Development of a multi-joint postural exposure assessment tool for job rotation

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kermit Davis ◽  
Susan Kotowski ◽  
Michael Jorgensen
Author(s):  
Matthew L. Hall ◽  
Stephanie De Anda

Purpose The purposes of this study were (a) to introduce “language access profiles” as a viable alternative construct to “communication mode” for describing experience with language input during early childhood for deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children; (b) to describe the development of a new tool for measuring DHH children's language access profiles during infancy and toddlerhood; and (c) to evaluate the novelty, reliability, and validity of this tool. Method We adapted an existing retrospective parent report measure of early language experience (the Language Exposure Assessment Tool) to make it suitable for use with DHH populations. We administered the adapted instrument (DHH Language Exposure Assessment Tool [D-LEAT]) to the caregivers of 105 DHH children aged 12 years and younger. To measure convergent validity, we also administered another novel instrument: the Language Access Profile Tool. To measure test–retest reliability, half of the participants were interviewed again after 1 month. We identified groups of children with similar language access profiles by using hierarchical cluster analysis. Results The D-LEAT revealed DHH children's diverse experiences with access to language during infancy and toddlerhood. Cluster analysis groupings were markedly different from those derived from more traditional grouping rules (e.g., communication modes). Test–retest reliability was good, especially for the same-interviewer condition. Content, convergent, and face validity were strong. Conclusions To optimize DHH children's developmental potential, stakeholders who work at the individual and population levels would benefit from replacing communication mode with language access profiles. The D-LEAT is the first tool that aims to measure this novel construct. Despite limitations that future work aims to address, the present results demonstrate that the D-LEAT represents progress over the status quo.


2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 266-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Cano-Sancho ◽  
S. Marin ◽  
A.J. Ramos ◽  
V. Sanchis

Fusarium species are probably the most prevalent toxin-producing fungi of the northern temperate regions and are commonly found on cereals grown in the temperate regions of America, Europe and Asia. Among the toxins formed by Fusarium we find trichothecenes of the A-type or B-type, zearalenone, fumonisins or nivalenol. The current exposure assessment consists of the qualitative and/or quantitative evaluation based on the knowledge of the mycotoxin occurrence in the food and the dietary habits of the population. This process permits quantifying the mycotoxin dietary intake through deterministic or probabilistic methods. Although these methods are suitable to assess the exposure of populations to contaminants and to identify risk groups, they are not recommended to evaluate the individual exposition, due to a low accuracy and sensitivity. On the contrary, the use of biochemical indicators has been proposed as a suitable method to assess individual exposure to contaminants. In this work, several techniques to biomonitor the exposure to fumonisins, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone or T-2 toxin have been reviewed.


2005 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 736 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. A. Lee ◽  
S. C. Soderholm ◽  
M. M. Flemmer ◽  
J. L. Hornsby-Myers

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Srinandini Parthasarathy ◽  
Michael Spears ◽  
Randy L. Maddalena ◽  
Marion L Russell ◽  
Michael G. Apte

Author(s):  
Sean Gallagher ◽  
Mark C. Schall ◽  
Richard F. Sesek ◽  
Rong Huangfu

Job rotation is a common method employed by industry to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). However, the efficacy of this technique has been open to question and methods of quantifying job rotation strategies have been scarce. The current analysis uses the LiFFT low back risk assessment tool to assess cumulative loading for a job rotation scheme. Results of this analysis suggest that attempting to “balance” a high risk, medium risk, and low risk lifting job ends up creating three jobs that are all high risk.


