Category: Reproductive Health

Is Occupational Physical Activity Harmful to Health?

  A recent webinar from the National Occupational Research Agenda’s Cancer, Reproductive, Cardiovascular, and Other Chronic Disease Prevention (CRC) cross-sector council describes research related to the potential effects of occupational physical activity on workers’ cardiovascular health. This blog summarizes the webinar and discusses the differences between (1) leisure-time physical activity, and (2) occupational physical activity Read More >

Posted on by Taylor Shockey, PhD, MPH; Tyler Quinn, PhD; Liwei Chen, MD, PhD; Niklas Krause, MD, MPH, PhD1 Comment

Researching Risk of Birth Defects Among Children of Male Firefighters

  Over 1.1 million firefighters protect our communities and environment in the United States.1 Firefighters face hazardous conditions and chemicals while on the job, which may have safety and health implications. The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation named reproductive health as a priority research topic in 2021. But so far very few studies have evaluated birth Read More >

Posted on by Amel Omari, PhD, MPH; Miriam R. Siegel, DrPH, MPH; and Carissa M Rocheleau, PhD5 Comments

Reducción de las enfermedades ocupacionales crónicas: Programa Multisectorial CRC

  Durante los 50 años de historia de NIOSH, las enfermedades ocupacionales crónicas como el cáncer, las enfermedades cardiovasculares y los desenlaces reproductivos adversos siempre han sido una carga pública significativa y una fuente de costos económicos. Desde su creación en el 2004, el Programa de Prevención del Cáncer, Enfermedades Reproductivas, Cardiovasculares y Otras Enfermedades Read More >

Posted on by Todd A. Stueckle, Ph.D., M.A.; Nicole S. Olgun, Ph.D.; Raquel Velazquez-Kronen, Ph.D.; and Elizabeth Whelan, Ph.D.Leave a comment

임신한 네일 살롱 직원과 헤어미용사에서 태아의 선천성 결함 위험 조사

위험에 처한 근로자 현재 미국에는 약 400,000명의 활동 중인 네일미용사 면허소지자와 약 600,000명의 고용된 헤어미용사가 있습니다. 이들 근로자의 대부분은 가임 연령의 여성이며, 다수는 외국 태생이거나 유색인종입니다. 네일미용사는 종종 헤어케어 서비스도 제공되는 환경에서 일합니다. 네일 및 헤어 살롱 근로자들은 직업의 건강 위험에 대한 추가 연구를 지지해 왔습니다. 2015년 뉴욕 타임즈 기사는 위험한 작업장 조건에 대한 근로자의 특정 우려를 Read More >

Posted on by Kristen Van Buren, MPH; Miriam Siegel, DrPH, MPH; Carissa Rocheleau, PhD; and Kendra Broadwater, MPH, CIHLeave a comment

Nghiên cứu Nguy cơ Bị Dị tật Bẩm sinh ở Con của Thợ Làm Móng và Thợ Làm Tóc Đang Mang thai

Những Người lao động Có Nguy cơ Hiện có khoảng 400.000 giấy phép cấp cho kỹ thuật viên làm móng đang có hiệu lực và khoảng 600.000 thợ làm tóc đang làm việc tại Hoa Kỳ. Hầu hết những người lao động này là phụ nữ trong độ tuổi sinh đẻ, và nhiều người là Read More >

Posted on by Kristen Van Buren, MPH; Miriam Siegel, DrPH, MPH; Carissa Rocheleau, PhD; and Kendra Broadwater, MPH, CIH1 Comment

Researching Risk of Birth Defects Among Pregnant Nail Salon Workers and Hairdressers

Workers at Risk There are currently around 400,000 active nail technician licenses and roughly 600,000 employed hairdressers in the United States. Most of these workers are women of reproductive age, and many are foreign-born or people of color. Nail technicians often work in environments where haircare services are also provided. Nail and hair salon workers Read More >

Posted on by Kristen Van Buren, MPH; Miriam Siegel, DrPH, MPH; Carissa Rocheleau, PhD; and Kendra Broadwater, MPH, CIH3 Comments

Reducing Occupational Chronic Disease: CRC Cross Sector Program

Over the course of NIOSH’s 50-year history, occupational chronic diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and adverse reproductive outcomes have always been a significant public health burden and source of economic costs. Since its inception in 2004, the Cancer, Reproductive, Cardiovascular, and Other Chronic Disease Prevention Program (CRC), within the NIOSH Program Portfolio, has provided leadership Read More >

Posted on by Todd A. Stueckle, Ph.D., M.A.; Nicole S. Olgun, Ph.D.; Raquel Velazquez-Kronen, Ph.D.; and Elizabeth Whelan, Ph.D.1 Comment

Can Pregnant Workers Receive and Administer Flu Vaccines? Yes!

