Tar-Ching Aw

Trend towards multiple authorship in occupational medicine journals

BackgroundThere is an established trend towards an increasing number of authors per article in prestigious journals for medicine and health sciences. It is uncertain whether a similar trend occurs to the same extent in journals for specific medical specialties.MethodsJournals focusing on occupational medicine were selected for analysis with regard to single or multiple-authorship per peer-reviewed paper. Data were collected from PubMed for publications between 1970 and 2007. These were analysed to calculate the average number of authors per multiple-author article per year and the percentage of single-author articles per year. The slope and average of these journals were then compared with that of previously studied non-occupational medicine journals.ResultsThe results confirm a trend towards a linear increase in the average number of authors per article and a linear decrease in the percentage of single-author articles. The slope for the average number of authors for multiple-author articles was significantly higher in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine than in the other occupational medicine journals. Computational analysis of all articles published showed that Occupational Medicine (Oxford) had a significantly higher percentage of single-author articles than the other occupational medicine journals as well as major journals previously studied.ConclusionThe same trend towards multiple authorship can be observed in medical specialty journals as in major journals for medicine and health sciences. There is a direct relationship between occupational journals with higher impact factors and a higher average number of authors per article in those journals.

Global Public Health and the United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), as a rapidly developing country in the Middle East, is in a good position to contribute to global health. It can share its experience of dealing with public health problems characteristic of a desert environment, and it can learn from the experience of other nations in tackling challenges posed by globalization. The health issues particular to the region include heat stress, the effects of consanguineous marriages on families and society, and exposure to occupational and environmental hazards. As in many other developed countries, the UAE also has public health problems associated with smoking, road traffic accidents, and obesity. The experience of other countries in dealing with infectious diseases has helped the UAE implement preventive measures to cope with infections such as the recent H1N1 pandemic. International collaboration has advantages to the UAE in managing problems pertaining to global public health.

Immunisation status of dental practice staff in Kent.

Aim To determine the hepatitis B, tuberculosis (TB), varicella and rubella immunisation status of dental practice workers in Kent.Method A cross-sectional survey using a) a dental practice questionnaire sent to all 275 registered dental practices in Kent in February 2005, to determine the numbers of staff employed and their job titles, and b) a confidential personal health questionnaire for every staff member employed by each practice, to determine past history of infections and immunisation history.Results Two hundred out of 257 (78%) dental practices took part in the survey, and 1,415 staff (76% of known participants) returned completed personal health questionnaires. Three hundred and eighty-four out of 395 dentists (97%) indicated previous immunisation against hepatitis B. The corresponding percentages for other occupational groups were dental hygienists (94%), nurses (89%), dental therapists (75%), and other non-clinical staff (65%). 1,197 (85%) of participants reported previous chicken pox and/or shingles; 1,208 (85%) gave a history of previous immunisation against TB; and 823 (58%) had either had rubella or were immunised against rubella. Male participants were less likely to have had rubella immunisation.Conclusions The study has demonstrated the variations in knowledge about personal immunity status amongst dental practice staff for some infectious diseases. Improvement in establishing personal immunity status of individual dental care workers and provision of a vaccination programme could be facilitated. This preventive measure could be arranged through occupational health providers.

Use of an audience response system to maximise response rates and expedite a modified Delphi process for consensus on occupational health.

BackgroundDifferent methods have attempted to obtain consensus on occupational health issues. The objective of this paper is to describe a modified three-stage Delphi process that uses a wireless audience response system to enable consensus to be attained in a single day and to maximise response rates. The modified Delphi approach required: a) agreeing the topic/s of interest for which consensus is sought, b) identifying key stakeholders whose opinions are required; c) assembling the stakeholders for a one-day event. Participants’ opinions were recorded primarily through use of a system of individual wireless audience response devices (‘clickers’) linked to a computer. Providing immediate feedback enabled the audience to consider the group’s views before proceeding to the next stage. From an initial round of responses, participants were asked to narrow their choices to any five preferred options. A third round was conducted, using the ‘clickers’ to rank 5 of the most popular group options. Through this iterative exercise, stakeholder consensus was achieved after three decision rounds.ResultsThe use of the modifications and the wireless audience response system described enabled stakeholders to provide a group view on specific occupational health issues e.g. priorities or barriers or resources needed. Completing the three-stage iterative exercise in a day maximised the response rate with advantages for both the participants and the researchers. Careful design of the protocol is essential, with a team familiar with information technology to ensure smooth execution of the various stages.ConclusionsModification of the Delphi method with the use of a wireless audience participation system facilitates rapid consensus.

