Socioeconomic Status and Lifetime Risk for Workplace Eye Injury Reported by a US Population Aged 50 Years and Over

Abstract

Purpose: To examine whether socioeconomic status, as measured by educational attainment and annual household income, is associated with lifetime risk for workplace eye injury in a large US population.Methods: In analyses of data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (2005–2007, N = 43,510), we used logistic regression analysis and propensity score matching to assess associations between socioeconomic measures and lifetime risk for workplace eye injury among those aged ≥50 years.Results: The lifetime prevalence of self-reported workplace eye injury was significantly higher among men (13.5%) than women (2.6%) (P < 0.001). After adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, eye care insurance, health status, and risk-taking behaviors, men with less than high school education (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 2.24, 95% CI: 1.74–2.87) or high school education (adjusted OR = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.57–2.33) were more likely to report having had a lifetime workplace eye injury than those with more than a high school education. Men with an annual household income <$15,000 were also more likely to report having had a lifetime workplace eye injury than those whose income was >$50,000 (adjusted OR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.07–1.95). After adjusting for other factors, no statistically significant associations between education, income, and lifetime workplace eye injury were found among women.Conclusions: Socioeconomic status was associated with lifetime risk for workplace eye injury among men but not women. Greater public awareness of individual and societal impacts of workplace eye injuries, especially among socioeconomically disadvantaged men, could help support efforts to develop a coordinated prevention strategy to minimize avoidable workplace eye injuries.