Labor Occupations Research Articles

Manual labor occupations increase the short-term incidence of knee osteoarthritis in japanese, but not caucasian subjects

s / Osteoarthritis and Cartilage 22 (2014) S57–S489 S398 matrix remodeling process induced by an inflammatory microenvironment suggested by the presence of synovial hypervascularization. Figure 1. Prolidase protein expression: A) Hipertrophy synovial of patient with OA B) Normal synovium 710 MANUAL LABOR OCCUPATIONS INCREASE THE SHORT-TERM INCIDENCE OF KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS IN JAPANESE, BUT NOT CAUCASIAN SUBJECTS K.M. Leyland y, M.T. Sanchez-Santos y, S. Muraki z, A. Judge y, T.D. Spector x, D.J. Hart x, J. Newton y, C. Cooper ky, N. Yoshimura z, N.K. Arden yk. yUniv. of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; zUniv. of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan; x St. Thomas’ Hosp., London, United Kingdom; kUniv. of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom Purpose: To determine the interacting role of occupation and obesity on the risk of incident knee osteoarthritis (OA) among Caucasian and Japanese women. Methods: We used data from women in two prospective communitybased cohorts, the UK based Chingford study and the Japanese Research on Osteoarthritis/osteoporosis Against Disability (ROAD) study. Incident radiographic knee osteoarthritis (RKOA) was defined as having Kellgren and Lawrence (K/L) grade 0 or 1 in both knees at baseline and a K/L grade 2 or greater at follow up. Follow-up x-rays were taken after a median of 4 years after baseline for Chingford and 3 years in ROAD. The cut-off for a normal BMI was 25 kg/m2 for the Caucasian subjects and 23 kg/m2 for the Japanese subjects. Occupation was divided into manual versus non-manual (i.e. sedentary/moderate activity) for both populations based on self-assessment. Multivariable logistic regression models assessed of risk of obesity, occupation and their interaction on incident RKOA, controlling for age, hand grip strength, walking distance, smoking and alcohol intake. Results: 12.4% of Caucasian and 14.5% of Japanese women developed incident RKOA in at least one knee. Being overweight/obese was associated with an increased risk of incident RKOA in both populations (Caucasian OR 1.7 [95% CI 1.0, 2.8]; Japanese OR 2.5 [95% CI 1.3, 4.9]), however having a manual labour occupation was only significantly associated with incident RKOA in the Japanese subjects (OR 2.8 [95% CI 1.3, 5.8]). No significant interaction between BMI category and occupation was found for either population (Chingford p1⁄40.070; ROAD p1⁄40.291), however the Japanese population showed a slight increase in risk for manual labour occupations in the overweight/obese category Table 1 Profile of Participants by presence or absence of back pain