Vitamin D levels and productivity in middle-eastern countries.

W e read with interest Plotnikoff and colleagues’1 article on vitamin D deficiency and productivity. Obviously, there are many factors that can lead to reduced productivity, and lack of vitamin D may be one contributory factor. If it is a significant causal factor, then the implications for workers in many countries, including those in the Middle East, are considerable. With the abundance of sunshine in the Middle East, it might be assumed that vitamin D deficiency among workers in the desert environment is unlikely. However, there have been several studies2,3 indicating low vitamin D levels especially in women from Arab and other Middle-Eastern countries. We have recently determined 25hydroxyvitamin D levels in a random sample of adolescents (aged between 15 and 18 years) in Al-Ain city in the United Arab Emirates. Thirteen percent of the apparently healthy adolescents had 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels less than 15 ng/mL. There was a substantially higher proportion of female

772 Gap analysis on pesticides control and occupational health legislation in the united arab emirates

Background The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of the leading agricultural producers in the Middle East, particularly for date fruit cultivation. Federal and local agencies are responsible for governing occupational health and safety regulations across the seven emirates. A gap analysis was performed on specific UAE legislation related to the safe use of pesticides compared to a compliance checklist developed from international best practice. Interviews with municipalities, authorities, and industry representatives were used to collect the data required in the checklist. Description of the problem The UAE Ministry of Environment and Water reported that the average amount of pesticides used in the UAE in 2013 was five to ten times higher than in India, Europe, and the United States. Sixty-percent of UAE expatriate workers (~5.5 million) are unskilled migrants from less-developed countries with low education and literacy rates (39% educated only to primary level or less). Agricultural workers lack any job-specific training and may not understand instructions on handling chemicals or pesticides safely which places them at a high risk of occupational exposure. Results The UAE Ministry of Labour only stipulates broad federal occupational health regulations for worker protection and residency visa screening obligations for employers. There are no specific articles related to the control of hazardous chemicals such as pesticides. At the local level, only Abu Dhabi and Dubai emirates provide guidelines related to occupational specific chemical exposures; however, there is currently limited evidence of application and enforcement. Conclusions Currently, there is inter-emirate fragmentation in the scope and enforcement of regulations related to the use and control of chemicals such as pesticides. Future legislation should include job-specific training, implementation of effective chemical hazard control methods, and health surveillance of workers exposed to pesticides.

An initiative for global health in the United Arab Emirates.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) University heralded the start of the new year with a major international conference on global health. The theme of the conference was “Global Health and the UAE: Asia–Middle East connections.” The event, held at the university campus in Al-Ain from January 4 to January 8, 2010, saw participation by scholars from the Middle East, Asia, Australia, Europe, Canada, and the United States, and UAE public health stakeholders from academia, government, and industry. The chancellor of the UAE University, His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, as patron for the conference declared open the event, and the university’s vice-chancellor (Dr Abdullah Al-Khanbashi) and provost (Professor Wyatt R. Hume) welcomed the participants. Sir Richard Feachem, Professor of Global Health at the University of California, San Francisco and Berkeley delivered the opening keynote address. His presentation dealt with 4 areas of challenges in global health: nutrition, health inequalities, infectious diseases, and health care delivery, which he referred to under the cryptic headings: “More and Less,” “Mind the Gap,” “Sex and Chickens,” and “The World’s Biggest Muddle.” Other papers on public health research and practice covered a range of topics, including acute and chronic diseases, genetic disorders, occupational and environmental health, and mental health. These were discussed and debated by a multidisciplinary audience that included public health professionals, anthropologists, sociologists, clinicians, and research scientists. The conference was followed by the launch of several global health projects by the UAE University (see guest editorial). These initiatives will build on links already developed through the conference and will encourage national, regional, and international collaboration. The majority of the papers presented are included in this issue of the journal. Special thanks are due to my coeditors, Marcia Inhorn and Iain Blair, and to Molly Moran for editorial support for this supplement.