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Ascertainment of occupational histories in the working population: the occupational history calendar approach
R C Lilley1, P C Cryer, H M Firth
1Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. rebbecca.lilley@ipru.otago.ac.nz
Background:
self-reported occupational histories are an important means for collecting historical data in epidemiological studies. An occupational history calendar (OHC) has been developed for use alongside a national occupational hazard surveillance tool. This study presents the systematic development of the OHC and compares work histories collected via this calendar to those collected via a traditional questionnaire.
Methods:
the paper describes the systematic development of an OHC for use in the general working population. A comparison of data quality and recall was undertaken in 51 participants where both tools were administered.
Results:
the OHC enhanced job recall compared with the traditional questionnaire. Good agreement in the data captured by both tools was observed, with the exception of hazard exposures.
Conclusions:
a calendar approach is suitable for collecting occupational histories from the general working population. Despite enhancing job recall the OHC approach has some shortcomings outweighing this advantage in large-scale population surveillance.
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