The Concept of Rights and Protection to Employees: A Comparative Overview

While it is the duty of the to work according to their terms of reference, it is also an undeniable fact that the employers have a corresponding responsibility to provide adequate protection to their employees. Protection to employee and their rights are clearly embedded under Articles 23 and 24 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR: 23-24). Article 23 provides that everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment. Employees under the same Article has been accorded without discrimination, the right of equal pay for equal work and in terms of remuneration worthy of human dignity supplemented if necessary by other means of social protection. Article 24 provides that have the right to rest and leisure, including limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay. All these provisions are not new under the Islam. This article will attempt to elucidate that the concept of rights and protection that is accorded to under the civil law structure have long been enjoined by the Shari'ah.Concept and Framework of Employment Under the Civil LawLaws governing employees' rights and protection in Malaysia can be found under the Employment Act 1955, Industrial Relations Act 1967, Employees Social Security Act 1969, Employees Provident Fund Act 1991, Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 and Trade Unions Act 1959. An employee is defined under Section 2 of the Employment Act (Law of Malaysia, act 265) as any person or class of persons (a) included in category in the First Schedule to the extent specified therein; or (b) in respect of whom the Minister makes an order under subsection (3) or section 2A. In the situation where an offer of employment is made by an employer to a prospective employee, the said offer being duly accepted by such person or persons, the laws governing the relationship between an employee and employer commences.The Employment Act 1955 basically regulates the contract of service of an employment contract in the private sector by laying down the basic and minimum terms and conditions of the employment contract, setting out work, weekly rest day, public holidays, annual, medical and maternity leave as well as termination and lay off benefits. It must, however, be observed that the said Act applies only to those with earning not in excess of RM1500 per month or for those who are in the manual labor occupation (Act 265: 2{1}) . The Industrial Relations Act 1967, unlike the Employment Act 1955, offers a wider scope of application. It applies to all be it from the private or the public sector as defined under Article 132 of the Malaysian Federal Constitution and no limit is imposed in regards to the type of occupation.Concept and Framework of Employment Under the ShariahUnder the Shari'ah there exist no regulations on employment in a codified manner. Basically, all issues were attended through the divine revelation of the Quran and Sunnah. Thus, the need to have codified employment laws did not arise then. Employment were relied upon the principle of 'ubudiyyah (total submission to Allah), mas'uliyyah (accountability) and itqan ( determination). Based on these principles the people were taught that the main purpose of employment apart from earning livelihood, was to seek the pleasure of Allah. The main objective of the employees was to seek the pleasure of Allah which was enjoined by Allah in Surah al-Dzariyyat verse 56 which provides that I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me. With this direction in mind, the have the responsibility to work with sincerity and not to enter into wrongful personal gains in discharging their duties and be fully aware that they will accountable for their acts. Allah has promised rewards for goodness and punishment for wrongful acts be held in this world or the hereafter. …

One‐year incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome in Latino poultry processing workers and other Latino manual workers

To determine the incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) over 1 year in Latino poultry processing workers. Symptoms and nerve conduction studies were used to identify Latino poultry processing workers (106 wrists) and Latinos in other manual labor occupations (257 wrists) that did not have CTS at baseline, and these individuals were then evaluated in the same manner 1 year later. Based on wrists, the 1-year incidence of CTS was higher in poultry processing workers than non-poultry manual workers (19.8% vs. 11.7%, P = 0.022). Poultry workers had a higher odds (1.89; P = 0.089) of developing CTS over 1 year compared to non-poultry manual workers. Latino poultry processing workers have an incidence of CTS that is possibly higher than Latinos in other manual labor positions. Latino poultry workers' high absolute and relative risk of CTS likely results from the repetitive and strenuous nature of poultry processing work.

Post Partum Depression among Rajbansi Women in Nepal

This is a cross-sectional and descriptive study which uncovered and described Postpartum Depression and its contributing factors among Rajbansi mothers in Nepal. Methodology: quantitative tools semi-structured questionnaires, check lists used covering 375 samples of Morang, Jhapa and Sunsari districts of Nepal. Findings: Prevalence of Postpartum Depression (PPD) was 12.27% in Rajbansi mothers. PPD was associated with sleeplessness (p= <0.0001) in the study. Mental stress was associated with sleeplessness (p= <0.0001). Habit of alcohol use by husband was associated with sleeplessness in wife or mothers (p= <0.0001). Habit of tobacco use or smoking by husband was associated with sleeplessness in wife or mothers (p= 0.005). Conclusion: Economic conditions, education, habits of husband were associated with mental stress in mothers and mental stress in mothers was also associated with Postpartum Depression of mothers in Rajbansi was statistically significant. Mothers with labour occupation or very poor, uneducated and those wives of alcohol taking and smoking husbands were vulnerable to PPD. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/researcher.v1i1.8374 Researcher: A Research Journal of Culture and Society Vol.1(1) 2013

Seroepidemiology ofHelicobacter pyloriInfection in Tepehuanos Aged 15 Years and Older in Durango, Mexico

