title: Occupational injuries among older workers with disabilities: a prospective cohort study of the Health and Retirement Survey, 1992 to 1994.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We tested the hypothesis that among older workers, disabilities in general, and hearing and visual impairments in particular, are risk factors for occupational injuries.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using the first 2 interviews of the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative survey of Americans aged 51 to 61 years, we conducted a prospective cohort study of 5600 employed nonfarmers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Testing a logistic regression model developed in a previous cross-sectional study, we found that the following occupations and risk factors were associated with occupational injury as estimated by odds ratios: service personnel, odds ratio = 1.71 (95% confidence interval = 1.13, 2.57); mechanics and repairers, 3.47 (1.98, 6.10); operators and assemblers, 2.33 (1.51, 3.61); laborers, 3.16 (1.67, 5.98); jobs requiring heavy lifting, 2.05 (1.55, 2.70); self-employment, 0.50 (0.34, 0.73); and self-reported disability, 1.58 (1.14, 2.19). Replacing the general disability variable with specific hearing and visual impairment variables, we found that poor hearing (1.35 [0.95, 1.93]) and poor sight (1.45 [0.94, 2.22]) both had elevated odds ratios.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Poor sight and poor hearing, as well as work disabilities in general, are associated with occupational injuries among older workers.
authors.affiliation: Injury Prevention Research Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242-5000, USA. craig-zwerling@uiowa.edu
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zwerling
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Sprince
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Whitten
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Heeringa
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012179:Retirement; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology