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Neurobehavioral test performance among apprentice painters: Baseline data
Author(s) -
Bolle Laurie,
Herrera Horacio,
Lorétan Eugénie,
Boillat MarcelAndré
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0274(199605)29:5<539::aid-ajim14>3.0.co;2-1
Subject(s) - apprenticeship , medicine , test (biology) , socioeconomic status , demography , gerontology , environmental health , population , paleontology , philosophy , linguistics , sociology , biology
In the debate on chronic effects of solvent use, it is often difficult to find information on the cerebral health status of subjects before any exposure has occurred. The objective of this study was to obtain baseline data by examination of workers at the beginning of their occupational lives. This study compares the performance of 57 apprentice painters, mean age 16.6 ± 1.2 years, with that of 62 apprentices, mean age 16.2 ± years, drawn from other manual trades involving no significant exposure to solvents. Their performances were compared twice over a period of 3 years using a series of behavioral tests chosen from a translated version of the Neurobehavioral Evaluation System (NES). There were no major differences in performance between the apprentices, except for the verbal ability test, which showed lower results for painters. This can be explained by factors such as socioeconomic background, previous schooling, or mother tongue, and raises the question of whether it is appropriate to use such a test to adjust for the influence of premorbid ability in elderly exposed workers. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.