This study aimed to determine the seroepidemiology of Helicobacter pylori infection in Tepehuanos (an indigenous ethnic group living in rural Mexico). The prevalence of anti-Helicobacter pylori IgG antibodies was examined in 156 Tepehuanos in Durango State, Mexico, using an enzyme-linked immunoassay. In addition, sociodemographic, clinical, and behavioral characteristics of Tepehuanos associated with seropositivity were investigated. In total, 103 (66%) of the 156 participants (mean age 31.03 ± 16.71 years) had Helicobacter pylori IgG antibodies. Fifty-four (52.4%) of the 103 seropositive individuals had Helicobacter pylori IgG antibody levels higher than 100 U/mL. Males and females had comparable seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection and Helicobacter pylori IgG antibody levels. The seroprevalence was significantly higher in women with pregnancies than those without this obstetric characteristic. Logistic regression showed that Helicobacter pylori infection was positively associated with low education (OR = 3.37; 95% CI: 1.13–10.00; P = 0.02) and laborer occupation (OR = 2.71; 95% CI: 1.14–6.42; P = 0.02). This is the first report of seroprevalence and contributing factors for Helicobacter pylori infection in Tepehuanos and of the association of Helicobacter pylori infection with laborer occupation. Results warrants further research.

Ethnicized social outskirts

The reigning view within politics and media is that national and particularly ethnic origin – the "other" and "foreign" cultural background – might provide an explanation for the failure of "successful integration" from parts of the immigrant population. In the following article, I present a different hypothesis: namely, that the marginalization of third-country nationals and immigrants from the new EU member countries in Austria is due primarily to social exclusion by the host society. Indicators on education and the utilization of education, participation in the labour force, unemployment and occupation and housing conditions, as well as poverty as a key indicator provide evidence to this effect. It would thus appear that the public debate on ethnicity and cultural barriers to integration largely serves to camouflage social inequality and discrimination.

Adult Tobacco Cessation in Cambodia

This study determined factors associated with quitting tobacco in Cambodia, a country with a high prevalence of men who smoke and women who use smokeless tobacco. As part of a nationwide survey, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 5145 current and 447 former tobacco users who had quit for ≥ 2 years. Determinants of quitting in multivariate analyses were age >48 years, age at initiation >25 years, ≥ 7 years of education, income ≥ 1 US dollar per day, professional (odds ratio [OR] = 2.52; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.27-5.01) or labor (OR = 1.98, 95% CI = 1.10-3.56) occupations, and heart disease (OR = 1.94; 95% CI = 1.10, 3.42). Smokeless tobacco users were 10-fold less likely to quit (OR = 0.10; 95% = CI 0.05-0.20) than smokers. In conclusion, tobacco cessation among Cambodians was lower than in nations with decades of comprehensive tobacco control policies. Tobacco cessation programs and policies should include all forms of tobacco and target young to middle-aged users before onset of disease and premature death.

Black Women's Labor and the Melodrama of Class Mobility in Sutton Griggs's Overshadowed

