Time to put OH research into public policy

A recent high-level symposium suggests it is time to put occupational health research into public health policy. SOM chief executive Nic Pahl reports on the conference and asks if the mismatch between evidence and policy can be addressed. Occupational health epidemiologists from across the world met...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inOccupational health Vol. 69; no. 11; pp. 8 - 9
Main Author Pahl, Nick
Format Magazine Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Sutton DVV Media International Ltd 01.11.2017
Subjects
Back pain
Core curriculum
Employment
Funding
Health risk assessment
Health risks
Hypotheses
Medical malpractice
Medical research
Medicine
Nurses
Occupational health
Public health
Public policy
Researchers
Workers
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Summary:A recent high-level symposium suggests it is time to put occupational health research into public health policy. SOM chief executive Nic Pahl reports on the conference and asks if the mismatch between evidence and policy can be addressed. Occupational health epidemiologists from across the world met at the International Symposium on Epidemiology in Occupational Health (EPICOH) conference in Edinburgh in August to present their latest research and review research needs in the future. One research area was lower back pain. Professor David Coggon, who received a well-deserved lifetime achievement award from EPICOH at the conference, presented statistics about UK rates of sickness absence and invalidity benefit due to back pain.During the 40 years from 1955 to 1995, rates increased eight-fold (they have fallen back a little since). This was despite a reduction in the physical requirements of work - with the increase in employment in the service sector reducing the historical risks of loading, heavy lifting and frequent bending or twisting. Coggon stated that back pain should be seen as an illness rather than a disease, with psychological factors having a significant impact, due to low mood, a somatising tendency, fear-avoidance beliefs and psychosocial aspects of work.
ISSN:2397-1223