title: Occupational health outcomes among self-identified immigrant workers living and working in Somerville, Massachusetts 2006-2009.
abstract: This study examines the burden of occupational health risks among a convenience sample of three immigrant worker populations (Brazilian, Haitian, and El Salvadoran) in Somerville, Massachusetts. In this community based research initiative (n = 346), logistic regression is used to analyze immigrant occupational health survey data collected from 2006 to 2009. In this study, injuries at work were significantly associated with lower English proficiency (OR = 1.8, 95 % CI 1.1-3.0), workers between the ages of 46 and 65 (OR = 2.7, 95 % CI 1.0-7.0), service workers (OR = 13.8, 95 % CI 1.8-105.2), production workers (OR = 10.8, 95 % CI 1.3-90.1), construction workers (OR: 21.7, 95 % CI 2.8-170.9) and immigrants with no health insurance (OR = 1.8, 95 % CI 1.0-3.1). Injuries were negatively associated with years in the US with more established immigrants in the US >15 years reporting more injuries at work. Older immigrants who have been in the US longer but are less proficient in English, and are still employed in low-wage occupations with no health insurance suffered more injuries than recent immigrants. Further validation of this result is required.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA. bpanikkar@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Bindu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Panikkar
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Woodin
authors.forename: Doug
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brugge
authors.forename: Anne Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Desmarais
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hyatt
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Gute
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil / Q000208:ethnology; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004544:El Salvador / Q000208:ethnology; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005160:Facility Design and Construction; D005260:Female; D006205:Haiti / Q000208:ethnology; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts; D008875:Middle Aged; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D012933:Social Identification; D055815:Young Adult