title: Occupational health of Southeast Asian immigrants in a US city: a comparison of data sources.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study sought to characterize occupational injury and illness cases identified through 3 different sources of data on a population of immigrant workers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were Cambodian and Lao workers living in Lowell, Mass. A household survey allowed comparisons between characteristics of work-related cases documented in workers' compensation wage replacement records and hospital records and characteristics of self-reported cases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The household survey captured types of cases missing from existing data, particularly illnesses self-reported to be associated with chemical exposures. Injuries and illnesses affecting the study population appeared to be significantly underrepresented in workers' compensation wage replacement data.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Community-based methods can supplement available occupational health data sources.
authors.affiliation: Department of Work Environment, University of Massachusetts, Lowell 01854, USA. lenore_azaroff@uml.edu
authors.forename: Lenore S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Azaroff
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Levenstein
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Wegman
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000328:Adult; D001213:Asian / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002160:Cambodia / Q000208:ethnology; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007812:Laos / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000208:ethnology*; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D040442:Public Health Informatics; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000208:ethnology