OJS (University of Applied Sciences Velika Gorica)
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IDENTIFICATION & QUANTIFICATION OF THE NEEDS OF THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH WORKFORCE INVOLVED IN COVID-19 RESPONSE & RECOVERY
No full textBackground: The environmental health (EH) profession is the second largest segment of the U.S. Public Health Workforce, and as such, is frequently tasked to provide backbone support during public health crises, such as natural disasters, the opioid epidemic, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Aim: Our aim was to collect primary data in support of efforts to assess EH workforce activities and expressed needs in response to COVID-19.
Methods: The authors fielded a nationwide EH workforce pandemic needs assessment July 15, 2020 through August 31, 2020. The survey was distributed and made widely available via email (n= ~ 6500) and social media outlets.
Results: Seven hundred and sixty-five (765) completed surveys were submitted and analyzed. Environmental Health practitioners, many who are employed at small local agencies, are actively supporting COVID-19 response and recovery. Their contributions are felt in emergency operation centers, policy development, contact tracing, and communications efforts, in addition to their usual and customary activities. At the same time, they have been tasked to take on new roles and responsibilities, such as crowd dispersal, for which they were not adequately trained. A lack of training was reported and was acutely felt at the state and local level (23% of respondents). Over 70% of local practitioners report being emotionally exhausted and more than 45% report working in agencies that are understaffed.
Conclusion(s): History demonstrates that the environmental health workforce provides backbone and surge support during natural, infectious, and manmade disasters. Our EH workforce survey data suggest that the profession is a major contributor to the COVID-19 response and recovery efforts. COVID-19 after action reports should reflect on the lessons learned and translated into education and training that is reflective of the changing nature of practice and society’s needs.
Presenter e-mail: [email protected]
COVERING THE INCUBATOR TOP WITH A PADDED BLANKET REDUCES NOISE LEVELS INSIDE THE INCUBATOR? A PILOT STUDY DURING SIMULATED TASKS
No full textBackground: Noise levels in Neonatal Intensive Care Units may cause physiological stress, which can impact cognitive development and increase length of stay. Several studies performed in NICU, have consistently noted that the recommended noise levels have been exceeded at day and night periods, inclusively inside incubators. The aim for controlling noise levels in the NICU is to preserve a large portion of each hour for infant sleep. Noise levels found in hospitals frequently disturb sleep states and disrupt stable behavioural states in healthy term and preterm infants.
Aim: This study aims to verify if covering the incubator top with a padded blanket effectively reduces noise levels inside incubators.
Methods: Noise levels inside incubator were measured during simulated tasks with and without a padded blanket. The study included short measurements (5 up to 10 min.) for the assessment of the sound pressure levels (C-weighted peak sound pressure level (LCpeak), A-weighted equivalent sound pressure level (LAeq), A-weighted, Maximum, Sound Level (Lmax) and A-weighted, Minimum, Sound Level (Lmin)). Measurements were performed using a sound level meter class 1 (Brüel&Kjær, model 2250) which was verified with an acoustic calibrator class 1 (Brüel&Kjær, model 4231).
Results: Noise levels inside the incubator covered with a blanket were lower than the incubator without the blanket. The average levels were 52.0±0.9 dB(A) for LAeq, 67.4 dB(A) Lmax and 48.5 dB(A) Lmin with blanket, and 57.8±4.9 dB(A) LAeq, 83.7 dB(A) Lmax, 44.1 dB(A) Lmin. LCpeak levels were also lower in the simulation with the blanket (98.7 and 102.8 dB (C), respectively).
Conclusion(s): In the studied NICU the use of the padded blanket is mandatory mainly for lightning control. Although, it also seems a good practice to minimize noise levels inside incubators. However, noise levels remained higher than the recommended by international agencies. Noise in the neonatal intensive care unit can be detrimental to the health of the hospitalized infant. Isolated strategies of reducing noise include staff training, warning lights, and ear coverings, all of which have had limited success. A combined approach focused on newborn, staff and physical environment may be more effective.
Presenter e-mail: [email protected]
ESTONIAN PEOPLE’S AWARENESS OF HEALTH RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH TATTOOING AND THE REASONS OF GETTING A TATTOO
No full textAim: The aim of this research was to find out if Estonian people know about tattoo safety and describe the factors influencing tattooing.
Methods: The sample consisted of volunteer adult Estonian residents, who undertook an anonymous electronic questionnaire in the connect.ee environment. The questionnaire was distributed in social media. Data collection was carried out from 20.11.2017 - 30.01.2018.
