HAVE I GOT A JOB FOR YOU: OCCUPATION-RELATED ASTHMA THROUGHOUT LIFE IN THE UNITED STATES

Abstract Work exposures to asthma triggers can cause or aggravate asthma, which affects twenty-five million Americans including many older workers, and retirees who want to work or need to do so for income. Asthma trigger exposures have particular risk for older workers. Older adults who develop asthma have poorer health outcomes than people who had childhood asthma, yet older workers with low incomes may have limited ability to leave a job despite health risks. We studied occupation-related asthma using the nationally representative Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) (1968-2015, n=13,957, 205,498 person-years). We compared asthma outcomes in occupations with likely asthma trigger exposures to those in occupations with limited exposures. Methods included: prevalence ratios; incidence risk ratios (log-binomial regression adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, atopy, current and past smoking, and survey design); attributable risk fractions; population attributable risks; and microsimulation. The adjusted prevalence ratio comparing high risk occupations to low was 4.1 (95% confidence interval, CI 3.5-4.8); adjusted risk ratio 2.6 (CI 1.8-3.9); attributable risk 16.7% (CI 8.5-23.6); population attributable risk 11.3% (CI 5.0-17.2). In microsimulations, 14.9% (CI 13.4-16.3) with low trigger exposures reported asthma during working life, compared with 23.9% (CI 22.3-26.0) with high exposures. Asthma triggers at work may cause or aggravate more than 10% of adult asthma, and increase asthma risk by 60%. Lung health contributes importantly to well-being, and the ability to work at older ages. Results highlight needs for policies and employer actions to reduce asthma trigger exposures, and for public education about lung health.

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Work-related asthma in the USA: nationally representative estimates with extended follow-up

Occupational and Environmental Medicine ◽

10.1136/oemed-2019-106121 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 77 (9) ◽

pp. 617-622

Author(s):

James N Laditka ◽

Sarah B Laditka ◽

Ahmed A Arif ◽

Jessica N Hoyle

Keyword(s):

Panel Study ◽

Population Attributable Risk ◽

Working Life ◽

Attributable Risk ◽

Asthma Diagnosis ◽

Exposure Risk ◽

Sampling Weights ◽

High Exposure ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

Asthma Triggers

ObjectiveWe studied the associations of working in occupations with high asthma trigger exposures with the prevalence and incidence of asthma, and with ever reporting an asthma diagnosis throughout working life.MethodsWe used the nationally representative Panel Study of Income Dynamics (1968–2015; n=13 957; 205 498 person-years), with annual reports of occupation and asthma diagnoses across 48 years. We compared asthma outcomes in occupations likely to have asthma trigger exposures with those in occupations with limited trigger exposures. We estimated the prevalence ratios and the incidence risk ratios using log-binomial regression adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, and current and past atopy and smoking, and accounting for the survey design and sampling weights. We calculated the attributable risk fractions and population attributable risks, and used multinomial logistic Markov models and microsimulation to estimate the percentage of people ever diagnosed with asthma during working life.ResultsThe adjusted prevalence ratio comparing high-risk occupations with low-risk was 4.1 (95% CI 3.5 to 4.8); the adjusted risk ratio was 2.6 (CI 1.8 to 3.9). The attributable risk was 16.7% (CI 8.5 to 23.6); the population attributable risk was 11.3% (CI 5.0 to 17.2). In microsimulations, 14.9% (CI 13.4 to 16.3) with low trigger exposure risk reported asthma at least once, ages 18–65, compared with 23.9% (CI 22.3 to 26.0) with high exposure risk.ConclusionAdults were more than twice as likely to report a new asthma diagnosis if their occupation involved asthma triggers. Work exposures to asthma triggers may cause or aggravate about 11% of all adult asthma and increase the risk of work-life asthma by 60%.

