respectively in nurses, 17% and 34% in office workers and 18% and 31% in maquilas. Workers' health belief was significantly associated with MSDs in all three occupational groups. Psychosocial factors were not consistently associated more with MSDs than physical factors. Maquilas had more psychosocial factors statistically significantly associated with musculoskeletal symptoms than nurses and office workers. ^ The findings of this research suggest that both psychosocial and physical risk factors play a role on the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in the three working populations in Nicaragua. Future research in this area should explore further, the risk of developing MSDs from workers' exposure to psychosocial factors as well as physical factors.^

A descriptive and exploratory analysis of occupational injuries at a chemical manufacturing facility

A retrospective study of 1353 occupational injuries occurring at a chemical manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas from January, 1982 through May, 1988 was performed to investigate the etiology of the occupational injury process. Injury incidence rates were calculated for various sub-populations of workers to determine differences in the risk of injury for various groups. Linear modeling techniques were used to determine the association between certain collected independent variables and severity of an injury event. Finally, two sub-groups of the worker population, shiftworkers and injury recidivists, were examined. An injury recidivist as defined is any worker experiencing one or more injury per year. Overall, female shiftworkers evidenced the highest average injury incidence rate compared to all other worker groups analyzed. Although the female shiftworkers were younger and less experienced, the etiology of their increased risk of injury remains unclear, although the rigors of performing shiftwork itself or ergonomic factors are suspect. In general, females were injured more frequently than males, but they did not incur more severe injuries. For all workers, many injuries were caused by erroneous or foregone training, and risk taking behaviors. Injuries of these types are avoidable. The distribution of injuries by severity level was bimodal; either injuries were of minor or major severity with only a small number of cases falling in between. Of the variables collected, only the type of injury incurred and the worker's titlecode were statistically significantly associated with injury severity. Shiftworkers did not sustain more severe injuries than other worker groups. Injury to shiftworkers varied as a 24-hour pattern; the greatest number occurred between 1200-1230 hours, (p = 0.002) by Cosinor analysis. Recidivists made up 3.3% of the population (23 males and 10 females), yet suffered 17.8% of the injuries. Although past research suggests that injury recidivism is a random statistical event, analysis of the data by logistic regression implicates gender, area worked, age and job titlecode as being statistically significantly related to injury recidivism at this facility. ^

BENZENE TOXICITY AND THE OCCURRENCE OF BENZENE IN THE AMBIENT AIR OF THE HOUSTON AREA

This study was conducted by either literature review or actual field survey. Results are summarized as follows: (1) Long-term occupational exposure of workers to benzene vapor at levels of 3-7 ppm, 2-3 ppm and 1.6 ppm may result in a decreased level of leucocyte alkaline phosphates, an increased incidence of chromosome aberrations and an increased level of ALA in erythrocytes, respectively; (2) Benzene is capable of causing fetotoxic effects in animals at levels as low as 10 ppm by volume; (3) Exposure of animals to or less than 1 ppm benzene vapor may result in leucopenia, an inverse ratio of muscle antagonist chronaxy and a decreased level of ascorbic acid in fetus's and mother's liver as well as whole embryo; (4) Benzene is causally associated with the increased incidence of pancytopenia, including unicytopenia, bicytopenia and aplastic anemia, and chromosome aberrations in occupational exposure population, and at best benzene must also be considered as a leukemogen; (5) Since it can be emitted into the atmosphere from both man-made and natural sources, benzene in some concentrations is present everywhere in the various compartments of the environment; (6) The findings of the emission of benzene from certain natural sources indicate that reducing benzene to a zero-level of exposure is theoretically impossible; (7) The annual average of benzene concentration detected in the Houston ambient air is 2.50 ppb, which is about 2.4 times higher than the nation-wide annual average exposure level and may have been some health implications to the general public; (8) In the Houston area, stationary sources are more important than mobile sources in contributing to benzene in the ambient air. ^

Prevalence of symptoms of neurotoxicity and potential occupational pesticide and solvent exposures among high school students in Starr County, Texas: A pilot study