May the work I've done for me , May the work I've done for me , When I'm resting in my grave, there is nothing that can be said , May the work I've done for me . --African American spiritual (1) For the past two decades, scholarship in class studies has traced the literary representation of work in Gilded Age America. (2) As scholars note, struggles over the modes and compensations of labor often emerged through the pages of late nineteenth-century newspapers, religious tracts, and novels, as writers vied for cultural influence to shape readers' sentiments toward work and class. Yet studies seldom have examined how African American writers contributed to these literary mediations of work. As Carla Peterson has observed, this inattention to black labor reflects scholars' privileging of certain interpretive paradigms to the exclusion of others. as well as a narrow focus on only the most canonical postbellum black texts (104). (3) For example, well-known authors Frances E. W. Harper, Pauline Hopkins, and Charles W. Chesnutt all wrote about the relation between labor conditions and black advancement in their lesser-known fiction, speeches and essays; however, these authors' most frequently studied novels--Iola Leroy (1892), Contending Forces (1900), and The Marrow of Tradition (1901), respectively--belie the writers' fuller engagement with labor issues. (4) In order to recover the discourse of labor in African American literary history, this essay builds upon Peterson's observations by examining a little-studied black narrative whose focus is on work, Sutton E. Griggs's second novel, Overshadowed (1901). The novel's title has unintentionally prophesied its critical neglect. Even as scholars including Arlene Elder, Wilson Jeremiah Moses, and Finnie Coleman have aimed to restore attention to the author's oeuvre, Griggs's second novel is overshadowed by critical attention to his first, Imperium in Imperio (1899). (5) In each of his five novels, published between 1899 and 1908, as well as his nonfiction social theory, Griggs (1872-1933) highlights how African Americans pursue and interpret their work, particularly within racially proscribed labor markets. (6) Yet Overshadowed places work at its center by following Erma and John Wysong, siblings who must forego their life of relative comfort to seek self-sustaining work after their parents' death. Focusing primarily on Erma's precarious work conditions as a black female laborer, the novel features African Americans performing a range of domestic service, self-employment, homemaking, industrial work, imprisoned labor, and professional occupations. As African Americans determine the extent to which their labor can speak for them in shaping their identities, the novel refutes the stigma of physical labor (industrial, service, and manual) to further affirm the work ethic. Yet the text ultimately notes how white prejudice and black intraracial class tensions often inhibit advancement by even the most diligent black workers. Though Griggs's melodramatic novels often have been dismissed as artistically flawed, I argue that in Overshadowed, melodramatic form productively aligns with the novel's thematic focus on labor and class mobility. (7) Characterized by stark changes in characters' social positions, emotional excess and trauma, and life-altering moral choices, melodrama demonstrates the extreme possibilities of an individual's fate. As such, melodrama's multiclimactic narrative structure simulates the serial, sudden reversals of fortune that may occur for workers in an unstable job market, especially for African American female workers facing hiring discrimination, sexual vulnerability, and other unfavorable conditions related to employment. In elucidating how melodrama conveys the exigencies of black women's labor, I draw on Peter Brooks's analysis of the genre as primarily concerned with establishing virtue through trials: The reward of virtue . …

Black-White Disparities in Life Expectancy: How Much Can the Standard SES Variables Explain?

This article quantifies the extent to which socioeconomic and demographic characteristics can account for black-white disparities in life expectancy in the United States. Although many studies have investigated the linkages between race, socioeconomic status, and mortality, this article is the first to measure how much of the life expectancy gap remains after differences in mortality are purged of the compositional differences in socioeconomic characteristics between blacks and whites. The decomposition is facilitated by a reweighting technique that creates counterfactual estimation samples in which the distribution of income, education, employment and occupation, marital status, and other theoretically relevant variables among blacks is made to match the distribution of these variables among whites. For males, 80% of the black-white gap in life expectancy at age 1 can be accounted for by differences in socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. For females, 70% percent of the gap is accounted for. Labor force participation, occupation, and (among women only) marital status have almost no additional power to explain the black-white disparity in life expectancy after precise measures for income and education are controlled for.

The Labor of a Lifetime?

The structural aging of the population and withdrawal of older people from the labor force have become common themes within Western social policy discourse and have particular relevance to policy development around health and aging. The current study examines whether particular occupation types are associated with both poor health and an increased likelihood of labor force exit. Longitudinal data are used to examine workforce participation among older Australians (aged between 55 and 64, in 2002). Older workers in trades, labor, and production occupations, the majority of whom are men, have poorer general health than their counterparts in other occupations and are also the most likely to exit the workforce. These findings suggest that a number of older men in Australia (and, indeed, elsewhere) may face both poor health and limited employment opportunities in areas that match their abilities and experience. These individuals may experience a number of years out of the labor force, highlighting a role for targeted policies and programs.

