Health Assessment of Electronic Waste Workers in Chile: Study Design and Participant Characterization

Little research has been done on occupational health ramifications of informal electronic waste (e-waste) recycling work, which is increasingly common in low- and middle-income countries, and very little is known about this in high-income countries. Our study evaluated informal and formal e-waste recycling workers in Chile, which was recently recognized as a high-income country. In 2017 we recruited 78 informal recycling workers from two cities, and 15 formal e-waste recycling workers from one recycling facility. Participants completed a questionnaire and health assessment regarding their involvement in, and potential impacts of, e-waste recycling, among other measures. Participants were primarily male, middle-aged, married with children, and had worked in e-waste recycling for an average of 12 years. Participants generally reported good health status, and chronic disease prevalence was similar to the national prevalence. Workers commonly reported exposures to several occupational stressors, including mental health stressors and noise, as well as insufficient income.   Occupational injuries were common and use of safety equipment was low. No significant differences were found between informal and formal workers. Informal e-waste workers in Chile face occupational health challenges. The extent to which these issues impact the health of informal Chilean e-waste workers is unclear and warrants further research.

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Health Assessment of Electronic Waste Workers in Chile: Participant Characterization

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16030386 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 386 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Karla Yohannessen ◽

Daniela Pinto-Galleguillos ◽

Denisse Parra-Giordano ◽

Amaranta Agost ◽

Macarena Valdés ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Occupational Injuries ◽

Electronic Waste ◽

Health Assessment ◽

Good Health ◽

Waste Recycling ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Health Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Small Magnitude ◽

Comprehensive Health

Little research has been done to evaluate the occupational health of electronic waste (e-waste) recycling workers in Latin America. The objective of this study was to complete comprehensive health evaluations on e-waste recycling workers in Chile and to compare those that work in informal (i.e., independent) to those that work in formal (i.e., established company) settings. A cross-sectional study in the summer of 2017 recruited 78 informal recycling workers from two cities and 15 formal e-waste recycling workers from a single recycling facility to assess exposures and health outcomes. Participants completed a health questionnaire and underwent a full health assessment. Herein, only health questionnaire data are reported. Participants were primarily male, middle-aged, married with children, and had worked in e-waste recycling for an average of 12 years. Participants generally reported good health status, and their prevalence of chronic diseases was comparable to national rates. Workers frequently reported exposures to several occupational stressors, including noise and insufficient income, as well as other mental health stressors. Occupational injuries were commonly reported and use of safety equipment was low. Only a few significant differences, generally of a rather small magnitude, were found between informal and formal workers. In conclusion, from survey data, we did not identify major risks to health among e-waste workers, and only minor differences between workers in informal and formal settings.

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A Global Perspective on Occupational Health and Safety

10.1093/oso/9780190662677.003.0040 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Jorma H. Rantanen

Keyword(s):

Occupational Health ◽

Occupational Injuries ◽

Health And Safety ◽

Psychosocial Problems ◽

Occupational Health And Safety ◽

High Income ◽

Global Perspective ◽

Occupational Hazards ◽

Middle Income ◽

Informal Workers

Occupational hazards as well as occupational injuries and diseases are frequent and serious problems not only in industrialized high-income countries, but also in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In high-income countries, the occurrence of occupational injuries and chemically-related disorders has decreased while psychosocial problems and issues for disabled, aging, and other vulnerable workers have increased. In the LMICs, “traditional” occupational hazards and related injuries and diseases are still a major concern. Globalization, while providing some benefits to workers, has presented many negative effects, such as transfer of hazardous technologies and substances to LMICs, widening of income gaps, and worsening of working conditions and worker income, especially for agricultural workers, those with little education, and informal workers. The chapter provides a global overview of work and workers as well occupational health and safety hazards and related challenges.

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Cross-Cultural Understanding of Health Assessments for People with Intellectual Disability: An Australian resource in the Philippines

Health Culture and Society ◽

10.5195/hcs.2015.203 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

C. E. Brolan ◽

M. T. Gomez ◽

N. G. Lennox ◽

R. S Ware

Keyword(s):

Intellectual Disability ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Health Assessment ◽

People With Disabilities ◽

The Philippines ◽

High Income ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Comprehensive Health ◽

Low And Middle Income

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has resulted in the involvement of high income countries in international development assistance to people with disabilities in low and middle income countries. Healthcare tools designed in high income countries and delivered in low and middle income countries may not be appropriate to the context of the lives of people with disabilities. We undertook a short qualitative study of participants’ views of an Australian-designed comprehensive health assessment tool, with participation from a WHO-Collaborating non-government organisation in regional Philippines. We also examined the participants’ perceptions of the barriers to healthcare for Filipinos with intellectual disabilities. Responses to the comprehensive health assessment tool were positive although participants agreed that both linguistic and cultural translation would enhance wider use of the tool. The barriers identified included poverty, family isolation, stigma and communication issues as preventing appropriate healthcare delivery to Filipinos with intellectual disability. Consideration must be given to the complexities of transference of healthcare resources to a low and middle income country context, as well as the systemic and cultural barriers to appropriate healthcare provision to people with disabilities.

