Occupational health of Southeast Asian immigrants in a US city: a comparison of data sources.
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.
Azaroff
Lenore S
LS
Department of Work Environment, University of Massachusetts, Lowell 01854, USA. lenore_azaroff@uml.edu
Levenstein
Charles
C
Wegman
David H
DH
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