Every flu season, NIOSH gets questions from pregnant workers about the flu and flu vaccines. Here are the answers to some of your most frequently asked questions, including getting the flu shot at work and administering flu shots to patients.   Can I get a flu shot if I’m pregnant? Yes. CDC and the American Read More >

Posted on by Candice Johnson, PhD,;Christina Lawson, PhD; Carissa Rocheleau, PhD; and CAPT Amy Parker Fiebelkorn, MSN, MPH1 Comment

Promoción del bienestar de las trabajadoras a través de la salud maternal e infantil: Adaptaciones para facilitar la lactancia materna en el lugar de trabajo

Las contribuciones de las madres que trabajan, uno de los segmentos de la fuerza laboral de los Estados Unidos con más rápido crecimiento, son vitales para que haya una economía sólida. Sin embargo, estas madres también pueden tener dificultad para equilibrar sus carreras y demandas de trabajo con sus planes de tener hijos y su Read More >

Posted on by Carissa M Rocheleau, PhD; Albeliz Santiago-Colon, PhD; y CDR Heidi Hudson, MPH20 Comments

Promoting Worker Well-Being through Maternal and Child Health: Breastfeeding Accommodations in the Workplace

As one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. labor force, the contributions of working mothers are vital to a strong economy. Yet working mothers can also struggle to balance their career and work demands with reproductive plans and caregiving. As a holistic approach to worker well-being, Total Worker Health® encourages policies and practices that Read More >

Posted on by Carissa M Rocheleau, PhD; Albeliz Santiago-Colon, PhD; and CDR Heidi Hudson, MPH17 Comments

N95 Respirator Use During Pregnancy – Findings from Recent NIOSH Research

  Recent NIOSH research has shed some light on the topic of the safety of N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFR) use by pregnant workers. Women make up approximately one-half of the US work force. At any given time, about 10% of those female workers of child-bearing age (15–44 years of age) will be pregnant. Because Read More >

Posted on by Raymond Roberge, MD, MPH; Jung-Hyun Kim, PhD; and Jeffrey B. Powell, MS15 Comments

Workplace Secondhand Smoke Exposure During Pregnancy: Who is protected?

  There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke, and avoiding this preventable health hazard is particularly important for the health of pregnant women and their unborn babies. Secondhand smoke exposure is associated with chronic diseases such as lung cancer, coronary heart disease, and stroke and with adverse reproductive effects, including low birth Read More >

Posted on by Candice Y. Johnson, Ph.D.17 Comments

NIOSH Study Evaluates Risks for Pregnant Flight Attendants

Some job hazards for flight attendants have changed greatly over the years. For example, while U.S. flight attendants are no longer exposed to second hand smoke at work, today there are heightened safety concerns due to terrorism , but some hazards have been present on the job since the first flight attendants started working. Flight Read More >

Posted on by Barbara Grajewski, PhD4 Comments

Can Workplace Exposures Increase Risks of Birth Defects? – Epidemiology in Action

Epidemiology is the art and science of using data to answer questions about the health of groups. In occupational epidemiology, we use that data to understand how work affects health. This blog entry is part of a series that shares the stories behind the data. Pregnant and breastfeeding women get a lot of advice from Read More >

Posted on by Carissa M. Rocheleau, PhD8 Comments

Workplace Exposures and the National Action Plan for Infertility

Infertility is a significant health issue in the U.S. as well as globally.  In addition to the large health and fiscal impacts of infertility, the inability to conceive can be devastating to individuals or couples. Research suggest that between 12% and 18% of couples struggle with infertility,[1] which may be caused by a wide variety Read More >

Posted on by Steven M. Schrader, PhD and James S. Kesner, PhD 9 Comments

Women’s Health at Work

This week is Women’s Health Week. With over 58% of U.S. women in the labor force[i], the workplace must be considered when looking at women’s overall health.   We must keep in mind that susceptibility to hazards can be different for men and women.  Additionally, women face different workplace health challenges than men partly because men Read More >

Posted on by Naomi Swanson,Ph.D.; Julie Tisdale-Pardi, MA; CAPT Leslie MacDonald, Sc.D.; Hope M. Tiesman, Ph.D. 62 Comments

Using No-nose (Noseless) Bicycle Saddles to Prevent Genital Numbness and Sexual Dysfunction

Over 40,000 workers including police officers, emergency medical technicians, and security staff ride bicycles as part of their job. Research has shown that riding with a traditional bicycle saddle can create pressure in the groin and may lead to a loss of sensation and a decrease in blood supply to the genitals. No-nose bicycle saddles can significantly reduce this pressure and alleviate the resulting negative health consequences. Read More >

Posted on by Steven M. Schrader, PhD, Brian D. Lowe, PhD, Michael J. Breitenstein, BS63 CommentsTags ,