¿Qué Futuro Les Espera A Los Trabajadores Latinos? El Calor Extremo, Las Promesas Vacías Y La Incertidumbre Política, Yunior Rivas Garcia

Capstones

Este artículo explora las condiciones mortales que enfrentan los trabajadores latinos en Estados Unidos debido al estrés por calor, un riesgo creciente en sectores esenciales como la construcción, la agricultura y el almacenamiento. A pesar de representar una proporción significativa de las muertes laborales, las protecciones contra el calor son insuficientes, y la falta de regulación federal agrava la vulnerabilidad de estos trabajadores, muchos de los cuales son indocumentados. A través de casos específicos, como la muerte de Esvin Cruz Mateo, y un análisis de las políticas laborales actuales, el texto examina las fallas estructurales que perpetúan la inseguridad laboral …

A Mixed Methods Approach To Understanding The Links Between Mining, Climate Change And Selected Health Outcomes In India, Mary J. Cheruvillil

Dissertations and Theses

Despite ample evidence of the significant role that mining activities play in determining health outcomes, in India there is a dearth of comprehensive health studies that draw linkages between mining and health. The purpose of the following study is to investigate the impact of mining activities on population health in India using three different methods: ecological multivariable regression, exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) and content analysis of government documents using a phenomenological approach. The first aim uses the ecological multivariable regression to examine associations between mining activities and children’s malnutrition outcomes at the district level. Census data, the Demographic Health …

Investigating And Mitigating The Harmful Impact Of Precarious Employment On The Health And Well-Being Of New York City Food Workers, Emilia F. Vignola

Dissertations and Theses

Much of the United States (US) food chain – from production to processing, wholesale, retail, and services – is characterized by precarious employment, defined as work with little employment security, inadequate income, and limited rights and protections. Studies show that precarious employment is associated with adverse mental and physical health and well-being outcomes. Separate research indicates numerous health issues in certain segments of the food workforce; little scholarly work has explored the contribution of precarious employment as an upstream driver of these health issues. Gaps remain in our understanding of 1) the health needs and status of workers across the …

Update On Monkeypox, Audra E. Haynes, Susan H. Davide, Anty Lam

Publications and Research

Monkeypox a viral transmissible disease caused by the monkeypox virus, a disease commonly found in Central and Western Africa, has caused a recent outbreak of monkeypox in the United States. Highlighting the importance of dental healthcare professionals to become knowledgeable about the transmission of the disease, and how to better protect themselves and the public from further spread, as well as educating patients about the disease.

This review examines the etiology of monkeypox, transmission, signs and symptoms, and preventive measures to reduce occurrence of the disease with an emphasis on who has largely been affected by the disease and the …

The Associations Between Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease And Occupational Hearing Loss In A Cross-Sectional Analysis Of Department Of Energy Nuclear Workers, With A Mendelian Randomization Of Publicly Available Data To Enhance Observational Findings, Jonathan Corbin

Dissertations and Theses

Title: The Associations between Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and Occupational Hearing Loss in a Cross-sectional analysis of Department of Energy Nuclear Workers, with a Mendelian Randomization of Publicly Available Data to Enhance Observational Findings

Author: Jonathan Corbin

Advisor: Ghada Soliman, MD, PhD, R.D., CDN

Introduction: Occupational Hearing Loss (OHL) is the most common workplace health condition, and the overall impact of hearing loss (HL) on health is underappreciated. Diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are two of the most common causes of death and are largely preventable and treatable. Previous research has evaluated associations between OHL and …

The Occupational Depression Inventory: A New Tool For Clinicians And Epidemiologists, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

Background: Depressive symptoms induced by insurmountable job stress and sick leave for mental health reasons have become a focal concern among occupational health specialists. The present study introduces the Occupational Depression Inventory (ODI), a measure designed to quantify the severity of work-attributed depressive symptoms and establish provisional diagnoses of job-ascribed depression. The ODI comprises nine symptom items and a subsidiary question assessing turnover intention. Methods: A total of 2254 employed individuals were recruited in the U.S., New Zealand, and France. We examined the psychometric and structural properties of the ODI as well as the nomological network of work-attributed depressive symptoms. …

