Dataset Information

Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency and Its Associated Work-Related Factors among Indoor Workers in a Multi-Ethnic Southeast Asian Country.

ABSTRACT: Little is known about the effect of working conditions on vitamin D status in Southeast Asia, where vitamin D deficiency is common despite the presence of sunlight all year round in most places. We examined the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its associated work-related factors among indoor workers using the data of 213 participants (aged ?21 years) from a workplace cohort study in Singapore. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration <50 nmol/L. Data on work-related factors, socio-demographic characteristics, and lifestyle habits were collected using standardized questionnaires. Clinical and biochemical measurements were performed using standard tools and protocols. Multivariate Poisson regression was used to examine the independent association of work-related factors with vitamin D deficiency. Mean serum 25(OH)D concentration was 59.6 nmol/L. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was 32.9% (95% confidence interval (CI): 26.6-39.6%). In the multivariate analysis, office workers (prevalence ratio (PR): 2.16, 95% CI: 1.12-4.16 versus control room workers), workshop workers (PR: 2.25, 95% CI: 1.05-4.81 versus control room workers), and night shift workers (PR: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.03-1.67) were at a greater risk for vitamin D deficiency. Workplace policies and wellness programs should encourage workers to take regular breaks to go outdoors for sunlight exposure and to consume adequate amounts of vitamin D-rich foods to maintain optimal vitamin D levels.

SUBMITTER: Divakar U

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6981433 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency and Its Associated Work-Related Factors among Indoor Workers in a Multi-Ethnic Southeast Asian Country.

Divakar Ushashree U Sathish Thirunavukkarasu T Soljak Michael M Bajpai Ram R Dunleavy Gerard G Visvalingam Nanthini N Nazeha Nuraini N Soh Chee Kiong CK Christopoulos Georgios G Car Josip J

International journal of environmental research and public health 20191225 1

Little is known about the effect of working conditions on vitamin D status in Southeast Asia, where vitamin D deficiency is common despite the presence of sunlight all year round in most places. We examined the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its associated work-related factors among indoor workers using the data of 213 participants (aged ≥21 years) from a workplace cohort study in Singapore. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration <50 nmol/L. ...[more]

PMID: 31881679

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Project description:BackgroundFarm work entails a heterogeneous mixture of exposures that vary considerably across farms and farmers. Farm work is associated with various health outcomes, both adverse and beneficial. One mechanism by which farming exposures can impact health is through the microbiome, including the indoor built environment microbiome. It is unknown how individual occupational exposures shape the microbial composition in workers' homes.ObjectivesWe investigated associations between farm work activities, including specific tasks and pesticide use, and the indoor microbiome in the homes of 468 male farmers.MethodsParticipants were licensed pesticide applicators, mostly farmers, enrolled in the Agricultural Lung Health Study from 2008-2011. Vacuumed dust from participants' bedrooms underwent whole-genome shotgun sequencing for indoor microbiome assessment. Using questionnaire data, we evaluated 6 farm work tasks (processing of either hay, silage, animal feed, fertilizer, or soy/grains, and cleaning grain bins) and 19 pesticide ingredients currently used in the past year, plus 7 persistent banned pesticide ingredients ever used.ResultsAll 6 work tasks were associated with increased within-sample microbial diversity, with a positive dose-response for the sum of tasks (p=0.001). All tasks were associated with altered overall microbial compositions (weighted UniFrac p=0.001) and with higher abundance of specific microbes, including soil-based microbes such as Haloterrigena . Among the 19 pesticides, only current use of glyphosate and past use of lindane were associated with increased within-sample diversity (p=0.02-0.04). Ten currently used pesticides and all 7 banned pesticides were associated with altered microbial composition (p=0.001-0.04). Six pesticides were associated with differential abundance of certain microbes.DiscussionSpecific farm activities and exposures can impact the dust microbiome inside homes. Our work suggests that occupational farm exposures could impact the health of workers and their families through modifying the indoor environment, specifically the microbial composition of house dust, offering possible future intervention targets.

Project description:This study applies the theory of planned behaviors to evaluate economic outcomes resulting from planned innovation and dynamic entrepreneurship of Vietnamese firms. The analysis uses data on Vietnamese small and medium manufacturing firms from surveys conducted by United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) during 2005-2015. Employing various estimation techniques including normal standard one-side regressions (fixed effect models, panel robust model, and Pds-lasso) and two-side structural two-stage models (extended regression model, treatment effect model, and IV-Lasso), we analyze the impacts of innovation activities on firm profitability in connection to the role of dynamic entrepreneurship and planned innovation. We measure planned innovation by the interaction between intention to innovate and firm innovation activities. The study shows that planned innovation is associated with higher profitability for firms. This holds true for all three innovation activities including introduction of a new product, introduction of a new production process and improvements to existing products/processes. In light of the theory of planned behaviors, entrepreneurial intentions embedded in planned innovation can underlie a comprehensive plan and action that drives the innovation process. The findings suggest that for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to thrive, willingness to pursue innovation by the firm owners is key to success as the intention to innovate will enable firms to gain a planning advantage. This advantage leads to a better resource allocation within the firms, shaping more effective strategies to implement a planned innovation. Overall, the study provides an important implication for the introduction of support schemes that promote innovation for SMEs in Vietnam. Any support schemes, introduced either by the public or private sector to target SMEs, should be engaged with the group of dynamic entrepreneurs who have intentions to innovate to warrant a higher chance of success.

Project description:BackgroundVitamin-D deficiency is linked to a wide range of chronic and infectious diseases. Body of literature suggested that the prevalence of this deficiency can have geographical variation. Although vitamin D deficiency is frequently reported in the South Asian population, the scarcity of systematic reviews and meta-analysis means the true extent of the disease and the underlying factors causing it are poorly characterized.MethodsA systematic search was performed using two databases (PubMed and Scopus) and one search engine (Google Scholar) for original studies on the South Asian population (published from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2019). Following the search, a random effect meta-analysis was performed to calculate population-level weighted average, the pooled prevalence of deficiency, and heterogeneity of vitamin D among different countries and genders; in addition to South Asia as a whole.ResultsOur study, based on our selection criteria was narrowed down to a total of 44,717 participants; which spanned over 65 studies from five South Asian countries. Overall, the pooled prevalence of deficiency was 68% [95% CI: 64 to 72%] with significant heterogeneity (I2 = 98%; p = 0.00). The average level of vitamin D ranged from 4.7 to 32 ng/mL, with a weighted mean of 19.15 ng/mL (weighted standard deviation 11.59 ng/mL). The highest prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was found in Pakistan (73%;95% CI: 63 to 83%) followed by Bangladesh (67%; 95% CI: 50 to 83%), India (67%; 95% CI: 61 to 73%), Nepal (57%; 95% CI: 53 to 60%) and Sri Lanka (48%; 95% CI: 41 to 55%), respectively. This finding indicated a high degree of heterogeneity among the population. (I2 = 98.76%), Furthermore, a gender-wise analysis suggested that in South Asia, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was higher in females than males.ConclusionOur findings reveal highly prevalent and variable vitamin D deficiency among the adults of different South Asian countries. Findings from this review would be helpful to generate hypotheses and explore the factors affecting the inter-country variability, alongside strengthening evidence for governments to prioritize mitigation strategies in this region.

Dataset Information

Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency and Its Associated Work-Related Factors among Indoor Workers in a Multi-Ethnic Southeast Asian Country.

Publications

Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency and Its Associated Work-Related Factors among Indoor Workers in a Multi-Ethnic Southeast Asian Country.

Similar Datasets

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