Results: 410 people aged 13-66 took part in the survey, 75% were women and 65% of respondents had a tattoo and 22% plan to do a tattoo. People without tattoos and with no intention to get one are more aware of hazards than tattooed people and these who are planning a tattoo. Awareness is the lowest among men, younger people aged 13-23 and people with basic and vocational education who rarely associated viral hepatitis, tetanus, HIV and bacterial skin infection with tattooing. 78.5% of all respondents named bacterial skin infection as a complication of tattoos and 37% of respondents knew that tetanus was a potential hazard but the other diseases were rarely mentioned. The most popular reason for getting a tattoo was attractiveness, so said 80.2% of respondents. 74.4% had the tattoo made in an official salon and 11.6% had the tattoo made somewhere else, not in the studio, which is a considerable number of people likely to get infections.
Conclusion(s): Awareness of health risks associated with tattooing was low. More than half of the respondents associated the tattoo with viral infections, but sametime bacterial infections (tetanus, syphilis, tuberculosis, leprosy) were less mentioned as potential risks with tattooing. Therefore, people's awareness should be raised. Gender, age, level of education and tattoo status were associated with awereness. Main reason for getting a tattoo was attractiveness.
Presenter e-mail: [email protected]
WASTE MANAGEMENT IN COVID-19 TIME – A CROATIAN EXPERIENCE
No full textBackground: The current pandemic of the new coronavirus, COVID-19 raises questions and challenges regarding municipal waste management procedures, with special emphasis on safety and health measures for utility company employees as well as for citizens. Two sectors are extremely important during the pandemic - waste management in hospitals and from households where COVID-19 was detected. The World Health Organization has prescribed recommendations that take effect immediately and relate to this crisis, but how effective are these measures? Time that is ahead of us will show the results. The fact is that this pandemic will slow down a lot’s of activities in the waste management sector, but in the future we should focus on making the system we are building flexible for extreme situations such as this one.
Aim: To analyze flexibility of Croatian waste management system in time of pandemic
Methods: A semi-structured interview was used as a research instrument. The research procedure included several phases: interview preparation, interview conduction, transcription, and data analysis. The preparation of the interview included a detailed analysis of the literature and available research related to the research problem, as well as an analysis of other secondary information.Results: Based on the analysis of the results of research conducted at several locations in Croatia, it is shown that the existing system has corresponding shortcomings. They are manifested in a lack of caution when handling COVID-19 waste materials. Lack of infrastructure for COVID-19 waste management and slowness of the whole system directly involved in solving this waste management issues. Conclusion(s): The question remains how ready we are for such and similar situations. Analyzing the waste management system in the Republic of Croatia and our infrastructure, which in some parts of our country is quite modest, the question arises whether we can learn something from this situation. Do we have the capacity, desire and will of the public to finally understand how we need a crisis response system, especially with regard to the safe disposal of waste? The Republic of Croatia, like some EU countries, cannot prescribe the measure of incineration of waste generated by infected persons because it does not have any incinerators or thermal treatment plants. On the contrary, the competent ministry is silent, and local self-government units prescribe measures to keep waste for 3 days in double plastic bags. Is this good enough?
Presenter e-mail: [email protected]
THE PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS OF INCIDENTAL INJURIES AMONG PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER EDUCATION STUDENTS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF BOTSWANA
No full textBackground: Sports injuries are a considerable problem among physical education teacher education (PETE) students. The prevalence of incidental injuries amongst physical education student teachers is relatively high and has shown to be the number one leading factor for barriers in the learning process of students. Despite this, little research has been done to assess incidental injuries among physical education teacher education students.
Aim: The aim of this research study was to estimate the prevalence of incidental injuries among physical education teacher education students in the University of Botswana and establish factors associated with occurrence of these injuries.
Methods: The study was carried out between February and April 2020 on PETE students doing Year 1 to Year 4 in the Department of Physical Education, Faculty of Education in the University of Botswana. A self-administered questionnaire designed to solicit information on participants’ demographic characteristics, risk factors,level of awareness regarding incidental injuries and their severity was distributed to 197 students. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 25.
Results: A total of 145 students in the age range 19-25 years with mean age and standard deviation 21.25 ± 1.42 completed the study questionnaire. The prevalence of incidental injuries was 21.2%. The prevalence of injuries was found to be high in males than females. The association of age group, Body Mass Index, level of study, tobacco smoke, alcohol intake and physical exercise were not statistically significant. Falls (29%), ignorance of rules (3.2%), poor playing skills (9.7%), fatigue (6.5%), unsafe equipment (19.3%), slip (3.2%) and trip (6.5%) resulted in injuries. Most injuries were sustained by Year 4 students (25.8%).
Conclusion(s): The prevalence of injuries is relatively high among University of Botswana PETE students. The study revealed a number of factors that led to injuries among PETE students. Based on these causes there is need to emphasis the issue of health and safety in the curriculum and during training of the students.