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How Prices, Income, and Weather Shape Household Electricity Demand in High-Income and Middle-Income Countries

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.3596984 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Brant Liddle ◽

Hillard Huntington

Keyword(s):

Electricity Demand ◽

High Income ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries

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Adherence to Food-Based Dietary Guidelines: A Systemic Review of High-Income and Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13031038 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 1038

Author(s):

Ana Carolina B. Leme ◽

Sophia Hou ◽

Regina Mara Fisberg ◽

Mauro Fisberg ◽

Jess Haines

Keyword(s):

English Language ◽

Economic Status ◽

High Income ◽

Dietary Guidelines ◽

Systemic Review ◽

Healthy Children ◽

Future Health ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Low And Middle Income

Research comparing the adherence to food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) across countries with different socio-economic status is lacking, which may be a concern for developing nutrition policies. The aim was to report on the adherence to FBDGs in high-income (HIC) and low-and-middle-income countries (LMIC). A systematic review with searches in six databases was performed up to June 2020. English language articles were included if they investigated a population of healthy children and adults (7–65 years), using an observational or experimental design evaluating adherence to national FBDGs. Findings indicate that almost 40% of populations in both HIC and LMIC do not adhere to their national FBDGs. Fruit and vegetables (FV) were most adhered to and the prevalence of adhering FV guidelines was between 7% to 67.3%. HIC have higher consumption of discretionary foods, while results were mixed for LMIC. Grains and dairy were consumed below recommendations in both HIC and LMIC. Consumption of animal proteins (>30%), particularly red meat, exceeded the recommendations. Individuals from HIC and LMIC may be falling short of at least one dietary recommendation from their country’s guidelines. Future health policies, behavioral-change strategies, and dietary guidelines may consider these results in their development.

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Social Epidemiology and Global Mental Health: Expanding the Evidence from High-Income to Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Current Epidemiology Reports ◽

10.1007/s40471-017-0107-y ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 166-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Joanna Maselko

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Epidemiology ◽

Global Mental Health ◽

High Income ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Low And Middle Income

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Evidence-based stroke rehabilitation: do priorities for practice change and feasibility of implementation vary across high income, upper and lower-middle income countries?

Disability and Rehabilitation ◽

10.1080/09638288.2021.1910737 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Sanjana Gururaj ◽

Marie-Louise Bird ◽

Karen Borschmann ◽

Janice J. Eng ◽

Caroline Leigh Watkins ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stroke Rehabilitation ◽

High Income ◽

Practice Change ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries

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Abstract WP418: A Systematic Comparison of Key Features of Ischaemic Stroke Prevention Guidelines in Low- and Middle-income vs High-income Countries

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.48.suppl_1.wp418 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Hernan O Bayona ◽

Mayowa Owolabi ◽

Wayne Feng ◽

James R Sawers ◽

Paul Olowoyo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stroke Prevention ◽

High Income ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Vascular Risk ◽

Eligibility Criteria ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Prevention Guideline ◽

Prevention Guidelines ◽

Low And Middle Income

Introduction: Implementation of contextually appropriate, evidence-based, expert-recommended stroke prevention guideline is particularly important in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), which bear disproportional larger burden of stroke while possessing fewer resources. Focus therefore, should be on approaches enabling healthcare systems to improve control of vascular risk factors. Objective: We aimed to compare important features of stroke prevention guidelines between LMICs and High Income Countries (HICs). Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, AJOL, SciELO, and LILACS databases for stroke prevention guidelines published between January 2005 and December 2015 by country. Primary search items included: “Stroke” and “Guidelines”. We critically appraised the articles for evidence level, issuance frequency and implementation aspects to clinical practice. Results: Among 45 stroke prevention guidelines published, 28 (62%) met eligibility criteria: 7 from LMICs (25%) and 21 from HICs (75%). LMIC-issued guidelines were less likely to have conflict of interest declarations (57% vs. 100%, p=0.01), involve high quality systematic reviews (57% vs. 95%, p= 0.03), had good dissemination channels (14% vs 71%, p=0.02). The patient views and preferences were the most significant stakeholder considerations in HICs (43%, p=0.04) compared with LMICs. Conclusion: The quality and quantity of stroke prevention guidelines in LMICs are less than those of HICs and need to be significantly improved upon.

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Effective Strategies for Global Health Training Programs A Systematic Review of Training Outcomes in Low and Middle Income Countries

Global Journal of Health Science ◽

10.5539/gjhs.v8n11p278 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 8 (11) ◽

pp. 278 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Aprill Z. Dawson ◽

Rebekah J. Walker ◽

Jennifer A. Campbell ◽

Leonard E. Egede

Keyword(s):

Medical Training ◽

Skills Training ◽

High Income ◽

Training Methods ◽

Middle Income ◽

Training Outcomes ◽

Effective Strategies ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Low Middle Income Countries ◽

Low And Middle Income

INTRODUCTION: Low and middle-income countries face a continued burden of chronic illness and non-communicable diseases while continuing to show very low health worker utilization. With limited numbers of medical schools and a workforce shortage the poor health outcomes seen in many low and middle income countries are compounded by a lack of within country medical training.METHODS: Using a systematic approach, this paper reviews the existing literature on training outcomes in low and middle-income countries in order to identify effective strategies for implementation in the developing world. This review examined training provided by high-income countries to low- and middle-income countries.RESULTS: Based on article eligibility, 24 articles were found to meet criteria. Training methods found include workshops, e-learning modules, hands-on skills training, group discussion, video sessions, and role-plays. Of the studies with statistically significant results training times varied from one day to three years. Studies using both face-to-face and video found statistically significant results.DISCUSSION: Based on the results of this review, health professionals from high-income countries should be encouraged to travel to low- middle-income countries to assist with providing training to health providers in those countries.

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