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Prevalence of scabies and impetigo in the Solomon Islands: a school survey

BMC Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1186/s12879-019-4382-8 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Millicent H. Osti ◽

Oliver Sokana ◽

Sophie Phelan ◽

Michael Marks ◽

Margot J. Whitfeld ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary School ◽

Solomon Islands ◽

Population Attributable Risk ◽

Age Groups ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Attributable Risk ◽

Major Public Health Problem ◽

School Students ◽

Prevalence Survey ◽

Adjusted Risk

Abstract Background Scabies, a parasitic disease of the skin, is a major public health problem, largely affecting children. Scabies is often complicated by impetigo which can result in serious complications including invasive infections and immune mediated diseases. Scabies and impetigo are reported to have high prevalence in tropical settings including the Solomon Islands. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional prevalence survey at Gizo Primary School in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands in August 2018. The diagnosis of scabies was based on criteria developed by the International Alliance for the Control of Scabies in 2018. Population attributable risk was calculated to determine the effect of scabies on the prevalence of impetigo, and both adjusted and unadjusted risk ratios were calculated to identify differences between sexes and age groups. Results A total of 324 students were assessed (47.5% of those enrolled at the school). The prevalence of scabies was 54.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 48.7–59.8) and most disease was mild (68.8%). The prevalence was higher in males (63.5%; adjusted risk ratio [ARR] 1.4, 95% CI 1.1–1.7), and in those aged 10–12 years (61.4%; ARR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1–2.9 when compared to those aged 4–6 years). The prevalence of impetigo was 32.1%, with males more likely to be affected (41.7%, ARR 1.7, 95% CI 1.2–2.4) but with no significant differences between age groups. 63.5% of those with impetigo had scabies, corresponding to a population attributable risk of 11.8%. Conclusions There is a very high burden of scabies and impetigo among primary school students in Gizo. There is a critical need for the development and implementation of control programs in areas where scabies is endemic.

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Endogenous Selection Bias and Cumulative Inequality over the Life Course: Evidence from Educational Inequality in Subjective Well-Being

European Sociological Review ◽

10.1093/esr/jcaa003 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 36 (3) ◽

pp. 333-350

Author(s):

Fabian Kratz ◽

Alexander Patzina

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Panel Data ◽

Life Course ◽

Panel Study ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Interviewer Effects ◽

Endogenous Selection ◽

The Life Course

Abstract According to theories of cumulative (dis-)advantage, inequality increases over the life course. Labour market research has seized this argument to explain the increasing economic inequality as people age. However, evidence for cumulative (dis-)advantage in subjective well-being remains ambiguous, and a prominent study from the United States has reported contradictory results. Here, we reconcile research on inequality in subjective well-being with theories of cumulative (dis-)advantage. We argue that the age-specific endogenous selection of the (survey) population results in decreasing inequalities in subjective well-being means whereas individual-level changes show a pattern of cumulative (dis-)advantage. Using repeated cross-sectional data from the European Social Survey (N = 15,252) and employing hierarchical age-period-cohort models, we replicate the finding of decreasing inequality from the United States with the same research design for Germany. Using panel data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (persons = 47,683, person-years = 360,306) and employing growth curve models, we show that this pattern of decreasing inequality in subjective well-being means is accompanied by increasing inequality in intra-individual subjective well-being changes. This pattern arises because disadvantaged groups, such as the low educated and individuals with low subjective well-being show lower probabilities of continuing to participate in a survey and because both determinants reinforce each other. In addition to allowing individual changes and attrition processes to be examined, the employed multi-cohort panel data have further key advantages for examining inequality in subjective well-being over the life course: They require weaker assumptions to control for period and cohort effects and make it possible to control for interviewer effects that may influence the results.

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Labor-Force Participation, Policies & Practices in an Aging America: Adaptation Essential for a Healthy & Resilient Population

Daedalus ◽

10.1162/daed_a_00329 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 144 (2) ◽

pp. 41-54 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Lisa F. Berkman ◽

Axel Boersch-Supan ◽

Mauricio Avendano

Keyword(s):

Labor Force ◽

Labor Force Participation ◽

Older Workers ◽

Population Aging ◽

Work Organization ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Education And Health ◽

Younger Workers

Population aging in the United States poses challenges to societal institutions while simultaneously creating opportunities to build a more resilient, successful, and cohesive society. Work organization and labor-force participation are central to both the opportunities and challenges posed by our aging society. We argue that expectations about old age have not sufficiently adapted to the reality of aging today. Our institutions need more adaptation in order to successfully face the consequences of demographic change. Although this adaptation needs to focus especially on work patterns among the “younger elderly,” our society has to change its general attitudes toward work organization and labor-force participation, which will have implications for education and health care. We also show that work's beneficial effects on well-being in older ages are often neglected, while the idea that older workers displace younger workers is a misconception emerging from the “lump-of-labor” fallacy. We conclude, therefore, that working at older ages can lead to better quality of life for older people and to a more productive and resilient society overall.

