title: Hospital contacts for chronic diseases among danish seafarers and fishermen: a population-based cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Seafarers' and fishermen's working conditions may impact on their lifestyle and health. Standardized hospital contact ratios (SHCRs) were compared in two time periods and the relative risks of hospital contact as a function of employment time were estimated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cohorts of all Danish seafarers (officers and non-officers) registered by the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) 1989-98 and fishermen retrieved from a pension registry 1989-98 were linked to the nationwide Occupational Hospitalization Registry (OHR) and followed up for incident diseases in two five-year time periods, from 1 January 1994 and 1 January 1999, respectively, using rates specific for age and calendar time for the entire Danish workforce as a reference.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The SHCRs for lung and cardiovascular diseases were high for non-officers. Among male officers, the SHCR for diabetes was high in the 1999 cohort and the SHCR for chronic heart diseases was statistically significantly higher in the 1999 than in the 1994 cohort. For both time periods high SHCR values were found for bronchitis, emphysema, cancer of the lung, alcohol-related liver diseases, and diabetes among male non-officers, and lung cancer among male officers. Among female non-officers, a high SHCR for skin melanomas was seen. Among fishermen high SHCRs for bronchitis, emphysema, lung cancer, and Raynaud's syndrome were found in both cohorts. No duration-response pattern was observed in any of the analyses, which may reflect health- and lifestyle-related selection into the trades or a healthy worker effect.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Danish seafarers, especially short-term employees, had an elevated risk of hospitalization for lifestyle-related diseases.
authors.affiliation: Research Unit of Maritime Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Esbjerg, Denmark. L.kaerlev@dadlnet.dk
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kaerlev
authors.forename: Søren
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dahl
authors.forename: Per Sabro
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: Jørn
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hannerz
authors.forename: Anker
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: Finn
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tüchsen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D004651:Employment; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009326:Naval Medicine; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D012767:Ships; D017132:Workplace