Dissemination and Implementation Science Approaches for Occupational Safety and Health Research: Implications for Advancing Total Worker Health.

Total Worker Health® (TWH), an initiative of the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, is defined as policies, programs, and practices that integrate protection from work-related health and safety hazards by promoting efforts that advance worker well-being. Interventions that apply the TWH paradigm improve workplace health more rapidly than wellness programs alone. Evidence of the barriers and facilitators to the adoption, implementation, and long-term maintenance of TWH programs is limited. Dissemination and implementation (D&I) science, the study of methods and strategies for bridging the gap between public health research and practice, can help address these system-, setting-, and worker-level factors to increase the uptake, impact, and sustainment of TWH activities. The purpose of this paper is to draw upon a synthesis of existing D&I science literature to provide TWH researchers and practitioners with: (1) an overview of D&I science; (2) a plain language explanation of key concepts in D&I science; (3) a case study example of moving a TWH intervention down the research-to-practice pipeline; and (4) a discussion of future opportunities for conducting D&I science in complex and dynamic workplace settings to increase worker safety, health, and well-being.

Help-Seeking Behaviors of Abused Women in an Abortion Clinic Population.

Women who seek induced abortion procedures experience high rates of intimate partner violence, yet little is known about their help-seeking behaviors. Using data collected from patients attending a large Midwestern clinic who screened positive for intimate partner violence, we analyzed how help-seeking women differed from women not seeking help and those not disclosing their help-seeking behavior. We measured current and planned resource use and evaluated self-perceived helpfulness of resources. Severe battering, physical and/or sexual abuse, frequent sexual abuse, increased relationship length, and employment were positively associated with help-seeking. Nearly half of women who screened positive for abuse in the past year had already sought or planned to seek help, indicating this population is receptive to intervention.

Injuries associated with bottles, pacifiers, and sippy cups in the United States, 1991-2010.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiology of injuries related to bottles, pacifiers, and sippy cups among young children in the United States. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted by using data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System for children <3 years of age treated in emergency departments (1991-2010) for an injury associated with a bottle, pacifier, or sippy cup. RESULTS: An estimated 45398 (95% confidence interval: 38 770-52 026) children aged <3 years were treated in emergency departments for injuries related to these products during the study period, an average of 2270 cases per year. Most injuries involved bottles (65.8%), followed by pacifiers (19.9%) and sippy cups (14.3%). The most common mechanism was a fall while using the product (86.1% of injuries). Lacerations comprised the most common diagnosis (70.4%), and the most frequently injured body region was the mouth (71.0%). One-year-old children were injured most often. Children who were aged 1 or 2 years were nearly 2.99 times (95% confidence interval: 2.07-4.33) more likely to sustain a laceration compared with any other diagnosis. Product malfunctions were relatively uncommon (4.4% of cases). CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to use a nationally representative sample to examine injuries associated with these products. Given the number of injuries, particularly those associated with falls while using the product, greater efforts are needed to promote proper usage, ensure safety in product design, and increase awareness of American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendations for transitioning to a cup and discontinuing pacifier use.

Association of seasonality with hypertension in pregnancy: a systematic review.

A systematic literature review was conducted to examine all academic, peer-reviewed studies of seasonal or monthly variation in the prevalence of gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, or eclampsia. The objective was to test the hypothesis that prevalence rates are highest during the winter months in non-tropical regions and during wet or humid periods in tropical climates. The authors searched the epidemiological literature indexed in PubMed, cross-referenced bibliographic materials, and reviewed personal archives. Of 60 abstracts and articles screened, 20 met the final inclusion criteria. Studies included were published between 1938 and 2010. Despite differences in setting, data sources, study design, outcome definitions, and control of known risk factors, 16 separate studies (11 non-tropical and 5 tropical) concurred that prevalence rates were higher for winter delivery in non-tropical regions or delivery during wet or humid periods in tropical climates. Although the reasons for these patterns are unknown, seasonal variation in infectious diseases, environmental triggers of asthma, vitamin D levels, physiological responses to cold temperatures, healthcare access, and nutritional intake may all play a role.