Acute joint pain in the emerging green collar workforce: Evidence from the linked National Health Interview Survey and Occupational Information Network (O*NET).

Background: Green jobs are a rapidly emerging category of very heterogeneous occupations that typically involve engagement with new technologies and changing job demands predisposing them to physical stressors that may contribute to the development of joint pain.

Methods: We estimated and compared the prevalence of self-reported acute (past 30 days) joint pain between green and non-green collar workers using pooled 2004-2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data linked to the Occupational Information Network Database (O*NET).

Results: Green collar workers have a higher prevalence of acute joint pain as compared to non-green collar workers.

Chemical and Physical Exposures in the Emerging US Green-Collar Workforce.

Objective: "Green collar" workers serve in occupations that directly improve environmental quality and sustainability. This study estimates and compares the prevalence of select physical and chemical exposures among green versus non-green U.S.

Who Uses Mobile Phone Health Apps and Does Use Matter? A Secondary Data Analytics Approach.

Background: Mobile phone use and the adoption of healthy lifestyle software apps ("health apps") are rapidly proliferating. There is limited information on the users of health apps in terms of their social demographic and health characteristics, intentions to change, and actual health behaviors.

Objective: The objectives of our study were to (1) to describe the sociodemographic characteristics associated with health app use in a recent US nationally representative sample; (2) to assess the attitudinal and behavioral predictors of the use of health apps for health promotion; and (3) to examine the association between the use of health-related apps and meeting the recommended guidelines for fruit and vegetable intake and physical activity.

Green Collar Workers: An Emerging Workforce in the Environmental Sector.

Objective: We describe the socio-demographic, occupational, and health characteristics of "green collar" workers, a vital and emerging workforce in energy-efficiency and sustainability.

Methods: We linked data from the 2004 to 2012 National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS) and US Occupational Information Network (O*NET). Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were conducted using green collar worker status as the outcome (n = 143,346).

Occupational Psychosocial Hazards Among the Emerging US Green Collar Workforce.

Objective: To compare occupational psychosocial hazards in green collar versus non-green collar workers.

Methods: Standard Occupational Classification codes were used to link the 2010 National Health Interview Survey to the 2010 Occupational Information Network Database. Multivariable logistic regressions were used to predict job insecurity, work life imbalance, and workplace harassment in green versus non-green collar workers.

Linking the National Health Interview Survey with the Florida Cancer Data System: A Pilot Study.

Cancer registry data are vital for the surveillance of cancer trends, but registries are limited in the number of data items that can be collected for hypothesis-driven research. Linkage with other databases can add valuable information and is a potentially effective tool for increasing our understanding of and identifying the causes of cancer and health disparities along the cancer continuum. We conducted a pilot study to link data from the 1981-2010 Florida Cancer Data System (FCDS) with data from the 1986-2009 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).

Biomarkers of Exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Cognitive Function among Elderly in the United States (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: 2001-2002).

Recent studies report a link between common environmental exposures, such as particulate matter air pollution and tobacco smoke, and decline in cognitive function. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a selected group of chemicals present in particulate matter and tobacco smoke, and measures of cognitive performance among elderly in the general population. This cross-sectional analysis involved data from 454 individuals aged 60 years and older from the 2001-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Improving the Effectiveness of Medication Review: Guidance from the Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit.

Background: Although routine medication reviews in primary care practice are recommended to identify drug therapy problems, it is often difficult to get patients to bring all their medications to office visits. The objective of this study was to determine whether the medication review tool in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit can help to improve medication reviews in primary care practices.

Methods: The toolkit's "Brown Bag Medication Review" was implemented in a rural private practice in Missouri and an urban teaching practice in California.

Using the Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit to Improve the Quality of Patient Materials.

Patient materials are often written above the reading level of most adults. Tool 11 of the Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit ("Design Easy-to-Read Material") provides guidance on ensuring that written patient materials are easy to understand. As part of a pragmatic demonstration of the Toolkit, we examined how four primary care practices implemented Tool 11 and whether written materials improved as a result.

Are Cancer Survivors Physically Active? A Comparison by US States.

Background: Cancer survivors who engage in physical activity (PA) have improved quality of life, reduced fatigue, and lower mortality rates. We compare the percentage of cancer survivors meeting PA recommendations for US states, stratified by age and gender, to identify the need for PA education and intervention among cancer survivors.

Methods: Pooled data from the 1997-2010 National Health Interview Survey were used to determine and rank age-adjusted PA by state.

Effect of childhood victimization on occupational prestige and income trajectories.

Background: Violence toward children (childhood victimization) is a major public health problem, with long-term consequences on economic well-being. The purpose of this study was to determine whether childhood victimization affects occupational prestige and income in young adulthood. We hypothesized that young adults who experienced more childhood victimizations would have less prestigious jobs and lower incomes relative to those with no victimization history.

Association between cardiovascular fitness and metabolic syndrome among American workers.

Objective: To explore the association between cardiovascular fitness and metabolic syndrome across occupational groups using a nationally representative sample of the US population.