Author(s):  
Kermit Davis ◽  
Susan Kotowski ◽  
Michael Jorgensen

With practitioners more often adopting job rotation practices in their facilities, there is an increased necessity for effective methods to measure the complex exposures in the diverse jobs that may be selected for a particular job rotation scheme. Potential methods need to be both versatile and simple, ensuring easy application and low cost. The current study developed and evaluated the potential of a video-based analysis method that combines the exposure measure of four body regions: neck, shoulder, low back, and hand/wrist. Three experienced analysts assessed the postural load for all jobs within fifteen different job rotation schemes at a manufacturing facility. Several potential indices were developed, computed and discussed. Overall, the video-based analyses evaluated in the current study provide an easy and cost effective method that allows a practitioner to compare multiple stressors at one time. Future work will evaluate the effectiveness of the method in actually controlling musculoskeletal disorders as well as incorporate other risk factor exposures such as forces, repetition and motion.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Anne Harris ◽  
Natalie McGlynn ◽  
Victoria A. Kirsh ◽  
Michelle Cotterchio ◽  
Victoria Nadalin ◽  
...  

Background/Objectives It has been suggested that the association between shift work and chronic disease is mediated by an increase in obesity. However, investigations of the relationship between shift work and obesity reveal mixed findings. Using a recently developed exposure assessment tool, this study examined the association between shift work and obesity among Canadian women from two studies: a cohort of university alumni, and a population-based study. Methods Self-administered questionnaire data were used from healthy, currently employed females in a population-based study, the Ontario Women’s Diet and Health case-control study (n = 1611 controls), and from a subset of a of university alumni from the Canadian Study of Diet, Lifestyle, and Health (n = 1097) cohort study. Overweight was defined as BMI=25 to <30, and obesity as BMI=30. Reported occupation was converted to occupational codes and linked to a probability of shift work value derived from Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics data. Regular evenings, nights, or rotating work comprised shift work. Polytomous logistic regression estimated the association between probability of shift work, categorized as near nil, low, medium, and high probability of shift work, on overweight and obesity, controlling for detected confounders. Results In the population-based sample, high probability of shift work was associated with obesity (reference = near nil probability of shift work, OR: 1.88, 95% CI: 1.01–3.51, p = 0.047). In the alumni cohort, no significant association was detected between shift work and overweight or obesity. Conclusions As these analyses found a positive association between high probability of shift work exposure and obesity in a population-based sample, but not in an alumni cohort, it is suggested that the relationship between shift work and obesity is complex, and may be particularly susceptible to occupational and education-related factors within a given population.


2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Kotowski ◽  
Kermit Davis ◽  
Michael Jorgensen

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Anne Harris ◽  
Natalie McGlynn ◽  
Victoria A. Kirsh ◽  
Michelle Cotterchio ◽  
Victoria Nadalin ◽  
...  

Background/Objectives It has been suggested that the association between shift work and chronic disease is mediated by an increase in obesity. However, investigations of the relationship between shift work and obesity reveal mixed findings. Using a recently developed exposure assessment tool, this study examined the association between shift work and obesity among Canadian women from two studies: a cohort of university alumni, and a population-based study. Methods Self-administered questionnaire data were used from healthy, currently employed females in a population-based study, the Ontario Women’s Diet and Health case-control study (n = 1611 controls), and from a subset of a of university alumni from the Canadian Study of Diet, Lifestyle, and Health (n = 1097) cohort study. Overweight was defined as BMI=25 to <30, and obesity as BMI=30. Reported occupation was converted to occupational codes and linked to a probability of shift work value derived from Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics data. Regular evenings, nights, or rotating work comprised shift work. Polytomous logistic regression estimated the association between probability of shift work, categorized as near nil, low, medium, and high probability of shift work, on overweight and obesity, controlling for detected confounders. Results In the population-based sample, high probability of shift work was associated with obesity (reference = near nil probability of shift work, OR: 1.88, 95% CI: 1.01–3.51, p = 0.047). In the alumni cohort, no significant association was detected between shift work and overweight or obesity. Conclusions As these analyses found a positive association between high probability of shift work exposure and obesity in a population-based sample, but not in an alumni cohort, it is suggested that the relationship between shift work and obesity is complex, and may be particularly susceptible to occupational and education-related factors within a given population.


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