Age-related overexertion injuries among Swedish nursing auxiliaries over a 10-year period.
This study examines the age-related risk of overexertion injuries among Swedish nursing auxiliaries. Overexertion ratios (ORs) and injury severity were measured over time, for males and females separately, all injuries aggregated and for three injury patterns, employing five age categories and three time periods. OR values varied by time period, age and gender. The number of injuries by overexertion-injury pattern varied over time, and the ORs of particular age groups were related to pattern. Female auxiliaries aged 16-24 and 45-54, and also male auxiliaries aged 25-34 consistently showed ORs greater than 1.0. Injuries of all types tended to be more severe with increasing age. These findings provide grounds for reconsidering auxiliaries' occupational tasks and work aids, and methods for safety promotion. They suggest that preventive programs should be targeted so as to address several different overexertion-injury patterns, depending on age group and gender.
Karolinska Institute, Department of Public Health Sciences, Division of Social Medicine, S-172 83 Sundbyberg, Sweden National Institute of Public Health, Injury Prevention Programme, P.O. Box 27848, S-115 93 Stockholm, Sweden.
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Laflamme
Karolinska Institute, Department of Public Health Sciences, Division of Social Medicine, S-172 83 Sundbyberg, Sweden National Institute for Working Life, Division of Social and Organizational Psychology, S-171 84 Solna, Sweden.
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Menckel
National Institute for Working Life, Division of Social and Organizational Psychology, S-171 84 Solna, Sweden.
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Strömberg
Accident patterns; Age-related overexertion risk; Cluster analysis; Male and female nursing auxiliaries