Occupational Crowding by Race in the Pacific Northwest: A Comparative Study of Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington

In a classic study of racial segregation within the US labor force entitled “The Effect on White Incomes of Discrimination in Employment.” economist Barbara Bergmann, found that Black men were more concentrated in laborer and low skill occupations than their white counterparts and virtually excluded from high status occupations (Bergmann. 1971). In a follow up study “Revisiting Occupational Crowding in the United States: A Preliminary Study “ Gibson, Darity and Myers found similarly high levels of occupational crowding in some blue-collar occupations, high levels of gender segregation in the occupational distribution and under-representation of Blacks in high status/wage occupations. Gibson, et al used regional data from the 1990 US Census to analyze occupational crowding among 59 occupations in Detroit, Michigan and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The regional focus captures many of the localized aspects of each region’s labor market that are obscured with national level data. This study builds upon the previous two by utilizing the same crowding index and similar regional data to evaluate Black occupational patterns in Portland, Oregon and the Seattle, Washington in 2000. This study finds that occupational segregation persists in the new millennium, as there were similarly high levels of occupational in some blue collar occupations, high degrees of occupational sex segregation and underrepresentation of Blacks in high wage/status occupations in both Portland and Seattle. However, Black men and women in Seattle had significantly higher levels of representation in healthcare and clerical occupations. Black men in Portland were slightly better represented in skilled crafts occupations than Black men in Seattle. Faculty Mentor: Karen J. Gibson

Taking advantage of the 2010 population census round to strengthen the global evidence base on the health workforce

There is an increasing body of evidence of a strong correlation between the density of trained health workers in a country and improved population health outcomes. Yet many countries lack sufficient numbers and equitable distribution of skilled health workers to deliver essential health interventions, such as immunization and skilled attendance at delivery. The World Health Organization estimates that there are 57 countries, mostly located in sub-Saharan Africa, with crisislevel shortages of doctors, nurses, midwives and other health workers (WHO, 2006). An increasing number of stakeholders – including international and national agencies, non-governmental organizations and the general public – have become sensitive to the importance of planning, developing and strengthening the health workforce in order to meet national and global health and development goals, including the healthrelated Millennium Development Goals. With only five years left until the 2015 deadline to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, 2010 presents a critical opportunity for action to increase investment and support to countries to strengthen their health systems, including their health workforce, to deliver primary health services. Despite the undoubted importance of monitoring the health workforce and impacts on population health outcomes, the empirical evidence to support policy formulation is often fragmented. Many sources can potentially produce information relevant to this issue but remain underused in health research, especially among lowand middleincome countries. Falling into this category are national population censuses. Population censuses with questions on labour force activity and occupation can be a key source for statistics describing the health workforce, providing a comprehensive snapshot of the stock and distribution of health workers in a country (GUPTA et al., 2003; LAVALLEE, et al., 2009). However there are few (if any) documented experiences of health sector planners, managers and policy-makers capitalizing on this resource to inform decision making. In most cases, ministries of health rely exclusively on administrative data sources such as facility staffing records and registries of professional regulatory bodies. While these sources offer many advantages compared to populationbased sources, including being locally available and generally easy to use among non-specialist audiences, having and using a range of data from different sources can help present a fuller picture and minimize the risk of making decisions based on statistics that are incomplete or biased (ABOUZAHR et al., 2007). In Brazil, like many other countries, population censuses are conducted about once every ten years. The last census for which data are currently available, conducted in the year 2000, included questions on occupation among household members of age of economic activity. The coding of responses, as mapped to the national classification of occupations, allowed for statistical delineation and analysis of those with a health-related occupation, such as medical doctors, nutritionists and nursing auxiliaries. As in many other countries, the national classification holds as reference the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO).

Associations of Job Strain and Occupation with Subclinical Atherosclerosis: The CARDIA Study

Although occupational factors have been associated with symptomatic ischemic heart disease, associations between job strain (low decision latitude and high psychological demands) and risk for subclinical atherosclerosis measured by coronary artery calcium (CAC) have not been assessed. CAC was measured in 3695 participants in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study in 2000 to 2001 and 2005 to 2006. Job characteristics measured by the demand-control model (psychological demands and decision latitude) were assessed in 1987 to 1988 and in 1995 to 1996. Associations between non-zero CAC and previous job characteristics and occupation were assessed, adjusting for potential covariates. Low decision latitude, high psychological demands, and job strain at either earlier examination were not associated with a positive CAC, nor were changes in the status of these job characteristics between 1987/1988 and 1995/1996. However, participants whose jobs were classified as managerial or professional in 1995/1996 were less likely to have a positive CAC than those in laborer occupations. Job strain measured at two earlier time points was not related to the presence of CAC at follow-up 5 to 18 years later. The association between earlier occupation and CAC may reflect socioeconomic differences or other occupational, industrial, or labor market characteristics.

