title: Health status and risk indicator trends of the aging US health care workforce.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the health status and risk indicator trends in a representative sample of US health care workers aged 45 years and older.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using pooled data from the 1997 to 2009 National Health Interview Survey, logistic regression analyses were performed to determine whether age-group specific morbidity risks differed within occupational subgroups of the health care workforce (N = 6509). Health and morbidity trends were examined via complex survey adjusted and weighted chi-squared tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Rates of functional limitation and hypertension increased among diagnosing/assessing health care workers. The prevalence of hearing impairment, cancer, and hypertension was two to three times greater in health-diagnosing/assessing workers aged 60 years and older than in younger workers. Health care service workers were up to 19 times more likely to be obese than workers who diagnose/assess health.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Healthier workplaces and targeted interventions are needed to optimize the ability to meet health care demands of this aging workforce.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA. DLee@med.miami.edu
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Lora E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Fleming
authors.forename: William G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: LeBlanc
authors.forename: Kristopher L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Arheart
authors.forename: Kenneth F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Ferraro
authors.forename: Marcie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pitt-Catsouphes
authors.forename: Carles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Muntaner
authors.forename: Cristina A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Fernandez
authors.forename: Alberto J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Caban-Martinez
authors.forename: Evelyn P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Davila
authors.forename: Frank C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Bandiera
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kachan
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity / Q000639:trends*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012306:Risk