Numerous harmful occupational exposures affect working teens in the United States. Teens working in agriculture and other heavy-labor industries may be at risk for occupational exposures to pesticides and solvents. The neurotoxicity of pesticides and solvents at high doses is well-known; however, the long term effects of these substances at low doses on occupationally exposed adolescents have not been well-studied. To address this research gap, a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data was completed in order to estimate the prevalence of self-reported symptoms of neurotoxicity among a cohort of high school students from Starr County, Texas, a rural area along the Texas-Mexico border. Multivariable linear regression was used to estimate the association between work status (i.e., no work, farm work, and non-farm work) and symptoms of neurotoxicity, while controlling for age, gender, Spanish speaking preference, inhalant use, tobacco use, and alcohol use. The sample included 1,208 students. Of these, the majority (85.84%) did not report having worked during the prior nine months compared to 4.80% who did only farm work, 6.21% who did only non-farm work, and 3.15% who did both types of work. On average, students reported 3.26 symptoms with a range from 0-16. The most commonly endorsed items across work status were those related to memory impairment. Adolescents employed in non-farm work jobs reported more neurotoxicity symptoms than those who reported that they did not work (Mean 4.31; SD 3.97). In the adjusted multivariable regression model, adolescents reporting non-farm work status reported an average of 0.77 more neurotoxicity symptoms on the Q16 than those who did not work (P = 0.031). The confounding variables included in the final model were all found to be factors significantly associated with report of neurotoxicity symptoms. Future research should examine the relationship between these variables and self-report of symptoms of neurotoxicity.^

Use of a modified delphi process for establishing occupational exposure limits in support of health surveillance for space travelers

On-orbit exposures can come from numerous factors related to the space environment as evidenced by almost 50 years of environmental samples collected for water analysis, air analysis, radiation analysis, and physiologic parameters. For astronauts and spaceflight participants the occupational exposures can be very different from those experienced by workers performing similar tasks in workplaces on Earth, because the duration of the exposure could be continuous for very long orbital, and eventually interplanetary, missions. The establishment of long-term exposure standards is vital to controlling the quality of the spacecraft environment over long periods. NASA often needs to update and revise its prior exposure standards (Spacecrafts Maximum Allowable Concentrations (SMACs)). Traditional standards-setting processes are often lengthy, so a more rapid method to review and establish standards would be a substantial advancement in this area. This project investigates use of the Delphi method for this purpose. ^ In order to achieve the objectives of this study a modified Delphi methodology was tested in three trials executed by doctoral students and a panel of experts in disciplines related to occupational safety and health. During each test/trial modifications were made to the methodology. Prior to submission of the Delphi Questionnaire to the panel of experts a pilot study/trial was conducted using five doctoral students with the goals of testing and adjusting the Delphi questionnaire to improve comprehension, work out any procedural issues and evaluate the effectiveness of the questionnaire in drawing the desired responses. The remainder of the study consisted of two trials of the Modified Delphi process using 6 chemicals that currently have the potential of causing occupational exposures to NASA astronauts or spaceflight participants. To assist in setting Occupational Exposure Limits (OEL), the expert panel was established consisting of experts from academia, government and industry. Evidence was collected and used to create close-ended questionnaires which were submitted to the Delphi panel of experts for the establishment of OEL values for three chemicals from the list of six originally selected (trial 1). Once the first Delphi trial was completed, adjustments were made to the Delphi questionnaires and the process above was repeated with the remaining 3 chemicals (trial 2). ^ Results indicate that experience in occupational safety and health and with OEL methodologies can have a positive effect in minimizing the time experts take in completing this process. Based on the results of the questionnaires and comparison of the results with the SMAC already established by NASA, we conclude that use of the Delphi methodology is appropriate for use in the decision-making process for the selection of OELs.^

Territorio, ambiente y actores. Aportes metodológicos para la formulación de Códigos urbanos : Caso Paraná, Entre Ríos. Area de la Bajada

El tema central se vincula con el Ordenamiento territorial y su correlato en herramientas y metodologías de intervención y gestión urbanas, desde una visión del saber ambiental. A partir de los conceptos categoriales de territorio, actores y ambiente se propone aportar, por un lado metodologías para la comprensión, explicación y análisis del territorio y sus lugares, por el otro mecanismos de gestión para una normativa basada en la inteligencia territorial. Desde estos conceptos se pretende entonces, realizar una vinculación conceptual y normativa para la gestión sustentable del territorio que logre salvar las diferencias entre el estatismo normativo y la dinámica socio-espacial. El área objeto de estudio, es el aquella denominada aquí Area de La Bajada. Así, para un abordaje integral y conceptual del territorio se trabaja desde lo metodológico con los métodos Territorii y Stlocus. Incluyendo mecanismos participativos, como talleres y encuestas que aporten a la comprensión del territorio real, pensado, legal, vivido y posible, propuestos por Territorii que estructura el proceso de lectura y comprensión del lugar. Por su parte el método Stlocus en su ensamble con Territorii permite indagar y analizar el lugar, desde el reconocimiento de patrones de ocupación del lugar, apropiación territorial y vocaciones. Conceptos que llevarán a incoporar a la normativa categorías y dimensiones de urbanístico-territoriales. Desde lo ambiental, se cree de gran importancia el desarrollo del riesgo (vulnerabilidad + amenazas) como concepto operativo para la obtención de dos objetivos: la inclusión de los actores a la dinámica de gestión y la operativización de acciones ambientales directas sobre el territorio. Finalmente, luego del proceso de comprensión y análisis iniciado se arriba a tres cuestiones fundamentales: los métodos propuestos son herramientas flexibles que aportan a la comprensión del territorio desde conceptos categoriales de espacio se torna fundamental, los actores pueden ser incluidos en esta indagación en cualquier etapa del proceso. Sin embargo, aquí aparece la terca línea fundamental: la participación y la gestión de territorios sustentables. Para ello es necesario iniciar un proceso de gobernanza que logre minimizar los impactos de los procesos distorsivos del mercado mediante un Estado proactivo que regule de manera inclusiva, para reducir al mínimo las diferentes dinámicas entre los cuerpos normativos, y su vinculación directa con el territorio deseado por todos los ciudadanos a través de una normativa urbana con inteligencia territorial

