Journal
Of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Volume 46, Number 1, January 2005 Pages:79-90
Copyright © 2004 American
College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
Additional
Tables
Concordance
of NHIS Longest Held Job and Current Job by 41 Occupations and Gender-Race-Ethnicity
Subgroups
Concordance of NHIS
Longest Held Job and Current Job by 206 Occupations and Gender-Race-Ethnicity
Subgroups
Longest
Held Job in US Occupational Groups:
The National Health Interview Survey
Orlando
Gómez-Marín MSc PhD 1,2 Lora E. Fleming MD PhD1,
Alberto Caban BSc1,
William LeBlanc PhD1, David J. Lee PhD1, Terry Pitman
BS1
1Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University
of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
2Department of Pediatrics, University of Miami School of Medicine,
Miami, Florida
email: Terry Pitman
*Correspondence to Orlando Gómez-Marín, PhD University of Miami School of Medicine Department of Epidemiology and Public Health P.O. Box 016069 (R-669) Miami, FL 33101 Tel: 305-243-6863 Fax: 305-243-5544 email: ogomez@med.miami.edu
Funded
by:
NIOSH; Grant Number: R01 0H03915
ABSTRACT
Objective: To assess the validity of using current or most recent occupation as surrogate for longest-held job (and its exposures).
Methods: The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is an annual, probability, cross-sectional US population survey. The 1986 and 1988 NHIS occupational supplements provided information for >49,000 workers. Using Cohen’s Kappa, concordance was assessed by occupational group and several subgroups.
Results: Statistically significant results were observed for all occupational groups. Over 70% of 13 broad occupations had a Kappa > 50.0, with variable concordance by subpopulation. Among 206 occupational groups, there was more variability: Kappa ranged from 92.7 (dentists) to 9.2 (farm managers).
Conclusions: Moderate to high levels of agreement was observed in this large, representative sample of US workers. Therefore, current occupation can be used as a surrogate for longest-held job for many occupational subgroups.
Key Words : Concordance, Longest Held Job, Current Job, US Workers, National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)
Clinical Significance: Previous studies have questioned the validity of the use by researchers and physicians of current occupation as surrogate for longest-held job and its exposures. Using a large, representative national database, this study assessed the validity of this use and its importance, especially with rapidly changing employment patterns in the US.
Additional Tables:
Concordance
of NHIS Longest Held Job and Current Job by 41 Occupations and Gender-Race-Ethnicity
Subgroups
Concordance of NHIS Longest Held Job and
Current Job by 206 Occupations and Gender-Race-Ethnicity Subgroups