{"title":"We Should Celebrate, Not Censor, Learning From Epidemiologic History.","authors":"Adam M Finkel","doi":"10.1177/10482911241273628","DOIUrl":"10.1177/10482911241273628","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The controversy over whether repeated head impact (RHI)-a feature of occupations including professional contact sports, military service, firefighting, and logging-can cause the neurodegenerative disease now known as CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) has thrust many positive epidemiologic studies into the spotlight. Various skeptics who dispute that the relationship is strong and causal continue to raise objections to these studies and their interpretation. The arguments these skeptics use remind other observers of many past sagas of \"manufactured doubt,\" particularly the history of attempts to cast doubt on the propensity of tobacco products to cause lung cancer. A recent article in the <i>Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport</i><sup>3</sup> complained that drawing the parallel between RHI and cigarettes is unhelpful, concluding that \"the time for politically motivated analogies has now passed.\" This author disagrees, and explains in detail 2 scientific aspects of risk assessment and management that make the analogy apt and instructive for the future. In particular, I argue that the problem of \"manufactured doubt\" here is two-fold: it relies on various fallacies of reasoning discussed herein, but more importantly, it seeks to divert and delay the utilitarian imperative-while we grope toward the ever-elusive certainty, there are many low-regret actions we can and should take on the basis of persuasive signals of harm.</p>","PeriodicalId":45586,"journal":{"name":"New Solutions-A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":"154-160"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142356074","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
James T Brophy, Margaret M Keith, Michael Hurley, Craig Slatin
{"title":"Running on Empty: Ontario Hospital Workers' Mental Health and Well-Being Deteriorating Under Austerity-Driven System.","authors":"James T Brophy, Margaret M Keith, Michael Hurley, Craig Slatin","doi":"10.1177/10482911241267347","DOIUrl":"10.1177/10482911241267347","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The well-being of health care workers (HCWs) and the public in Ontario, Canada is at risk as the province's health care system is strained by neoliberal restructuring and an aging population. Deteriorating working conditions that preceded the COVID-19 pandemic further declined as the added challenges took their toll on the work force, physically and mentally. The pandemic-weary hospital staff, predominantly women, many racialized, are facing unprecedented challenges. They are experiencing stress, anxiety, and burnout from staffing shortages and the resulting increased workloads, long hours, and violence. Comprehensive telephone interviews were conducted with 26 HCWs from less highly paid occupations in a range of hospitals across the province. Thematic analysis reveals a critical need for policies and legislation ensuring increased funding, hospital capacity, and reduced wait times while providing HCWs with fair and equitable wages, increased staffing, mental health supports, greater respect and acknowledgment, and strong protections from violence and other workplace hazards.</p>","PeriodicalId":45586,"journal":{"name":"New Solutions-A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":"182-197"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141903186","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michael Chidera Ofonedu, Jodi J Frey, Orrin D Ware, Kathleen Hoke, Clifford S Mitchell, Marianne Cloeren
{"title":"Improving Identification of Gig Workers in National Health and Behavior Surveys.","authors":"Michael Chidera Ofonedu, Jodi J Frey, Orrin D Ware, Kathleen Hoke, Clifford S Mitchell, Marianne Cloeren","doi":"10.1177/10482911241269313","DOIUrl":"10.1177/10482911241269313","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This paper describes the work-related information collected in several important U.S. national health and behavior surveys, to highlight data gaps that prevent identifying responses by vulnerable workers in the gig economy, with emphasis on the growing digital platform sector of the work force. The national information systems used to understand health status and health behaviors, including drug use, rely on outdated census categories for self-employed workers. This paper describes the importance of understanding the needs of this growing part of the labor sector and describes how some of the most well-known and utilized national surveys fail to meet this need. For the agencies conducting national health and behavior surveys, we propose revisions to the categories used to classify type of worker and recommend adoption of a new Worker-Employer Relationship Classification model.</p>","PeriodicalId":45586,"journal":{"name":"New Solutions-A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":"172-181"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141907963","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alina McIntyre, Leila Heidari, Michael Hagen, Roseann Bongiovanni, Bianca Navarro Bowman, Patricia Fabian, Patrick Kinney, Madeleine Kangsen Scammell
