Margaret Cook

Decreasing In-home Smoking of Adults—Results from a School-based Intervention Program in Viet Nam

It is indicated that children are involuntarily exposed to secondhand smoke from adults, mainly at their home environment. This study aimed at describing the effectiveness of the school-based intervention to decrease the in-home smoking situation of adults so as to decrease childrens exposure to secondhand smoke at home during the year 2011–2012 in a rural district in Hanoi, Viet Nam. This school-based intervention program (intervention and control group) involved 804 children aged 8 to 11 years from August 2011 to May 2012 in a rural district of Hanoi, Viet Nam. Children were taught in class about the harmful effects of secondhand smoke and about how to negotiate with fathers not to smoke in-home. Then children applied what they learnt, including staying away from secondhand smoke and persuading fathers not to smoke in-home in order to decrease childrens exposure to secondhand smoke. Chi square test, t-test and multinominal logistic regression were applied in data analysis. The results showed that childrens reported their fathers in-home smoking decreased from 83.0% pre-intervention to 59.8% post-intervention (p < 0.001) in the intervention school while no change happened in the control school. The study found that the better changed smoking location of adult smokers as reported by children associated with the school who received intervention activities (adjusted OR = 2.04; 95% CI: 1.28–3.24). Poorer changed attitudes towards secondhand smoke of children associated with a lower percentage of better change in smoking location of their fathers/other adult smokers (aOR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.28–0.96). Childrens poorer changed knowledge towards secondhand smoke also associated with poorer changed smoking location of adult smokers (aOR = 2.88, 95% CI: 1.07–7.76). It is recommended by this study that similar school based intervention approaches should be applied in primary schools in Viet Nam to increase childrens awareness on the adverse health effects of secondhand smoke and to help them to be able to avoid their exposure to secondhand smoke at their home environment.

Injury prevention in the meat industry: Limited evidence of effectiveness for ergonomic programs in reducing the severity of musculoskeletal injuries

Objective of the review: To investigate the effectiveness of occupational health interventions in the meat processing industry on work and health-related outcomes. Design: Systematic review. Search strategies: Key terms were ‘meat processing industry’ including interventions and outcomes (e.g. ‘health promotion’, ‘work ability’, ‘sickness absence’, ‘health status’). A search of databases was conducted including: PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library, unpublished studies and grey literature for articles published between 1990 and January 8, 2013. Selection criteria: Studies were included when reporting on intervention outcomes related to work or health, for employees in the meat processing industry defined as – starting at slaughterhouses and finishing with transport to retailers. Only studies performed in upper-middle and high-income countries (World Bank, 2012), and only randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomised interventions studies were included. Methods of the review: Abstract selection was performed by two reviewers independently and a third reviewer if no consensus reached. The risk of bias was independently assessed by three reviewers, using the checklist for RCTs in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions and a checklist for observational studies. One reviewer extracted the final dataset. Evidence quality was graded on the basis of study design, risk of bias, inconsistency, indirectness, imprecision, publication bias, effect size, dose–response gradient and confounding. The results of data extraction were synthesised descriptively according to intervention type. Results: Search terms identified 1200 titles; 38 articles were selected for full-text evaluation following exclusion. There was high agreement (K = 0.86) between the two reviewers. After full-text screening, 13 articles reporting on 11 studies remained for data extraction, risk of bias assessment and evidence grading. The 13 articles included two RCT’s and nine non-randomised intervention studies. Studies covered three topics: ergonomics programs, skin protection and Q fever vaccination. There was limited evidence for additional rest breaks in the reduction of discomfort or added productivity over the day. There was moderate evidence for educational activities for reducing eczema prevalence. There was high quality evidence for the effectiveness of Q fever vaccinations. Authors’ conclusions: Authors concluded that there was limited evidence for the effectiveness of workplace health and safety programs in reducing the severity of musculoskeletal injuries, reducing days lost from injury or reducing costs and claims for several musculoskeletal disorders. However, there was moderate evidence for skin protection interventions and strong evidence for Q fever vaccination. Contact details of original author: b.j.van.holland@ umcg.nl

Handheld Mobile Devices—How Do We Use Them at Work? A University Case Study

The use of handheld mobile devices (tablets and smartphones) is common among the general population. It is acknowledged that the use of handheld mobile devices exposes users to the recognized ergonomic risk factors of duration, repetition, and awkward and static postures; however, the nature of this exposure is currently poorly defined. This cross-sectional survey collected information about the use of smartphones and tablets concerning: type of devices, duration of use, duration of work-related tasks, environmental settings, hand-grip and tablet position, and musculoskeletal discomfort. Three hundred and ninety-eight (398) university employees and research students responded to the survey. The survey results highlighted that the use of smartphones differs from the use of tablets, with differences noted for postures adopted, duration of use, location of use, tasks undertaken, environmental settings, and hand-grip and tablet position. The results emphasized the potential ergonomic risks that workers are exposed to during the use of smartphones and tablets especially in relation to posture, duration, and environmental settings.

“It Will Never Happen Again”: The Myth of Flood Immunity in Brisbane

ABSTRACT Although scholarship shows how collective memory aids community resilience to hazards, sociopolitical forces erode this transformative potential. A study of Brisbane River floods highlights the entanglement of memory with a myth of flood immunity, created by community faith in dams to prevent flooding, infrequent floods, drought and hydrological misunderstandings, and upheld by floodplain development perceived as an economic booster. When flooding threatened the myth of immunity in 2011, the event was framed as dam mismanagement to deflect attention from poor land use practices and government culpability. This myth endures, leaving South East Queensland no more resilient for unpredictable but certain future flooding.

Usability Evaluation of an Online Workplace Health and Safety Return on Investment Calculator

The online Return on Investment (ROI) calculator developed by the Queensland Government (Australia) is a financial evaluation tool that is publicly available and captures the direct and indirect costs and benefits of implementing a workplace health and safety (WHS) intervention to estimate a comprehensive ROI figure. Whilst cost is an important factor in decision-making, how useful is such a tool to WHS professionals in deciding whether to implement a WHS control? Aim: This study aimed to evaluate user perceptions of the online ROI calculator’s usefulness, ease of use, and value. Methods: Google Analytics and the ROI calculator’s results were obtained via the Queensland Government database and a usability questionnaire was administered to capture how users perceive the online calculator’s ease of use and usefulness. Results: Google Analytics recorded 18,633 sessions, 12,803 new users, average of 1.12 page views per session, average session duration of 3 min 30 s and a bounce rate of 86.24%. The ROI calculator yielded 548 observations with a 13.50% conversion rate (74 completions). Overall, users (n = 17) perceived the ROI calculator to be average to slightly positive in terms of usefulness and ease-of-use. Conclusions: The results indicate effective site promotion or interest around ROI in WHS, however, the calculator has poor ability to retain users to complete the tool. Future research is currently being conducted to gain a better understanding of the potential roadblocks to greater tool use and user design and experience of the tool.

Damming the ‘Flood Evil’ on the Brisbane River

Abstract When early in 1893 two severe floods devastated Brisbane, Australia, its citizens demanded flood prevention. This article explores the responses to these floods as engineers sought measures to control the river with technology. I argue that local factors of drought, economics and politics delayed a decision for 40 years. It was not until the 1930s Depression, when the State sought unemployment relief projects and the expanding urban settlement demanded water supply that the benefits finally outweighed the cost of dam construction. In 1935 the government finally sanctioned building Somerset Dam, the first Australian dam to combine water supply and flood mitigation. This article has been peer reviewed.