Estudio socio-territorial de la actividad hortícola en el partido de La Plata 1998-2002

El presente trabajo se propone identificar y caracterizar las unidades de análisis espacio-territorial (fracciones censales) de la actividad primaria intensiva, específicamente hortícola, y examinar el peso relativo de la actividad del Partido de La Plata en el contexto provincial y nacional. Se analizan las variables sobre mano de obra, superficie total, superficie cultivada a campo y bajo cubierta, régimen de tenencia de la tierra y componentes tecnológicos. Se examinan y comparan los censos hortícola de la Provincia de Buenos Aires 1998 y Nacional Agropecuario 2002 (CNA02). Los resultados son presentados en tablas, gráficos y mapas temáticos procesados en SIG ArcView.

Profile in occupational counselling and placement and employment services: social policies axis

This paper presents the gestation of a new model of Occupational Counselling, centred in the joint action of State, Third Sector and Private Organizations. Different programmes are identified which involve the treatment of issues related to Labour, Employment and Education within the framework of objectives of social development, community participation and respect for diversity. The data of the investigation make it possible to establish connections between the tasks, professional profiles and professional training of the counsellors who participate in the different programmes.

Estrategias socio-productivas y agricultura familiar : Las nuevas tecnologías y sus implicancias en las relaciones familiares y productivas en una localidad del sur santafesino

El presente artículo pretende aportar algunos conocimientos teóricos y empíricos sobre las profundas transformaciones del sector rural pampeano argentino, donde los cambios tecnológicos han impactado significativamente en la vida cotidiana y productiva como nunca antes en la historia. En particular, se intenta identificar en qué medida la incorporación de nuevas tecnologías y lógicas productivas modificó el tradicional modelo socio-productivo de tipo familiar que primaba entre los pequeños y medianos productores agropecuarios de una localidad del sur de la provincia de Santa Fe (Bigand), donde desde hace varias décadas viene imponiéndose un proceso sostenido de "agriculturización", tecnificación y especialización de su producción primaria agropecuaria en función del monocultivo de soja. Este trabajo argumenta su diseño metodológico en un estudio de casos e intenta transmitir al lector la complejidad y diversidad de estrategias socio-productivas de los casos de explotaciones agropecuarias seleccionadas en su contexto. Las estrategias de los productores agropecuarios, que derivan de la combinación compleja de factores económicos y sociales en cada caso, nos permitieron observar el grado de articulación entre emprendimiento productivo y proyecto familiar, y la incidencia del "factor tecnológico" y del contexto socio-productivo de esta localidad del sur santafesino en cada uno de los mismos

Análisis de las características socio-económico-laborales que interactúan en la PEA Agropecuaria. El área pampeana aledaña a la ciudad de Río Cuarto

El presente trabajo consiste especialmente en un estudio de las variables socio-económico-laborales y sus implicancias territoriales que interactúan en la PEA Agropecuaria, con particular énfasis en la figura de los productores y, en menor medida, en la de los asalariados, en el área rural que rodea a la ciudad de Río Cuarto, correspondiente a un sector territorial representativo de la Región Pampeana. En primer lugar, nos referiremos a la valoración de las magnitudes y fluctuaciones de la PEA Agropecuaria y, en segundo lugar, nos abocaremos específicamente al análisis de las variables socio-económico-laborales de la misma, valiéndonos de la información proveniente de encuestas que realizamos a tal fin. En suma, los objetivos centrales que persigue esta investigación son: destacar las fluctuaciones que ha sufrido en sus magnitudes la PEA Agropecuaria, procesar las características de la estructura familiar de los actores involucrados, calcular la capacidad productiva y de manejo de las explotaciones y analizar el desempeño laboral en sus diversas variantes y matices, entre otros aspectos. Fundamentalmente, este trabajo consiste en un estudio de caso mediante una tarea de campo exhaustiva, a fin de obtener una información de detalle y de vivencia de las realidades socio-territoriales a pequeña escala, que no se puede obtener a nivel de información estadística general.

