Health Conditions as Mediators of the Association Between World Trade Center Exposure and Health-Related Quality of Life in Firefighters and EMS Workers. Issue 2 (February 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Yip, Jennifer; Zeig-Owens, Rachel; Hall, Charles B.; Webber, Mayris P.; Olivieri, Brianne; Schwartz, Theresa; Kelly, Kerry J.; Prezant, David J.
• Is Part Of: Journal of occupational and environmental medicine. Volume 58:Issue 2(2016)
• Publication Date: 2016-02
• Subjects: Medicine, Industrial -- Periodicals; Environmental health -- Periodicals; Occupational Medicine -- Periodicals; Environmental Medicine -- Periodicals; Environmental health; Medicine, Industrial; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 616.9803
• DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000000597
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1076-2752

Abstract

Abstract : Objective: Studies have reported reduced health-related quality of life (HrQoL) in rescue/recovery workers for years postdisaster. Few have examined specific postdisaster physical and mental health conditions as mediators of the association between exposure to disaster and HrQoL. Methods: We used the Short Form-12 to measure HrQoL in 7190 male World Trade Center (WTC)-exposed first responders. Potential mediators included physician diagnoses obtained from medical records and mental health conditions obtained from questionnaires. Results: Among moderately and highly WTC-exposed workers, health conditions fully mediated the observed relationship between WTC-exposure and physical health functioning of HrQoL, and substantially mediated the association between WTC-exposure and mental health functioning. Conclusions: Because WTC-related health conditions explain the relationship between WTC-exposure and HrQoL, medical monitoring with treatment of affected populations is necessary to mitigate the adverse effects of WTC-exposure on HrQoL.