Occupation and Industry Data Quality Among Select Notifiable Conditions in Washington State

Area of Science:

• Public Health Surveillance
• Occupational Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Occupation and industry data are vital for understanding disease transmission patterns.
• Effective public health investigations rely on accurate occupational data for prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the completeness and quality of occupation and industry data for notifiable conditions in Washington.
• To identify areas for improvement in current public health data collection efforts.

Main Methods:

• Evaluation of occupation and industry data for 11 notifiable conditions in Washington (2019-2021).
• Inclusion of confirmed cases among working-age adults (16-64 years).
• Analysis of data completeness, quality, and coding challenges.

Main Results:

• Only one-third of cases aged 16-64 years reported employment status.
• Among employed cases, 91.5% had occupation data, but only 30.5% had industry data.
• Common responses like "self-employed" and general industry terms ("health care," "technology") were uncodable, limiting analysis.

Conclusions:

• Routine collection of informative occupation and industry data is insufficient for working-age adults in Washington.
• Improved data collection methods are needed to enhance the quality and utility of occupational health information.
• Addressing data gaps is essential for effective disease surveillance and prevention strategies.