Estudio socio-territorial de la actividad hortícola en el partido de La Plata 1998-2002

El presente trabajo se propone identificar y caracterizar las unidades de análisis espacio-territorial (fracciones censales) de la actividad primaria intensiva, específicamente hortícola, y examinar el peso relativo de la actividad del Partido de La Plata en el contexto provincial y nacional. Se analizan las variables sobre mano de obra, superficie total, superficie cultivada a campo y bajo cubierta, régimen de tenencia de la tierra y componentes tecnológicos. Se examinan y comparan los censos hortícola de la Provincia de Buenos Aires 1998 y Nacional Agropecuario 2002 (CNA02). Los resultados son presentados en tablas, gráficos y mapas temáticos procesados en SIG ArcView.

Profile in occupational counselling and placement and employment services: social policies axis

This paper presents the gestation of a new model of Occupational Counselling, centred in the joint action of State, Third Sector and Private Organizations. Different programmes are identified which involve the treatment of issues related to Labour, Employment and Education within the framework of objectives of social development, community participation and respect for diversity. The data of the investigation make it possible to establish connections between the tasks, professional profiles and professional training of the counsellors who participate in the different programmes.

Estrategias socio-productivas y agricultura familiar : Las nuevas tecnologías y sus implicancias en las relaciones familiares y productivas en una localidad del sur santafesino

El presente artículo pretende aportar algunos conocimientos teóricos y empíricos sobre las profundas transformaciones del sector rural pampeano argentino, donde los cambios tecnológicos han impactado significativamente en la vida cotidiana y productiva como nunca antes en la historia. En particular, se intenta identificar en qué medida la incorporación de nuevas tecnologías y lógicas productivas modificó el tradicional modelo socio-productivo de tipo familiar que primaba entre los pequeños y medianos productores agropecuarios de una localidad del sur de la provincia de Santa Fe (Bigand), donde desde hace varias décadas viene imponiéndose un proceso sostenido de "agriculturización", tecnificación y especialización de su producción primaria agropecuaria en función del monocultivo de soja. Este trabajo argumenta su diseño metodológico en un estudio de casos e intenta transmitir al lector la complejidad y diversidad de estrategias socio-productivas de los casos de explotaciones agropecuarias seleccionadas en su contexto. Las estrategias de los productores agropecuarios, que derivan de la combinación compleja de factores económicos y sociales en cada caso, nos permitieron observar el grado de articulación entre emprendimiento productivo y proyecto familiar, y la incidencia del "factor tecnológico" y del contexto socio-productivo de esta localidad del sur santafesino en cada uno de los mismos

Análisis de las características socio-económico-laborales que interactúan en la PEA Agropecuaria. El área pampeana aledaña a la ciudad de Río Cuarto

El presente trabajo consiste especialmente en un estudio de las variables socio-económico-laborales y sus implicancias territoriales que interactúan en la PEA Agropecuaria, con particular énfasis en la figura de los productores y, en menor medida, en la de los asalariados, en el área rural que rodea a la ciudad de Río Cuarto, correspondiente a un sector territorial representativo de la Región Pampeana. En primer lugar, nos referiremos a la valoración de las magnitudes y fluctuaciones de la PEA Agropecuaria y, en segundo lugar, nos abocaremos específicamente al análisis de las variables socio-económico-laborales de la misma, valiéndonos de la información proveniente de encuestas que realizamos a tal fin. En suma, los objetivos centrales que persigue esta investigación son: destacar las fluctuaciones que ha sufrido en sus magnitudes la PEA Agropecuaria, procesar las características de la estructura familiar de los actores involucrados, calcular la capacidad productiva y de manejo de las explotaciones y analizar el desempeño laboral en sus diversas variantes y matices, entre otros aspectos. Fundamentalmente, este trabajo consiste en un estudio de caso mediante una tarea de campo exhaustiva, a fin de obtener una información de detalle y de vivencia de las realidades socio-territoriales a pequeña escala, que no se puede obtener a nivel de información estadística general.