title: Employed adults with asthma who have frequent workplace exposures.
abstract: Abstract Objective: The recent increase in asthma prevalence is thought to be partially due to environmental changes such as changes in air pollution and occupational exposures. Nationally representative information on workplace exposures among US adults with asthma is limited.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined 2010 National Health Interview Survey data to determine the proportion of employed adults with asthma who had frequent workplace exposures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among adults with current asthma, 19.6% frequently worked outdoors, 17.5% were frequently exposed to workplace secondhand smoke and 28.1% were frequently exposed to workplace vapors, gas, dust or fumes. Adults ever told by a health professional that asthma is probably work-related, when compared to adults who were not, had increased odds of frequent work outdoors [prevalence odds ratio (POR)=2.76], frequent workplace exposure to secondhand smoke (POR=3.08) and frequent workplace exposure to vapors, gas, dust or fumes (POR=3.56).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To our knowledge, this is the first population-based study in USA that estimates the proportion of working adults with asthma that have frequent workplace exposures. Increasing the understanding of workplace exposures among adults with asthma will help enable prevention of asthma through workplace exposure reduction or avoidance. Future studies should further examine industries and occupations of individuals with asthma and frequent workplace exposures.
authors.affiliation: Division of Respiratory Disease Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Morgantown, WV , USA.
authors.forename: Gretchen E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Jacek M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Mazurek
authors.forename: Eileen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Storey
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004391:Dust; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D009790:Occupations; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D017132:Workplace; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D004391:Dust; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution
keywords: Asthma; NHIS; dust; fumes; gas; occupational exposure; secondhand smoke