Occupational health literacy and work-related injury among US adolescents

Abstract

Building on the concept of ‘health literacy’ used in the US, we developed an analogous measure specific to safety in the workplace labeled ‘occupational health literacy’ (OHL) and investigated whether OHL is a protective factor against work-related injury (WRI) among adolescents. Using cross-sectional survey data from 2262 14 to 18-year olds in five high schools across the US, we found that OHL (level of occupational safety and health (OSH) information and training received combined with knowledge and awareness of OSH information and concepts) is positively associated with WRI prevalence. This association appears to be largely driven by the OHL subscale on respondents’ receipt of safety training, which likely represents job hazardousness and may be overwhelming any protective effect of OHL on work injury. This exploratory study has shown that more precise measurement of OHL and confounding variables (job hazardousness) will be crucial in further studies exploring a OHL–WRI relationship.

Keywords:

• adolescent
• young workers
• occupational health literacy
• work-related injury

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge Dr. Carol Runyan for assisting us in gaining access to the data used in this study that were collected as part of projects she lead while at UNC Chapel Hill and to Dr. J. Michael Bowling, also of UNC Chapel Hill, for his guidance in using the data. This work was funded by grant #5R03-OH009557-02 from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Notes

*In years.

⁺1999 work injury rate/10,000 workers between the ages of 14 and 19.

^aLevel of occupational safety and health information and training obtained by respondents.

^bLevel of respondents’ knowledge and awareness of occupational safety and health information and concepts.

Significance levels: *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01,***p < 0.001.

*All models adjusted for age, gender, race, work history duration, school, and job hazardousness.

^aLevel of occupational safety and health information and training obtained by respondents.

^bLevel of respondents’ knowledge and awareness of occupational safety and health information and concepts.

*All models adjusted for age, gender, race, work history duration, and job hazardousness.

^aLevel of occupational safety and health information and training obtained by respondents.

^bLevel of respondents’ knowledge and awareness of occupational safety and health information and concepts.

Notes: B/L = Brockton/Lowell; L/O/P = Los Angeles, Oakland & Philadelphia.

1. Because our job hazardousness measure is based on 1999 BLS injury rates, which use the 1990 Census Occupation Codes, we used the same occupational coding scheme as the Bureau. (United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1999).