Methods: Respondents aged 18 to 49 years from the 1999 to 2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were evaluated for cardiovascular fitness and classified with regard to metabolic syndrome. Comparisons were made across 40 occupational categories.

Potential effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and selected organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) on immune cells and blood biochemistry measures: a cross-sectional assessment of the NHANES 2003-2004 data.

Background: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are widely distributed in the environment and may have adverse effects on the immune system.

Methods: Lipid adjusted serum levels of 19 Dioxin Like (DL), 17 Non Dioxin Like (NDL) PCBs, 5 OCPs, and measures of complete blood count and routine biochemistry profile were obtained from the NHANES 2003-2004 cycle. For each of the PCB/OCP variables, individuals were put into four exposure groups and blood markers were compared across these groups.

Linkage of 1986-2009 National Health Interview Survey with 1981-2010 Florida Cancer Data System.

Background: National survey data linked with state cancer registry data has the potential to create a valuable tool for cancer prevention and control research. A pilot project-developed in a collaboration of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the Florida Cancer Data System (FCDS) at the University of Miami -links the records of the 1986-2009 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and the 1981-2010 FCDS. The project assesses the feasibility of performing a record linkage between NCHS survey data and a state-based cancer registry, as well as the value of the data produced.

The health of young US workers.

Objectives: To provide an overview of the health status of young US workers across four domains: functional health, physical and psychological health, health behavior, and health care utilization.

Methods: Pooled data from the 2004 to 2010 National Health Interview Survey were analyzed for 11,279 US workers aged 18 to 24 years, representing an estimated 16.9 million workers annually.

Geographical variation in health-related quality of life among older US adults, 1997-2010.

Introduction: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important predictor of morbidity and mortality; however, its geographical variation in older adults in the United States has not been characterized. We compared HRQOL among older adults in the 50 US states and the District of Columbia using the Health and Activities Limitation Index (HALex). We also compared the HRQOL of 4 regions: South, West, Midwest, and Northeast.

The economic burden of disease by industry: Differences in quality-adjusted life years and associated costs.

Background: This study compares differences in quality-adjusted life expectancy across the eight original National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) industry sectors.

Methods: Data from the 1997 to 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) were used to estimate quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) for all workers and by NORA sector. Differences in QALYs were calculated and translated into economic values using estimates of the societal willingness-to-pay per QALY.

Correlates of leisure time physical activity compliance in colorectal cancer survivors.

Introduction: Physical inactivity is a risk factor for cancer morbidity and mortality, but its influence in colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors is understudied. We investigated sociodemographic, physically limiting, and behavioral predictors influencing leisure time physical activity (LTPA) among CRC survivors.

Methods: Pooled 1997-2010 National Health Interview Survey data (N=2378) were used to evaluate LTPA compliance in CRC survivors according to Healthy People 2010 recommendations.

Effects of health information exchange adoption on ambulatory testing rates.

Objective: To determine the effects of the adoption of ambulatory electronic health information exchange (HIE) on rates of laboratory and radiology testing and allowable charges.

Design: Claims data from the dominant health plan in Mesa County, Colorado, from 1 April 2005 to 31 December 2010 were matched to HIE adoption data on the provider level. Using mixed effects regression models with the quarter as the unit of analysis, the effect of HIE adoption on testing rates and associated charges was assessed.

Risky drinking in the older population: a comparison of Florida to the rest of the US.

Introduction: While alcohol use has traditionally been thought to decrease with age, several recent studies have shown an increase in heavy drinking among retirees. Florida's unique population distribution that includes a higher proportion of elderly residents warrants an in-depth look at the drinking patterns in the elderly and how they may differ from those in other areas of the country. However, state-level comparisons of excessive alcohol consumption are limited.

State variations of chronic disease risk factors in older Americans.

The objective of this study was to examine and compare 3 key health behaviors associated with chronic disease (ie, risky drinking, smoking, and sedentary lifestyle). We used data from the National Health Interview Survey from 1997 through 2010 to calculate the prevalence of these behaviors among older Americans and rank each state, and we analyzed overall trends in prevalence for each behavior over the 14 years. Older adults residing in Arkansas and Montana had the worst chronic disease risk profile compared with other states.

Comparison of Florida skin cancer screening rates with those in different US regions.

Objectives: Florida has the second highest incidence of melanoma in the United States, and more than 600 Floridians die from melanoma annually. Given the lack of population-based data on skin cancer screening among the different US geographic regions, we compared skin cancer screening rates among Floridians to those in the rest of the South, the Northeast, the Midwest, and the West.

Methods: We used data from the 2000 and 2005 National Health Interview Survey.

Health status and risk indicator trends of the aging US health care workforce.

Objectives: To describe the health status and risk indicator trends in a representative sample of US health care workers aged 45 years and older.

Methods: Using pooled data from the 1997 to 2009 National Health Interview Survey, logistic regression analyses were performed to determine whether age-group specific morbidity risks differed within occupational subgroups of the health care workforce (N = 6509). Health and morbidity trends were examined via complex survey adjusted and weighted chi-squared tests.