March 2020: A new paper by PWHS research associate Robert Macpherson and colleagues examines associations between injury-related work disability duration and urban-rural place of residence, and whether associations differed by length of disability and by industry sector.
Published in Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the study found that compared to workers residing in metropolitan areas, those in all other areas experienced more disability days. Urban-rural differences increased for longer disability durations and were largest in the construction and transportation and warehousing sectors.
Tailored interventions for workers in rural areas, particularly those in sectors associated with mobile work environments, may be warranted to reduce inequities in injury-related work disability duration by place of residence.
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