Table 2 Associations of selected job tasks and exposures with new‐onset asthma among ECRHS II participants who were symptom‐free at the baseline ECRHS I survey.
| Exposed, n | New‐onset asthma | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| n (%) | RR (95% CI)* | ||
| Professional, administrative occupations | 2481 | 131 (5.3%) | 1.00† |
| All nursing and related occupations | 332 | 20 (6.0%) | 1.16 (0.72 to 1.87) |
| ISCO‐based occupational category‡ | |||
| Nursing and midwifery professionals | 86 | 4 (4.7%) | 0.90 (0.34 to 2.40) |
| Nursing‐associated professionals | 56 | 5 (8.9%) | 1.85 (0.76 to 4.50) |
| Personal care workers, institution‐based | 85 | 3 (3.5%) | 0.65 (0.20 to 2.06) |
| Other | 107 | 8 (7.5%) | 1.43 (0.70 to 2.91) |
| Job description§ | |||
| Clinical nurse in a hospital | 97 | 3 (3.1%) | 0.60 (0.19 to 1.85) |
| General practice assistant† | 36 | 2 (5.6%) | 1.07 (0.27 to 4.24) |
| Nursing assistant in a hospital | 53 | 1 (1.9%) | 0.36 (0.05 to 2.60) |
| Personal care provider, home‐based | 32 | 1 (3.1%) | 0.56 (0.08 to 3.92) |
| Personal care provider, institution‐based | 50 | 6 (12.0%) | 2.30 (1.03 to 5.14) |
| Technician in a hospital | 16 | 4 (25.0%) | 4.63 (1.87 to 11.5) |
| Work task§¶ | |||
| Disinfection | 180 | 12 (6.7%) | 1.29 (0.70 to 2.36) |
| Laboratory work | 46 | 4 (8.7%) | 1.62 (0.62 to 4.21) |
| Preparing and/or administering medications | 187 | 8 (4.3%) | 0.84 (0.41 to 1.74) |
| Products used at work | |||
| Cleaning products§‡ | |||
| Ammonia and/or bleach | 60 | 7 (11.7%) | 2.16 (1.03 to 4.53) |
| Liquid multi‐use products | 183 | 11 (6.0%) | 1.16 (0.61 to 2.19) |
| Washing powders | 78 | 7 (9.0%) | 1.65 (0.77 to 3.53) |
| Any products in spray form | 42 | 5 (11.9%) | 2.36 (0.99 to 5.64) |
| Latex glove use | |||
| Powdered and/or non‐powdered latex** | 258 | 17 (6.6%) | 1.26 (0.76 to 2.09) |
| Powdered latex gloves only | |||
| 1–3 days/week | 24 | 4 (16.7%) | 2.83 (1.03 to 7.81) |
| 4–7 days/week | 53 | 2 (3.8%) | 0.75 (0.18 to 3.07) |
| Non‐powdered latex gloves only | |||
| 1–3 days/week | 24 | 2 (8.3%) | 1.58 (0.38 to 6.46) |
| 4–7 days/week | 36 | 2 (5.6%) | 1.07 (0.26 to 4.43) |
*Adjusted for age, country, sex and smoking status at ECRHS II.
†Referent category for all models shown in the table.
‡Two of the 18 respondents who completed more than one occupational module provided job descriptions for jobs in different ISCO categories, therefore the total number of jobs in the ISCO categories (n = 334) is greater than the number of respondents (n = 332).
§Exposures are not mutually exclusive. Work‐related tasks and exposures were assessed using a series of non‐nested questions, therefore the total number of participants in each category (job descriptions, work tasks, cleaning products) are not equal to the total number of participants.
¶Performed 1–7 days/week.
**Powdered and/or non‐powdered latex gloves used >0 day/week or ⩾1 pairs/day.