Year: 2023
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: This presentation will explore the essential role of occupational epidemiology in global health. Our field provides critical perspectives – relevant not only for the identification of health hazards at work but in global health more broadly – on the identification of risk factors for disease in populations, the weighing of evidence for causality, and the design and implementation of public health interventions. This presentation is informed by analyses of recent health crises including the COVID-19 pandemic, the epidemic of ‘deaths of despair’ in the U.S. and the increasing toll of heat illnesses on a warming planet. In addition to study design and data analytic methods, occupational epidemiologists are trained to understand the physical and social environments in which work is conducted as well as the biological processes that link exposure to disease, and how all this impact population health. This multi-disciplinary training enables occupational epidemiologists to identify hazards and interventions that may be overlooked by other disciplines. Occupational epidemiologists learn that economic and political forces have powerful effects on the work environment, and this shapes their perspective on how evidence is weighed in public health decision-making. Rather than using rigid evidence to decision frameworks inspired by randomized controlled trials, evaluating evidence for action uses triangulation among diverse types and qualities of evidence to guide prevention. In occupational epidemiology, the precautionary principle can be understood as one aspect of the fundamental perspective that there is no pre-defined level of certainty that is needed before taking preventive action; instead, there are different amounts and qualities of evidence that are sufficient for each specific proposed intervention. A continuing supply of occupational epidemiologists is needed to respond to future global health challenges. Professional training programs are needed to ensure this workforce; training which includes epidemiology and biostatistics, physiology, occupational hygiene, engineering and the social and economic aspects of work and health. Occupational epidemiology should be core training in global health programs.
Source: Abstracts
Author: David Kriebel
Institution: University of Massachusetts Lowell
Language: English
Subfield: Health
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4324137869