{"title":"Extreme Heat and Air Quality: Community Leader Perspectives on Information Barriers and Opportunities in Two Environmental Justice Communities.","authors":"Alina McIntyre, Leila Heidari, Michael Hagen, Roseann Bongiovanni, Bianca Navarro Bowman, Patricia Fabian, Patrick Kinney, Madeleine Kangsen Scammell","doi":"10.1177/10482911241290557","DOIUrl":"10.1177/10482911241290557","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Extreme heat and air pollution exposure are leading causes of adverse cardiorespiratory health outcomes. Exposure reduction strategies are often focused at the local level. This study examined critical challenges community leaders face in understanding and sharing environmental exposure and health information. We conducted interviews with 19 community leaders of two urban environmental justice communities in Massachusetts, United States. Using directed content analysis, we examined air quality and heat perceptions, information and data resources, and barriers to understanding and communicating relevant local information. Participants shared concerns about both poor air quality and extreme heat. They also expressed the opinion that exposure risk information about these topics is siloed; heat and air quality data can be hard to access, interpret, and effectively communicate with community members. Solutions recommended by participants included community engagement, open-data portals, and creative science communication. Increasing sustainable collaborations among academic, government, healthcare, and nonprofit sectors is recommended.</p>","PeriodicalId":45586,"journal":{"name":"New Solutions-A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":"10482911241290557"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142510128","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jin Young Seo, Inkyu Han, Elaine Au, Anqi Li, Chestine Tomas, Ying-Yu Chao
{"title":"Evaluating Occupational Workforce and Practices in New York Metropolitan Nail Salons.","authors":"Jin Young Seo, Inkyu Han, Elaine Au, Anqi Li, Chestine Tomas, Ying-Yu Chao","doi":"10.1177/10482911241290554","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10482911241290554","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study investigated workforce characteristics, work practices, protective measures, and health symptoms among nail salon workers in New York and New Jersey following the implementation of local exhaust ventilation (LEV) regulations in New York. An online survey conducted from 2022 to 2023 targeted registered nail salons and manicurists in both states (<i>N</i> = 146). The majority of respondents were Asian, primarily Korean (52.1%) and Chinese (26%). In New York, 79% of salons had a mechanical ventilation system, including LEV, while in New Jersey, where no ventilation regulation exists, only 52% of nail salons had mechanical ventilation systems. A substantial proportion of manicurists reported health-related concerns (40.5%) and symptoms related to chemical exposure (67.6%). The study emphasizes the need for continuous and improved illness prevention strategies, including the use of safer products, comprehensive health and safety training, and effective ventilation practices, to better protect nail salon workers.</p>","PeriodicalId":45586,"journal":{"name":"New Solutions-A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":"10482911241290554"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142477257","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Holly Blake, Vinishaa Premakumar, Abishaa Premakumar, Aaron Fecowycz, Sala Kamkosi Khulumula, Wendy Jones, Sarah Somerset
{"title":"A Qualitative Study of the Views of Ethnic Minority Healthcare Workers Towards COVID-19 Vaccine Education (CoVE) to Support Vaccine Promotion and Uptake","authors":"Holly Blake, Vinishaa Premakumar, Abishaa Premakumar, Aaron Fecowycz, Sala Kamkosi Khulumula, Wendy Jones, Sarah Somerset","doi":"10.1177/10482911241273914","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10482911241273914","url":null,"abstract":"Ethnic minority healthcare workers (EMHCW) are at high risk of COVID-19 infection and adverse health outcomes, but vaccine uptake is low among ethnic minority communities, including EMHCW. We explored the views of EMHCW towards COVID-19 Vaccine Education (CoVE), a digital training resource to improve knowledge and confidence for promoting the COVID-19 vaccine. Thirty EMHCW completed CoVE, then participated in a semi-structured qualitative interview. Principles of framework analysis were used to deductively analyse data using concepts from the Kirkpatrick New World Model of training evaluation. CoVE was viewed to be engaging, accessible and relevant to EMHCW. This training increased EMHCW perceived knowledge and confidence to provide evidence-based information to others, dispel myths, and reduce vaccine hesitancy. Participants reported changes in vaccine promotion behaviours and vaccine uptake. CoVE could be used to help improve vaccine literacy among EMHCW, enhance health communications about vaccines, and ultimately help facilitate uptake of occupational vaccination programs.","PeriodicalId":45586,"journal":{"name":"New Solutions-A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142260588","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"How Advocates Can Use the Revised Circular A-4 Means to Push for Stronger Worker and Environmental Protections","authors":"James Goodwin","doi":"10.1177/10482911241273603","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10482911241273603","url":null,"abstract":"For public interest advocates engaged on issues of worker health and safety and environmental protections, regulatory cost–benefit analysis has long been seen as an obstacle to meaningful progress. In November 2023, the Biden administration overhauled Circular A-4, which provides guidance to agencies on how to perform cost–benefit analyses for their rules. The reforms seek to make cost–benefit analysis less biased against worker safety, public health, environmental, and other protective safeguards. As such, the new version of Circular A-4 offers important new levers to agencies to justify more stringent protections. By extension, those in the public interest community can use agency implementation of the new Circular A-4 as part of their advocacy efforts for specific rules they are tracking. This article seeks to support this tactic by providing a roadmap for advocates on how to incorporate into their comments critiques of agencies’ cost–benefit analyses based on the Circular A-4 revisions.","PeriodicalId":45586,"journal":{"name":"New Solutions-A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy","volume":"149 1","pages":"10482911241273603"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142211401","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Occupational Disease in New York State: The Political Economic Context.","authors":"Michael Lax","doi":"10.1177/10482911241260404","DOIUrl":"10.1177/10482911241260404","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In 1987 Landrigan and Markowitz co-authored a report entitled \"Occupational Disease in New York State.