The Association Of Higher Carbon Dioxide Levels And Teachers’ Perceived Air Quality And Well Being In New York City Elementary Schools, Leon Levine

Dissertations and Theses

Introduction:

Several recent studies have investigated the direct effects of carbon dioxide (CO₂) at concentrations typically found in office buildings on occupant cognitive functioning. These studies have reported a significant association between (impaired) decision making ability and exposure to increased levels of CO₂ (600 ppm versus 1500 ppm). The findings have serious implications in a classroom setting since the objective of schools is to provide an optimal environment for learning. If CO₂ levels in schools are elevated, the teachers’ health and the students’ learning environment will be compromised. Higher CO₂ levels could impact teachers’ and …

Allergen Sensitization And Asthma Outcomes Among World Trade Center Rescue And Recovery Workers, Belen Rojano, Erin West, Emily Federmann, Steven Markowitz, Denise Harrison, Laura Crowley, Paula Busse, Alex D. Federman, Juan P. Wisnivesky

Publications and Research

A large number of World Trade Center (WTC) rescue and recovery workers are affected by asthma. While physical and mental health comorbidities have been associated with poor asthma control in this population, the potential role of allergen sensitization is unknown. This study examined the association of indoor sensitization and exposure as a risk factor for increased asthma morbidity in WTC workers. We used data from a prospective cohort of 331 WTC workers with asthma. Sensitization to indoor allergens was assessed by measurement of antigen-specific serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels. We used validated tools to evaluate the exposure to indoor allergens. …

Assessing The Ordinality Of Response Bias With Item Response Models: A Case Study Using The Phq-9, Venessa N. Singhroy

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Improper scale usage in psychological and clinical assessment is an important problem. If respondents do not use the scales in a consistent manner, the reliability of a composite is likely to be attenuated. This is particularly problematic when particular items are singled out for special treatment or when subscales are of interest, not just a total score. This study used both non-parametric and parametric item response theory (IRT) methods to gain further insight into the validity of the PHQ-9, a dual purpose instrument that assesses the severity of depressive symptoms using nine Likert-scale items and allows the investigator to establish …

Regulation Of Radioactive Fracking Waste, Elizabeth Ann Glass Geltman, Nichole Leclair

Publications and Research

Natural gas extracted form shale reached record production totals in 2015 in the United States and the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecasts natural gas production will continue to increase. Wastes from shale gas extraction can contain the radioactive isotopes radium-226 (Ra-226) and radium-228 (Ra-228), which decay further into radon (Rn). Exposure to radon, a form of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM), is the leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, after smoking. This article explores how states handle the disposal of technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORM) and/or NORM waste from oil and gas operations to …

Poisoned By My Government: How The Military Let Families Drink Contaminated Water For Decades And Didn’T Learn From It, Alana Pipe, Lori Freshwater

Capstones

This story is about a quest to find classmates from Camp Lejeune and put together a record of a school, where in the early 1980s the children drank and breathed heavily contaminated water and air. Not only were the children involved in what is widely accepted as the worst water contamination case in U.S history, they were there during the years when the levels of chemical contaminants peaked. The United States Marine Corps knew this at the time and did nothing to protect the children in its custody. While looking into the past contamination on Camp Lejeune, it was discovered …

Exploring The Health Effects Of Precarious Employment By Sex/Gender Using Mixed Methods, Kathleen Flandrick

Dissertations and Theses

Employment in the United States has changed dramatically since the mid-1970s. Labor market forces like globalization and diversification of the American workforce have led to a heavily segmented labor market where new types of flexible employment such as temporary, contingent, and nonstandard work arrangements are increasingly common. These newer types of work are often on the lower end of the precarious employment continuum, categorizing jobs by their degree of: 1) temporariness, 2) disempowerment, 3) vulnerability, 4) compensation (wages), 5) rights, and 6) ability to exercise worker rights. The increase in precarious employment likely disproportionately affects women when compared to men, …