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Reduced Mortality Associated with Acute Kidney Injury Requiring Dialysis in the United States

American Journal of Nephrology ◽

10.1159/000445846 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 43 (4) ◽

pp. 261-270 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Jeremiah R. Brown ◽

Michael E. Rezaee ◽

William M. Hisey ◽

Kevin C. Cox ◽

Michael E. Matheny ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Acute Kidney Injury ◽

Hospital Mortality ◽

Incidence Rate ◽

Hospital Admissions ◽

Population Attributable Risk ◽

Kidney Injury ◽

The United States ◽

Attributable Risk ◽

Discharge Data ◽

The Us

Background: Dialysis-requiring acute kidney injury (AKI-D) is a documented complication of hospitalization and procedures. Temporal incidence of AKI-D and related hospital mortality in the US population has not been recently characterized. We describe the epidemiology of AKI-D as well as associated in-hospital mortality in the US. Methods: Retrospective cohort of a national discharge data (n = 86,949,550) from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's National Inpatient Sample, 2001-2011 of patients' hospitalization with AKI-D. Primary outcomes were AKI-D and in-hospital mortality. We determined the annual incidence rate of AKI-D in the US from 2001 to 2011. We estimated ORs for AKI-D and in-hospital mortality for each successive year compared to 2001 using multiple logistic regression models, adjusted for patient and hospital characteristics, and stratified the analyses by sex and age. We also calculated population-attributable risk of in-hospital mortality associated with AKI-D. Results: The adjusted odds of AKI-D increased by a factor of 1.03 (95% CI 1.02-1.04) each year. The number of AKI-D-related (19,886-34,195) in-hospital deaths increased almost 2-fold, although in-hospital mortality associated with AKI-D (28.0-19.7%) declined significantly from 2001 to 2011. Over the same period, the adjusted odds of mortality for AKI-D patients were 0.60 (95% CI 0.56-0.67). Population-attributable risk of mortality associated with AKI-D increased (2.1-4.2%) over the study period. Conclusions: The incidence rate of AKI-D has increased considerably in the US since 2001. However, in-hospital mortality associated with AKI-D hospital admissions has decreased significantly.

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On the Interactive Effects of Objective and Subjective Age on Work Outcomes for Men and Women

Work Aging and Retirement ◽

10.1093/workar/waz018 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 287-306 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Justin Marcus ◽

Barbara A Fritzsche ◽

Yin Lu Ng

Keyword(s):

Older Workers ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Interactive Effects ◽

Work Outcomes ◽

Chronological Age ◽

Subjective Age ◽

Men And Women ◽

Organizational Age

Abstract Based upon theory on successful aging at work and the social identity of age, we hypothesized interactive effects of sex, objective chronological age, and subjective psychological/organizational age on age-based stereotype ratings of older workers, psychological well-being including both burnout and self-esteem, and behavioral self-reports of perceived unfair age and sex discrimination. Study hypotheses were tested using a survey-based sample of N = 1,583 workers from 3 countries, including Turkey, the United States, and Malaysia, and who were employed across a variety of occupations. Potential confounds resultant of socioeconomic status (education level), and the macro environment (country) were statistically controlled. Results generally found support for theoretically expected relations between age and work outcomes. Both psychological and organizational age interacted with chronological age such that different patterns of outcomes were found for men and women. Overall, although older subjective age benefited chronologically older workers, these interactive associations were less beneficial for older women as compared to older men. Implications of study findings for theory and practice are discussed.

