Current asthma and asthma-like symptoms among workers at a Veterans Administration Medical Center

Autor: Eileen Storey, Mohammed Abbas Virji, Christa Kallio, Susan Framberg, Laura Kurth, A. S. Laney, Jordan N. Fink
Rok vydání: 2017
Předmět:
Adult
Male
medicine.medical_specialty
Hospitals
Veterans
Health Personnel
Detergents
Convenience sample
Article
Health administration
03 medical and health sciences
Young Adult
0302 clinical medicine
Hospital Administration
immune system diseases
Environmental health
Surveys and Questionnaires
Health care
medicine
Humans
030212 general & internal medicine
Respiratory sounds
Young adult
Respiratory health
Asthma
Aged
Respiratory Sounds
medicine.diagnostic_test
business.industry
Construction Materials
Public Health
Environmental and Occupational Health
Humidity
Middle Aged
medicine.disease
030210 environmental & occupational health
United States
respiratory tract diseases
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
Increased risk
Dyspnea
Cough
Physical therapy
Female
Patient Care
Symptom Assessment
business
Zdroj: International journal of hygiene and environmental health. 220(8)
ISSN: 1618-131X
Popis: Introduction Healthcare workers are at increased risk for respiratory disorders. The purpose of our respiratory health survey was to estimate the prevalence of current asthma and asthma-like symptoms and their association with workplace exposures and tasks among healthcare workers at a Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center. Material and methods Information on respiratory health and work characteristics, including tasks performed, products used, and exposures, were collected by questionnaire from a convenience sample of workers employed at the VA Medical Center during 2012–2014. Associations of asthma and asthma-like symptoms with cleaning and disinfecting tasks and products as well as exposure to dampness and molds, and construction dust were evaluated using log-binomial regression. Results The prevalence of current asthma was 17.6% and almost half of all workers reported asthma-like symptoms. We observed elevated prevalence of current asthma among the VA healthcare workers compared to the U.S. general and working adult populations. Asthma and asthma-like symptoms were significantly associated with mold, dampness, and construction material exposures; cleaning and disinfecting products; and cleaning or disinfecting tasks. Conclusions Workplace exposures and tasks associated with current asthma and asthma-like symptoms were identified but further research is needed to investigate the temporal association between workplace exposures and current asthma and asthma-like symptoms.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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