Assessment of the Psychometric Properties of the Mask Usability Scale: A Measure of the Perceived Usability of N95 Respirators Among Healthcare Students and Staff.

Aim: To test the reliability and construct validity of the Mask Usability Scale in healthcare students and staff.

Design: A methodological study involving repeated measures.

Methods: The study included two batches of participants: (1) 283 university nursing students and (2) 1753 participants composed of students (61%) and clinical staff (39%).

Corrigendum: Evaluation of N95 respirators on fit rate, real-time leakage, and usability among Chinese healthcare workers: study protocol of a randomized crossover trial.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.

Evaluation of N95 respirators on fit rate, real-time leakage, and usability among Chinese healthcare workers: study protocol of a randomized crossover trial.

Background: N95 respirators are used to limit the transmission of respiratory viruses in clinical settings. There are two to three major types of N95 available for all healthcare workers in Hong Kong. However, after the coronavirus outbreak and the consequent shortage of many commonly used respirators, several new N95 respirators were adopted temporarily in clinical settings without evaluation.

Risk assessment and prediction for lung cancer among Hong Kong Chinese men.

Objective: Most of the previous risk prediction models for lung cancer were developed from smokers, with discriminatory power ranging from 0.57 to 0.72.

Lung cancer risk in painters: results from the SYNERGY pooled case-control study consortium.

Objectives: We evaluated the risk of lung cancer associated with ever working as a painter, duration of employment and type of painter by histological subtype as well as joint effects with smoking, within the SYNERGY project.

Methods: Data were pooled from 16 participating case-control studies conducted internationally. Detailed individual occupational and smoking histories were available for 19 369 lung cancer cases (684 ever employed as painters) and 23 674 age-matched and sex-matched controls (532 painters).

Smoking cessation sharply reduced lung cancer mortality in a historical cohort of 3185 Chinese silicotic workers from 1981 to 2014.

Background: Population-based studies showed an over 50% decrease in lung cancer risk after quitting smoking for 5-6 years, but the beneficial effect in silicotics remains unknown. We aimed to rectify this knowledge gap using a large historical cohort of 3185 Chinese silicotics since 1981 and followed-up till 2014.

Methods: Baseline information on workers' socio-demographics, smoking habits, occupational history, and medical history was collected.

Differential incidence trends of colon and rectal cancers in Hong Kong: an age-period-cohort analysis.

Background: Colorectal cancer has been the second most common cancer among men and women in Hong Kong since 2012, but the underlying reasons for this increase remain unclear. We describe the incidence trend for colorectal cancer in Hong Kong to explore its etiology within this population.

Methods: The temporal trends in colorectal cancer incidence between 1983 and 2012 were analyzed with joinpoint regressions by sex, age groups, and anatomic sites among adults using data from the Hong Kong Cancer Registry.

History of Asbestos Ban in Hong Kong.

As millions of immigrants moved to Hong Kong (HK) from China in the recent decades, large amount of residential housings were built in the early years and a substantial proportion of those buildings used asbestos-containing materials (ACMs). Since the number of new cases of ARDs diagnosed has increased year by year since 1990's, the remarkable increase of incidences had drawn the attention of the public and most importantly the HK government. It became one of the trigger points leading to asbestos ban in HK history.

Disability management and organizational culture in Australia and Canada.

Background: Organizational culture has received increasing attention in terms of its influence on workplace health and productivity, yet there has been little research on its relationship with employer-based disability programs.

Objective: This study explored the relationship between disability management and organizational culture in Australian and Canadian organizations.

Methods: Thematic analysis was conducted on data from semi-structured interviews with 16 employees, including injured workers, human resource managers and disability managers in two Australian and two Canadian large organizations.

International employee perspectives on disability management.

Purpose: To provide an international analysis of employees' views of the influence of disability management (DM) on the workplace.

Methodology: An international research team with representation from Australia, Canada, China, and Switzerland collected survey data from employees in public and private companies in their respective regions. Due to lack of availability of current measures, a research team-created survey was used and a total of 1201 respondents were collected across the four countries.

Nighttime eating and breast cancer among Chinese women in Hong Kong.

Background: A novel line of research suggests that eating at nighttime may have several metabolic consequences that are highly relevant to breast cancer. We investigated the association between nighttime eating habits after 10 p.m.

Dietary patterns and the risk of rhinitis in primary school children: a prospective cohort study.

This study was to investigate the association between dietary patterns and rhinitis in primary school children. 1,599 students without rhinitis at baseline survey were selected from a primary school children cohort. Information on food consumption, respiratory symptoms, and confounders was collected using questionnaires.

Occupational risk factors for nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Hong Kong Chinese: a case-referent study.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the occupational risk factors for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in Hong Kong Chinese.

Methods: We conducted a case-referent study with 352 incident cases and 410 referents recruited between June 2010 and December 2012. Full occupational histories were obtained via face-to-face interviews.