A Systematic Review Of Occupational Music-Induced Hearing Loss, Lilach Gez Saperstein

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The prevalence of noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a public health concern with government regulations (i.e. OHSA, NIOSH) in place to protect employees in occupational settings. Sound pressure levels (SPL) of various industries have been measured and exposure dosages monitored as per the national regulations. Previous research has demonstrated that occupational exposure to loud noise has led to audiometric evidence of NIHL. Thus, it raises the question about the impact of occupational exposure to music on hearing. For the purposes of this capstone, literature pertaining to occupational music exposure levels, and the effects on both hearing threshold levels and …

Consequences Of Job Stress For The Psychological Well-Being Of Teachers, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Renzo Bianchi, Peter Luehring-Jones

Publications and Research

This chapter examines research on the relationship between job stressors and mental health (depressive symptoms, burnout, and mental disorders such as depression) in teachers. Teachers are exposed daily to job stressors (e.g., student disruptiveness) that have been linked to adverse mental health effects. Epidemiologic research indicates that when compared to members of other groups, teachers experience higher rates of mental disorder, although some studies question that conclusion. Large-scale studies indicate when compared to members of other occupational groups, teachers are at higher risk for exposure to workplace violence, with its adverse mental health consequences. Longitudinal research has linked teaching-related stressors …

The Effects Of Job Characteristics On Home Care Workers’ Well-Being And Job Performance: Understanding The Psychosocial Effects Of Relational Care, Emily C. Franzosa

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Home care workers are the lowest-paid and most precarious segment of the health care industry. Although these workers provide critical, non-medical support that allows elderly and disabled individuals to remain in their homes, the workforce is highly unstable, due to low wages, a lack of supportive benefits like health coverage, paid leave and retirement support, poor working conditions and a physically and emotionally demanding workload. But a lack of consensus around the nature and value of home care has made “quality”, in terms of both jobs and care provision, difficult to define, measure or improve. While home care is a …

Chiropractors’ Perception Of Occupational Stress And Its Influencing Factors: A Qualitative Study Using Responses To Open-Ended Questions, Shawn Williams

Publications and Research

Background: Job stress and emotional exhaustion have been shown to have a negative impact on the helping professional. The development and causal relations of job stress and emotional exhaustion are rather unclear in the chiropractic profession. The objective of this study is to understand the main sources of occupational stress and emotional exhaustion among doctors of chiropractic.

Methods: Analysis of the written responses to web-based open-ended questionnaire was performed using an interpretive research methodology. Additionally, cross tabulation and Chi square statistical tests were conducted to match and couple the demographic data with the categorical themes.

Results: Fourteen professional stress categories …

The “Burnout” Construct: An Inhibitor Of Public Health Action?, Bianchi Renzo, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

The prevention and treatment of the “burnout syndrome” within the critical care community is an important objective of the Moss et al. Burnout in the occupational area is based on the idea that burnout is especially common in individuals who care for critically ill patients. We think that the authors’ observations and recommendations are diminished by the fact that studies of burnout’s prevalence are methodologically problematic. The current definition and use of the burnout construct may in fact be detrimental to public health decision making.

Situational Awareness: Reframing Within Fire Service Culture, Martha Dow, Len Garis, Larry Thomas

Publications and Research

There is increasing attention being paid to better understanding and consequently decreasing the incidence of on-the-job injuries and deaths within the fire service across North America. Heightening situational awareness is being explored as the most critical factor in maintaining the safety of participants in high risk, low frequency events. Situational awareness is generally defined as “understanding the current environment and being able to accurately anticipate future problems to enable effective action”. Situational awareness is cited as a critical factor in most research exploring safety in fire suppression activities and in many cases the “No. 1 factor identified by firefighters filing …