\" They found that death and illness from occupational disease were common and that the costs of exposure to hazardous conditions warranted public funding for new occupational health infrastructure in New York State. A recent confirmatory report recognized a wider spectrum of contemporary hazards and emphasized how public health problems connect to work. These reports provide factual snapshots at 2 points in time, but they do not explain nor analyze the changing conditions they describe. Including macro-contexts such as globalization, financialization, and neoliberalism, this article demonstrates several unique occupational safety and health implications by clarifying key themes related to the state's role, especially regulation and healthcare delivery systems. Conclusions directly tie the trajectory of occupational disease to workers' collective ability to confront and roll back neoliberalism while pushing occupational disease out of its medical/science silo.</p>","PeriodicalId":45586,"journal":{"name":"New Solutions-A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":"95-111"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141753082","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bahram Armoon, Parisa Hosseini Koukamari, Mohammad Reza Rouhani, Leila Gharegozloo, Mahmood Karimy, Anthony Coetzer-Liversage
{"title":"Comparison of Quality of Life and Coping Strategies among Firefighters and Emergency Medical Services Personnel in Saveh, Iran.","authors":"Bahram Armoon, Parisa Hosseini Koukamari, Mohammad Reza Rouhani, Leila Gharegozloo, Mahmood Karimy, Anthony Coetzer-Liversage","doi":"10.1177/10482911241258256","DOIUrl":"10.1177/10482911241258256","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Emergency medical service (EMS) personnel and firefighters (FFs) are first responders in dangerous and stressful situations. They experience high stress due to the nature of their jobs, which can affect their quality of life and various health dimensions. This study aimed to compare quality of life, job stress, and coping strategies in a sample of EMS personnel and FF employees in Iran. This cross-sectional study included 186 FFs and EMS, who were selected using a census sampling method. Our results showed that FFs had a better quality of life, lower perceived stress, and better coping skills than EMS. Individuals living in rural areas, government officials, and staff with regular work shifts also reported less perceived stress. Furthermore, our results indicated a negative and significant correlation between perceived stress and quality of life and a positive and significant correlation between stress management and quality of life in both groups. Given the inevitability of stress in EMS and FF jobs, policymakers need to take interventional measures to reduce anxiety and enhance the quality of life and work for these personnel. Occupational health policies in Iran generally follow the International Labor Organizational recommended standards, however, more attention to managerial interventions that reduce job demands and job stress combined with health promotion programs to improve coping are advised.</p>","PeriodicalId":45586,"journal":{"name":"New Solutions-A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":"120-132"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141761565","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sanya Wadhwa, Yamna Taouk, Matthew J Spittal, Tania King
{"title":"Workplace Injury Compensation and Mental Health and Self-Harm Outcomes: A Systematic Review.","authors":"Sanya Wadhwa, Yamna Taouk, Matthew J Spittal, Tania King","doi":"10.1177/10482911241254836","DOIUrl":"10.1177/10482911241254836","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Workers' compensation systems aim to financially support injured workers. However, seeking compensation often leads to poorer physical and mental health outcomes. This review examines previous studies to investigate the relationship between workers' compensation and mental health and self-harm outcomes. A three-tiered search strategy across five databases identified studies that examined workers' compensation claims as an exposure or risk factor, with outcomes related to mental health, self-harm and suicidality. Nine full-text studies were included; however, heterogeneity limited generalizability. Most studies supported an association between pursuing compensation and poorer mental health and self-harm outcomes. Some studies attributed this to specific aspects of the system such as justice perception and navigation of the claims system. Findings suggest an association between workers' compensation and mental health or self-harm outcomes. Inconclusive findings highlight the need for further research. Understanding the psychiatric impacts of pursuing compensation is crucial to help formulate a more accessible compensation system.</p>","PeriodicalId":45586,"journal":{"name":"New Solutions-A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":"71-82"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11331669/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141064950","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}