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Table
Indicator name:
Mortality and burden of disease attributable to selected occupational risk factors
Short name:
MBD OCC
Data type:
Rate
Indicator Id:
2392
Topic:
Mortality and burden of disease
Risk factors
Rationale:
As part of a broader project to assess major risk factors to health, the burden of disease resulting from selected occupational risks was assessed. Damages to health due to occupational carcinogens, airborne particulates, noise, ergonomic stressors and risk factors for  injuries were selected as occupational risk factors. Worldwide, these five selected occupational risks account for almost 1 million deaths in 2004, representing 1.7% of the total deaths.
Definition:
The burden of disease attributable to selected occupational risks can be expressed as : Number of deaths Death rate Number of DALYs DALYs rate Disability -Adusted Life Years (or DALYs)  are a summary measure of population health that combine (i) the years of life lost as a result of premature death and (ii) the years lived  with a disease. Death and DALY rates are calculated by dividing the number of deaths, resp. DALYs, by the total population. Evidence from epidemiological studies have shown that exposure to selected occupational risks is linked with a range of conditions. Of these, evidence for the following have been assessed on sufficiently strong basis for inclusion in the burden of disease estimates: 1. Occupational carcinogens: Trachea, bronchus, lung cancers Leukemia Other malignants neoplasms 2. Airborne particulates: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Asthma Other respiratory diseases 3. Noise: hearing loss 4. Ergonomic stressors: low back pain 5. Risk factors for injuries: unintentional injuries
M&E Framework:
Impact
Method of estimation:
Burden of disease is calculated by first combining information on the increased (or relative) risk of a disease resulting from exposure, with information on how widespread the exposure is in the population (in this case,  the percentage of people exposed to the selected occupational risks). This allows calculation of the 'population attributable fraction' (PAF), which is the fraction of disease seen in a given population that can be attributed  to the exposure, in this case occupational airborne particulate for example. Applying this fraction to the total burden of disease (e.g. asthma expressed as deaths or DALYs), gives the total number of deaths or DALYs that results from exposure to occupational airborne particulates.
Method of estimation of global and regional aggregates:
For deaths and DALYs, national figures are summed. For death and DALY rates, the country deaths, resp. DALYs, are summed according to the region of interest, and divided by the corresponding regional population.
Preferred data sources:
Civil registration with complete coverage and medical certification of cause of death
Special studies
Contact person email:
bonjourso@who.int
Name:
Sophie Bonjour
Indicator Metadata Registry List
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