Unveiling the United States Acupuncture Workforce

Acupuncture was first legalized in Maryland in 1973. By the end of 2009, regulatory legislation had passed in all but six states. The growth of acupuncture is most commonly measured by its well-documented demand as a treatment modality and the rapid increase in the number of licensees. Much less documented is a puzzling stagnation in work opportunities and income. As many as half of all licensees, on graduation and licensure, may be unable to support themselves by working in their chosen profession. However, unlike other well-established complementary and alternative health professions, such as chiropractic and massage, acupuncture is conspicuously absent from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics occupations manual, with only a handful of secondary and incomplete studies available, which together provide an inexact picture of the workforce. In this article, the authors review seven reports that provide limited information including hours worked, income, and practice type. Although data from these published articles are not standard, it can be reasonably concluded from the available information that, over the past decade, 50% of the licensed acupuncture (LAc) workforce is working less than 30 hr weekly; 50% are earning less than $50,000 on average; and the number of LAcs working independently in practice, either in their own office or sharing one, has increased from approximately 75% to 90%. Suggestions are presented for conducting a much needed comprehensive analysis of the acupuncture workforce.

Lifespan influences on mid- to late-life cognitive function in a Chinese birth cohort

To explore factors throughout the lifespan that influence cognition in midlife to late life. We conducted a retrospective birth cohort study of 2,062 individuals born during 1921-1954 in Beijing, China. In 2003-2005, birth records were abstracted, and participants then 50-82 years old received standardized examinations for health, cognition, and socio-environmental measures. Using cumulative logit models, we assessed adjusted relative effects of prenatal, early life, and adult factors on mid- to late-life cognition. Most prenatal factors were associated with mid- to late-life cognition in the unadjusted models. However, when childhood and adult factors were sequentially added to the models, the impact of prenatal factors showed successive attenuation in effect size, and became insignificant. In contrast, early life factors remained significantly associated with mid- to late-life cognition even after full life-course adjustments. Specifically, those whose fathers had laborer vs professional occupations (odds ratio [OR](Laborer) 1.74; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.25-2.42) had poorer cognitive outcomes, while individuals who drank milk daily in childhood (OR 0.65; 95% CI: 0.54-0.80), had more years of education (OR(10-12 years) 0.60; 95% CI: 0.45-0.81; OR(13+ yrs) 0.29; 95% CI: 0.23-0.38), and were taller adults (OR(height > or = SD) 0.65; 95% CI: 0.49-0.86) had better cognition. The high prenatal risk infants had similar patterns with a trend toward a stronger association between cognition and socioenvironmental factors. Mid- to late-life cognition is influenced by factors over the entire lifespan with the greatest impact coming from early life exposures. Nutrition, education, social, and family environment in early life may have a long-term impact on cognition in developing countries.

Worker's compensation and return-to-work following orthopaedic injury to extremities

To explore the influence of workers' compensation coverage on injury patterns and return-to-work outcome in orthopaedic injuries of the extremities. Prospective and follow-up study. A total of 154 subjects were recruited and 37.7% of the injuries were covered by workers' compensation. Baseline data were obtained by questionnaire and chart review. The main outcome variable was time of first return to work. Subjects were followed up at 1, 3 and 6 months after initial interview. Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyse associations between potential predictors and return-to-work. The workers' compensation group were most likely to be men employed in labour occupations and were most likely to sustain crushing injuries, or injuries from being struck by objects. The 6-month return-to-work rates for the workers' compensation and non-workers' compensation groups were 70.7% and 71.9%. Early return-to-work was associated with more years in higher education, and increased self-efficacy in both groups. Moreover, age older than 45 years and hospitalization less than 14 days were associated with early return-to-work in the non-workers' compensation group. The injury patterns of workers' compensation and non-workers' compensation groups differed, but the likelihood of return-to-work at 6-month follow-up was similar. More years of education and self-efficacy were positive predictors of return-to-work.

