Occupational health of Southeast Asian immigrants in a US city: a comparison of data sources.

Abstract

This study sought to characterize occupational injury and illness cases identified through 3 different sources of data on a population of immigrant workers. Participants were Cambodian and Lao workers living in Lowell, Mass. A household survey allowed comparisons between characteristics of work-related cases documented in workers' compensation wage replacement records and hospital records and characteristics of self-reported cases. The household survey captured types of cases missing from existing data, particularly illnesses self-reported to be associated with chemical exposures. Injuries and illnesses affecting the study population appeared to be significantly underrepresented in workers' compensation wage replacement data. Community-based methods can supplement available occupational health data sources.