Anxiety and depression disorders in men and women with work-related strains or sprains

January 2021: A new paper based on Andrea Jones’ dissertation research is published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. It examines the prevalence and risk factors for anxiety and depression disorders among men and women with musculoskeletal strain or sprain work injury in BC, finding that 13% of men and 30% of women had medically treated anxiety, depression or both in the year before injury. Only a slight increase (~2%) in the prevalence of these disorders was observed in the year after injury. Somatic and mental comorbidities were both strong risk factors for pre-existing and new onset anxiety and depression for both men and women, but these relationships were stronger for men.

Are you a young construction worker?

April 2024: We are looking for young workers in the British Columbia (BC) construction industry to complete a confidential online survey about their current job/trade, working conditions that could contribute to musculoskeletal symptoms, and how these affect their well-being. Respondents will be entered into a draw to win a $100 Amazon gift card as a thank you for participating.

New paper: Does intra-provincial mobility matter as much as inter-provincial mobility?

January 2024: This paper uses residential and employer location from workers’ compensation data to identify non-mobile workers (working and living in the same region of BC), intra-provincially mobile workers (working and living in different regions of BC) and inter-provincially mobile workers (working in BC and living outside BC) to estimate differences in work disability duration. The findings suggest that work disability duration was longest for inter-provincially mobile workers, even after matching workers on similar characteristics. Differences were attenuated in some industries (e.g., natural resources and mining), possibly due to more familiarity with mobile workers, and/or greater ability to accommodate workers. Read more in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Presentations at Cascadia 2024

January 2024: PWHS PhD student Xiaocong Guo will present on heat-related illness and injury in BC in 2021 compared to 2001-2020; Research Associate Robert Macpherson will present on work injury among fisheries, aquaculture, maritime and land transportation workers, and Director of Privacy and Operations Suhail Marino will present posters evaluating OHS management systems at the Annual Cascadia Symposium on Environmental, Occupational, and Population Health, January 11-12, 2024 in Blaine, WA.

Registration, lodging and call for abstracts for Cascadia 2024: Occupational, Environmental & Population Health Conference

November 2024: The call for abstracts is open for podium presentations, ignite talks, and posters. Abstracts that relate to any occupational, environmental, or population health topics are welcome. Registration and hotel booking are now live.