Presenter e-mail: [email protected]
PUBLIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS – THEIR ROLE AND INFLUENCE IN CURRENT PANDEMIC
No full textBackground: Interdisciplinary public and environmental health solutions are crucial for an effective pandemic response and recovery. The primary goal is to protect and awareness the public from the hazard and disease outbreaks. Public and environmental health professionals have special missions in the field because they are well connected, cooperative, well known, and highly trained for the constructive communication in multidisciplinary teams. They are often invited to be a part of the best research teams and projects, and they can often write their own terms and opinions.
Aim: Review of activities in the field of pandemic prevention or management at various professional fields and implementation the special method in the professional culture of the public and environmental health professionals as an upgrade of the current state.
Methods: After the first wave of pandemic in Slovenia, we send out an invitation to our colleagues to participate in an unstructured interview and share their professional experience during the pandemic of COVID-19. A total of 24 professionals from different sectors of their employment responded.
Results: Through their responses four major areas of their engagement were identified. First group was collaborating in interdisciplinary groups which planed and recommend general and specific hygienic and technical measures for epidemic management on a national level. Second group implemented these measures in individual facilities and working processes. Third group executed various tests and measurements for their clients. Fourth group inspected compliance with measures or recommendations as a part of official control at different levels.
Conclusion(s): According to the collected responses, effectiveness of Slovenian professionals is reflected in the extraordinary ability to cooperate with others professions. For the future development of public and environmental health professionals five additional key skills are proposed by KPI method (key performance indicator): pitching (ability to communicate your value), publishing (ability to gain credibility through authoring content), professional services (ability to scale your value through a professional services), profiling (ability to become known, and trusted), partnership (ability to structure and maintain strategic relationships), and progression (ability to advancement in the professional field).
Presenter e-mail: [email protected]
INFLUENCE OF VULNERABILITY AND RESILIENCE ON INCIDENCE OF CORONARY HEART DISEASE, A STUDY AT FINE GEOGRAPHIC SCALE
No full textInstitution(s):
University of Lille, IMT Lille Douai, Yncrea Hauts-de-France ULR 4515 – LGCgE, F-59000 Lille, FranceUniv. Lille, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Inserm UMR1167 RID-AGE (Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases), F-59000 Lille, FranceUniv. Lille, CHU Lille, ULR 2694 – METRICS, F-59000 Lille, France
Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Certain risk factors are modifiable (smoking, diabetes, …) whereas others not (genetic predispositions, age, …). Environmental conditions are also a recognized risk factor, and among them air pollution is the one for which the strongest links have been demonstrated. However, a holistic description of territory characteristics needs to go beyond solely vulnerability, i.e. the determinants that have a negative impact on health to which populations are subjected. Although the positive impact of surrounding environment is more and more considered, studies mainly focus on greenspaces accessibility for CVD.
Aim: The purpose of the study is to investigate at a fine geographic scale the relationship between multiple facets of territorial characteristics and the incidence of CHD.
Methods: In light of the diversity of the health determinants involved, two spatialized composite indices have been constructed to combine different indicators that measure and transcribe the multifaceted issues of environmental health. The theoretical framework relies on data collected from public and national database providers. Vulnerability and resilience indices have thus been developed in order to appraise the association between the cumulative constraints and nuisances (air pollution, noise, …), the capacity of a territory to cope with health inequalities (greenspaces, healthcare systems, natural resources…) and the incidence of CHD. CHD data for the Lille urban area were obtained from the French WHO-MONICA population-based CHD registry. Standardized incidence ratios (SIR) were computed to assess the spatial distribution of CHD (ratio between the observed number of cases and the expected number after indirect standardization of age and gender, confounding factors in CHD).
Results: The Lille urban area presents a strong and significant spatial heterogeneity of CHD incidence. High pollution areas mainly located along main roads tend to overlap with high incidence rates. Low pollution areas for their part are generally detected in rural territories where the incidence rate of CHD tend to be lower.
Conclusion(s): This study provides a better understanding of the dynamics of environmental and social inequalities in health at the neighborhood level. This could help to implement specifically tailored public health policies.
Presenter e-mail: [email protected]
VARIABILITY OF NOISE LEVELS IN A PORTUGUESE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT
No full textBackground: The neonatal intensive care units accommodates patients who are confined to their environment, being exposed to several environmental factors, such as noise. There exist a few official recommendations regarding noise levels within the hospital environment. The World Health Organization (WHO) proposes that the average background noise in hospitals should not exceed 35 dB LAeq for areas where patients are treated or observed and other organizations such the United States Environmental Protection Agency (45 dB(A) daytime / 35 dB(A) night) and the American Academy of Paediatrics, through the Committee on Environmental Health (45 dB(A)).
Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the intensity and pattern of noise levels such as variability and their sources within a Portuguese NICU.
Methods: The study was carried out in a NICU located in the North of Portugal. The measurements were carried out continuously over 24 hours, next the workstation located at the centre of the NICU. Measurements were performed using a sound level meter class 1 (Brüel&Kjær, model 2250) which was verified with an acoustic calibrator class 1 (Brüel&Kjær, model 4231).
Results: The results showed that noise levels were excessive in the NICU, exceeding the international recommendations. The average levels were 55.3±5.4 dB(A) for LAeq with the levels ranging between 41.3 dB(A) (recorded at 5:09 a.m.) to 71.60 dB(A) (recorded at 12:58 p.m.). The highest LCpeak level was 104.4 dB (C) (recorded at 6:15 a.m.). For the other acoustic parameters, it was found 84.8 dB(A) for Lmax and 39.6 dB(A) for Lmin.
Conclusion(s): The occurrence of high average noise levels in combination with the variability in noise levels and the frequency of peak noises may contribute to detrimental effects both for premature infants and health care professionals. Average noise levels exceeded those recommended by the WHO. The primary sources of noise were identified as staff conversations and alarms. Further research into strategies to reduce noise, and evaluation of interventions, is required to enhance by one side the therapeutic environment and for other the healthy and safe workplace.
Presenter e-mail: [email protected]
OCCUPATIONAL DERMAL EXPOSURE TO ALCOHOL-BASED DISINFECTANT PRODUCTS AGAINST COVID-19: A PROTOCOL FOR A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
No full textBackground: The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the use of hand sanitisers and surface disinfectants in the workplaces as a preventive measure for disease transmission. These are biocidal products that may be associated with adverse health outcomes. Skin reactions, as irritant contact dermatitis or allergic contact dermatitis, are the most commonly reported health effects.
Aim: The aim of this work is to present the protocol for a systematic review, intending to describe potential skin health effects associated with occupational dermal exposure to alcohol-based hand sanitisers and surface disinfectants and identify dermal exposure assessment methods applicable in manufacturing environment.
Methods: To ensure that the review methods are transparent and reproducible, it is essential to describe the protocol before the review. For this systematic review, studies will be searched through Pubmed and Web of Science databases. The search strategy developed will comprise the following terms (not exhaustive list): “SARS-Cov2”; “Skin exposure”; “chemical-skin interactions” “skin exposure assessment”; “skin diseases”; “Alcohol-based hand sanitisers”; “surface disinfectants”; “alcoholic antiseptic agents”. Eligible studies will be descriptive or analytical studies that report occupational dermal exposure to alcohol-based formulations used in manufacturing to control SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Only articles written in English, published in the period from 2010 to the year 2021, will be included. Studies about domestic uses of these products, developed in non-industrial activities, which do not include evaluations of occupational dermal exposure, will be excluded.
Results: A narrative synthesis of the available evidence will be adopted. Data synthesis will focus on the reported skin effects and dermal exposure assessment methods used, identify possible inconsistencies found across studies, and examine the strength and robustness of retrieved data
Conclusion(s): This review will identify and synthesize studies that establish the association between occupational dermal exposure to alcohol-based formulations and skin effects and also that describe methods to dermal exposure risk assessment. Additionally, needs for future research in this field, will be identified.
Presenter e-mail: Joana Santos – [email protected]
TO STOP AND PREVENT GREENWASHING
No full textBackground: As the ecological challenges develop and deepen, the environmental change topics have become increasingly more relevant to people. Several studies have shown that the Millennials and generations after that have significantly changed understanding of economy, work life and personal values. Economical models that restore ecosystems, fair trade and socially responsible entrepreneurship are growing trends and this is not a choice anymore, but a strategic necessity. However, in the case of these developments, one must be aware of the malpractices and we must talk about greenwashing
Aim: Greenwashing is presentation of one’s environmentally harmful actions as positive ones. In the case of greenwashing, it can be seen as three different categories. The aim is to stop and prevent greenwashing happen.
Methods: Data analysis
Results: Firstly, the greenwashing can occur out of unawareness. We have many examples from the history where some technologies, such as using pesticides in the agriculture, have been perceived as unharmful due to the lack of knowledge. As the knowledge develops, the behaviour has been corrected. The second category is claiming to the clients that the product is environmentally friendly when in fact it does not differ from the other similar products, but no direct harm to the environment is done. The third category is the foulest way of misleading – it occurs when the provider of the product or service claims that it is environmentally friendly but is very well aware that it is actually harmful to the environment.
Conclusion(s): It is necessary for the consumers, regulators and legislators to take different steps to prevent the greenwashing from happening.
Presenter e-mail: [email protected]