Prognostic value of alcohol consumption and some other dietary habits for survival in a cohort of Chinese men with lung cancer.

Background: Alcohol consumption and some other dietary habits are thought to be associated with lung cancer incidence. However, the effects of these habits on lung cancer prognosis have been studied rarely. The purpose of this study was to address these gaps in knowledge.

Effectiveness of participatory training in preventing accidental occupational injuries: a randomized-controlled trial in China.

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a participatory training program in preventing accidental occupational injuries in factories in Shenzhen, China. Methods We conducted a cluster randomized study with the worker as the unit of analysis, providing 918 workers from 30 factories participatory training. Two control groups received traditional didactic training, including 907 workers from the same 30 factories and 1654 workers in matched control factories.

Lung Cancer Among Firefighters: Smoking-Adjusted Risk Estimates in a Pooled Analysis of Case-Control Studies.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore lung cancer risk among firefighters, with adjustment for smoking.

Methods: We used pooled information from the SYNERGY project including 14 case-control studies conducted in Europe, Canada, New Zealand, and China, with lifetime work histories and smoking habits for 14,748 cases of lung cancer and 17,543 controls. We estimated odds ratios by unconditional logistic regression with adjustment for smoking and having ever been employed in a job known to present an excess risk of lung cancer.

Frequent use of household cleaning products is associated with rhinitis in Chinese children.

Background: Despite the popular use of household cleaning products worldwide, there is no published study investigating the health effects of these products on rhinitis in children.

Objective: We sought to investigate the household use of cleaning products and rhinitis patterns in Chinese children.

Methods: A total of 2299 children were recruited from 21 primary schools with wide geographic coverage in Hong Kong.

Secondhand Smoke Enhances Lung Cancer Risk in Male Smokers: An Interaction.

Introduction: Previous studies revealed that some indoor air pollutants and fine particle matter can interact with active smoking, enhancing lung cancer risk in smokers. Secondhand smoke (SHS), with remarkable differences from active smoking, contributes significantly to indoor air pollution and generates a considerable amount of fine particle matter, may cause a similar interaction with active smoking.

Methods: Information on lifetime SHS along with active smoking and other confirmed or suspected risk factors for lung cancer was collected in this case-referent study.

Exposure-response estimate for lung cancer and asbestosis in a predominantly chrysotile-exposed Chinese factory cohort.

Background: Cumulative fiber exposures, predominantly chrysotile, were estimated in a Chinese asbestos worker cohort and exposure-response relationships with lung cancer mortality and cumulative incidence of asbestosis were determined.

Methods: Individual time-dependent cumulative exposures were estimated for 577 asbestos workers, followed prospectively for 37 years. Occupational history and smoking data were obtained from company records and personal interviews; vital status and causes of death were ascertained from death registries and hospital records.

Evaluation of breast cancer risk associated with tea consumption by menopausal and estrogen receptor status among Chinese women in Hong Kong.

Purpose: Experimental studies implicate tea and tea polyphenols may be preventive against breast cancer, but evidence from epidemiological studies has been inconsistent. We conducted a hospital-based case-control study to evaluate the role of tea especially green tea in breast cancer etiology.

Methods: We consecutively recruited 756 incident breast cancer cases and 789 hospital controls who had completed information on tea consumption.

Who is more vulnerable to death from extremely cold temperatures? A case-only approach in Hong Kong with a temperate climate.

The short-term effects of ambient cold temperature on mortality have been well documented in the literature worldwide. However, less is known about which subpopulations are more vulnerable to death related to extreme cold. We aimed to examine the personal characteristics and underlying causes of death that modified the association between extreme cold and mortality in a case-only approach.

Carbon monoxide and stroke: A time series study of ambient air pollution and emergency hospitalizations.

Background: Recent experimental and clinical studies suggested that exogenous carbon monoxide (CO) at low concentrations may have beneficial neuroprotective effects under certain circumstances. However, population-based epidemiological studies of environmentally relevant CO exposure generated mixed findings. The present study aimed to examine the short-term association of ambient CO with emergency stroke hospitalizations.

Reproducibility and Validity of a Food Frequency Questionnaire for Assessing Dietary Consumption via the Dietary Pattern Method in a Chinese Rural Population.

Objective: This study was conducted to assess the reproducibility and validity of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) that was developed to assess the overall dietary consumption via dietary pattern method in a rural population in southwest China.

Methods: A total of 179 participants aged between 40 and 70 years old were included in this study. Participants administered FFQ at baseline (FFQ1) and one year later (FFQ2) to assess the reproducibility.

Prediction models and risk assessment for silicosis using a retrospective cohort study among workers exposed to silica in China.

This study aims to develop a prognostic risk prediction model for the development of silicosis among workers exposed to silica dust in China. The prediction model was performed by using retrospective cohort of 3,492 workers exposed to silica in an iron ore, with 33 years of follow-up. We developed a risk score system using a linear combination of the predictors weighted by the LASSO penalized Cox regression coefficients.