Correlates of the immunization status of children in an urban slum of Delhi

Background: This was a community-based, observational, cross-sectional study to determine the immunization status of children living in slums in the 26 blocks of Sangam Vihar and 4 blocks of Tigri extension area of South Delhi, India. Study Population: A total of 210 children between 12 and 23 months old. Sampling Technique: 30 cluster technique approved by the World Health Organization. Primary Outcome Measures: Immunization coverage by sex, religion, type of family, occupational status of the head of the family, stated average monthly family income, and education status of the mothers. Data collection procedure: Interview technique; principal investigator Dr. Imteyaz Ahmad collected the data using a standardized structured interview schedule with the mother/caregivers of children 12 to 23 months old after permission to conduct the study was taken from the civic authority of the local government. Record analysis of antenatal care for tetanus immunization by antenatal cards and BCG scar survey by observation of scar arm in the deltoid region for scar was also done by him. Results: One hundred and six (50.4%) children in our sample were found to be fully immunized, 88(41.9%) partially immunized and 16 (7.6%) were not immunized. Amongst these associations the difference of coverage by occupation groups and mothers education were found to be statistically significant. Conclusion: There was a discernable bias in favour of male children, Hindu children, children of nuclear family, children of non manual labour occupation parents, children from higher income family and children with mothers having high school or higher level education.

Effects of Labor Force Status and Occupation on Men's Marriag

Effects of Labor Force Status and Occupation on Men's Marriag

Occupations associated with a high risk of self-reported back pain: representative outcomes of a back pain prevalence study in the Federal Republic of Germany

Given the increasing medical and economic implications of back pain, occupation-specific prevalence data may provide important pointers for preventive programmes targeted at promoting preventive behaviour and improving conditions. The National German Health Survey is the first study to provide the basis for a representative nationwide analysis of back pain prevalence by occupational category. The net sample comprises a total of 3,488 earners aged 18-69. One in three earners in the Federal Republic of Germany (34%) experienced back pain during the 7 days prior to being interviewed. The 1-year prevalence rate is 60%. Occupational categories associated with a lower-than-average back pain prevalence are highly qualified professionals, senior management, and production occupations associated with a comparatively low degree of manual labour. In contrast, an above-average prevalence was identified for occupations associated with physically strenuous work involving one-sided postures, moving, carrying and holding heavy weights, and work typically performed in poor conditions or bad weather. Our data demonstrates significant inter-occupational differences in terms of self-reported back pain. The results underline the importance of measures to promote preventive behaviour and improve the working conditions of those in low-skill manual labour occupations.

Development of Cataract and Associated Risk Factors

To evaluate risk factors for the development of cataract in Australian residents. A total of 3721 participants from 9 randomly selected urban districts within Victoria were recruited and invited to attend comprehensive standardized interviews and ophthalmic examinations at baseline and then 5-year follow-up. Lens opacities were graded clinically and on photographs according to the Wilmer cataract grading system. The development of cortical, nuclear, and posterior subcapsular cataract were assessed separately for associated risk factors. Risk exposure at baseline was used as the predictor for cataract development, which included various sociodemographic, dietary, familial, medical, and ocular characteristics of the participants. Risk factor analyses were performed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Increased age was a risk factor for development of all types of cataract with an increasing risk trend throughout life for nuclear cataract. Female sex, a laborer's occupation, and myopia were independent risk factors for development of cortical cataract. For development of nuclear cataract, the independent risk factors were having a birthplace outside Australia and New Zealand, current cigarette smoking, and having a history of arthritis. Diabetes mellitus and having taken calcium channel blockers for longer than 5 years were independent risk factors for posterior subcapsular cataract. The trend of increasing incidence of cataract with increased age is a major public health concern with an aging population in Australia and the world. Among the risk factors identified, cigarette smoking is a factor that is readily modifiable and preventable. The other risk factors identified require further support or clarification of underlying mechanisms to find modifiable features.