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Using O*NET to estimate the association between work exposures and chronic diseases
Allard E Dembe1, Xiaoxi Yao, Thomas M Wickizer
1Center for Health Outcomes, Policy and Evaluation Studies, The Ohio State University, College of Public Health, Columbus, Ohio.
Background:
A standardized process using data from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) is applied to estimate the association between long-term aggregated occupational exposure and the risk of contracting chronic diseases later in life. We demonstrate this process by analyzing relationships between O*NET physical work demand ratings and arthritis onset over a 32-year period.
Methods:
The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth provided job histories and chronic disease data. Five O*NET job descriptors were used as surrogate measures of physical work demands. Logistic regression measured the association between those demands and arthritis occurrence.
Results:
The risk of arthritis was significantly associated with handling and moving objects, kneeling, crouching, and crawling, bending and twisting, working in a cramped or awkward posture, and performing general physical activities.
Conclusion:
This study demonstrates the utility of using O*NET job descriptors to estimate the aggregated long-term risks for osteoarthritis and other chronic diseases when no actual exposure data is available.