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On the Leading Edge of Longevity: Lessons From the MIT AgeLab 85+ Lifestyle Leaders

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.2070 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 611-611

Author(s):

Julie Miller ◽

Lisa D’Ambrosio

Keyword(s):

Civic Engagement ◽

Social Engagement ◽

Medication Management ◽

Panel Study ◽

Leading Edge ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

The Third ◽

Growing Age ◽

Multiple Domains

Abstract The 85+ population is the fastest-growing age segment in the United States. Understanding attitudinal and behavioral trends among adults ages 85 and over is of increasing importance to researchers and practitioners alike. This symposium will present findings drawing on mixed methods across multiple domains of research with the Lifestyle Leaders, a bimonthly panel study of adults ages 85 and older at the MIT AgeLab, which began in September 2015. Each presentation in this symposium will highlight a different focus of research conducted with the Lifestyle Leaders, ultimately offering insights about physical health, social engagement, and civic engagement at age 85 and beyond. The first presentation in this symposium will frame Lifestyle Leaders’ resources and how these resources affect their perceptions of risks, their worries, and their well-being. Diving deeper, the second presentation will center on how Lifestyle Leaders perceive and utilize different transportation options and how these options have changed for them over time. The third presentation will focus on civic engagement and Lifestyle Leaders’ perspectives on technology as enabling or inhibiting their civic engagement and participation. The fourth presentation will examine Lifestyle Leaders’ attitudes toward medication, medication management, and technology-enabled medication management devices. This symposium will deepen attendees’ understandings of the attitudes and experiences of active octogenarians and nonagenarians.

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AGENCY IN LATE-CAREER TRANSITIONS: THE IMPACT ON ADJUSTMENT AND SATISFACTION

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.077 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S21-S21

Author(s):

van Solinge

Keyword(s):

Life Satisfaction ◽

Older Workers ◽

Panel Study ◽

Well Being ◽

Career Transitions ◽

Involuntary Retirement ◽

Using Data ◽

Pension Age ◽

State Pension ◽

The Impact

Abstract In research on late career transitions agency is implicitly assumed. The extent to which older adults are able to shape their late career in the face of external constraints, such as a rising state pension age, may however be limited. Constraint agency may have impact on well-being. Using data from a panel study among 5,300 older workers in the Netherlands, we examined the impact of agency in the work-retirement transition on adjustment and life satisfaction. Results show that adjustment to a the higher retirement age is more challenging than adjustment to retirement. Life satisfaction increased among those who retired, but not among those who remained working. One third experienced constrained agency (involuntary retirement or non-retirement). The negative association between constrained agency and life satisfaction was stronger for participants still in the labor force than for retirees. Our findings demonstrate that involuntary non-retirement has stronger implications for well-being than involuntary retirement.

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Variability of Pain Outcomes and Physical Activity Among a Diverse Sample of Older Men: Is It More Than Just Race?

Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine ◽

10.1177/2333721419878587 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. 233372141987858

Author(s):

Tamara A. Baker ◽

Elizabeth Vásquez ◽

Jacquelyn A. Minahan

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Physical Functioning ◽

Vigorous Physical Activity ◽

Panel Study ◽

White Men ◽

Well Being ◽

Older Men ◽

The United States ◽

Number Of Factors ◽

Pain Outcomes

There is a compendium of data documenting the increasing number of older adults. This suggests the continued need to understand identified health outcomes across domains of pain and physical activity, particularly among older men. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate race similarities and/or differences in pain and rates of physical activity among White, Black, and Hispanic men 60+ years of age. Data were taken from the Health and Retirement Study, a longitudinal panel study surveying a representative sample of people in the United States. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine associations between race and pain and the odds of regular physical activity. Results showed that Black men were less likely to participate in light or moderate/vigorous physical activity. Similarly, pain increased the odds of physical activity among Hispanics, but decreased the odds of physical activity among White men. Findings may reflect a number of factors that impact the well-being of what it means to experience pain and physical functioning, while also assuming a masculine identity. This perspective may allow for a better understanding of short- and long-term implications of the pain experience and the pain and physical functioning dyad among this group of men.

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