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Work‐related injuries among Hispanic construction workers—Evidence from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
Author(s) -
Dong Xiuwen Sue,
Men Yurong,
Ringen Knut
Publication year - 2010
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/ajim.20799
Subject(s) - medicine , medical expenditure panel survey , occupational safety and health , environmental health , socioeconomic status , gerontology , poison control , injury prevention , multivariate analysis , demography , population , health care , health insurance , pathology , sociology , economics , economic growth
Background Although a large number of Hispanic workers have entered the construction industry, few studies have estimated non‐fatal work‐related injuries for Hispanic construction workers at a national level. This study examines work‐related injury conditions among Hispanic construction workers and assesses disparities between Hispanic and white, non‐Hispanic workers. Methods Pooled data were analyzed from a large national population survey, the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), between 1996 and 2002. More than 7,000 construction workers were identified from the MEPS data including 1,833 Hispanic workers and 4,533 white, non‐Hispanic workers. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using SAS‐callable SUDAAN. Results Hispanic workers differ from white, non‐Hispanic workers in demographic and socioeconomic status. After controlling for major risk factors, Hispanic construction workers were more likely than their white, non‐Hispanic counterparts to suffer non‐fatal work‐related injury conditions (OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.00–1.64). Conclusions This study provides important evidence concerning Hispanic workers' safety on construction sites. Enhanced safety and health programs for Hispanic construction workers and improved occupational injury data systems are recommended. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53: 561–569, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.