title: Developing a pooled job physical exposure data set from multiple independent studies: an example of a consortium study of carpal tunnel syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Six research groups independently conducted prospective studies of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) incidence in 54 US workplaces in 10 US States. Physical exposure variables were collected by all research groups at the individual worker level. Data from these research groups were pooled to increase the exposure spectrum and statistical power.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This paper provides a detailed description of the characteristics of the pooled physical exposure variables and the source data information from the individual research studies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Physical exposure data were inspected and prepared by each of the individual research studies according to detailed instructions provided by an exposure subcommittee of the research consortium. Descriptive analyses were performed on the pooled physical exposure data set. Correlation analyses were performed among exposure variables estimating similar exposure aspects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At baseline, there were a total of 3010 participants in the pooled physical exposure data set. Overall, the pooled data meaningfully increased the spectra of most exposure variables. The increased spectra were due to the wider range in exposure data of different jobs provided by the research studies. The correlations between variables estimating similar exposure aspects showed different patterns among data provided by the research studies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The increased spectra of the physical exposure variables among the data pooled likely improved the possibility of detecting potential associations between these physical exposure variables and CTS incidence. It is also recognised that methods need to be developed for general use by all researchers for standardisation of physical exposure variable definition, data collection, processing and reduction.
authors.affiliation: Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention (SHARP) Program, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, Olympia, Washington, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Science & Technology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
authors.forename: Jay M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kapellusch
authors.affiliation: Center for Ergonomics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
authors.forename: Arun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garg
authors.affiliation: Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention (SHARP) Program, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, Olympia, Washington, USA.
authors.forename: Barbara A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Silverstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, Samuel Merritt University, Oakland, California, USA.
authors.forename: Carisa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Harris-Adamson
authors.affiliation: Formerly Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Susan E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Burt
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
authors.forename: Ann Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Dale
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
authors.forename: Bradley A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Evanoff
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Frederic E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Gerr
authors.affiliation: Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (RMCOEH), University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
authors.forename: Kurt T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Hegmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Linda A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Merlino
authors.affiliation: Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (RMCOEH), University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Thiese
authors.affiliation: Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Rempel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002349:Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / Q000209:etiology*; D066264:Datasets as Topic; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D009068:Movement; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009790:Occupations; D005082:Physical Exertion; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States; D014937:Work; D014953:Wrist
keywords: data comparability; mechanical worload; statistical power