Dr. Sophia Chiu, MD, Occupational Medicine Resident, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, The University of Iowa
Dr. Chiu’s study will explore physical activity, risk behaviors, and participation in occupational safety and wellness programs in a convenience sample of college seniors and recent alumni from a liberal arts college in Iowa. A subset of participants will wear an activity tracking device to determine the feasibility of using such devices in studying physical activity during the college-to-workforce transition. This study will provide valuable early data informing the application of the Total Worker Health strategy in young workers, especially during their transition between college and work.
| Results & Dissemination |
Total Worker Health™ among College Seniors and Recent Graduates
Differences in health and safety risks of those working in college versus recent graduates may be different. If so, different types of programs, policies, and practices may be needed to keep those workers safe and healthy. In March of 2015, a survey was conducted with recent alumni and undergraduate seniors at Grinnell College to examine trends in the transition from school to work. The study was funded by a pilot grant to Sophia Chiu, MD, MPH, from the Healthier Workforce Center for Excellence at the University of Iowa, one of four national centers in Total Worker Health™ funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Seventy students and 257 alumni completed the survey, which examined trends in workplace, personal risk factors, and injuries. Chiu and her colleagues compared the results from the 57 students and 212 alumni holding jobs. Current students and recent alumni answered very similarly on a number of factors, including no differences in perceptions of wellness, general health, injury rates, water consumption, stress, number of days of moderate or vigorous physical activity and weight, or management support for workplace health and safety. In general, all of these results were in a healthy direction with the exception being feeling stressed sometimes to fairly often. Differences were seen in safety training (students more likely), work life balance (students more supported), and personal health (students felt more supported). In terms of unhealthy personal risks, alumni used more smokeless tobacco than students. However, most personal risks were higher in students including hookah use, sedative use, ecstasy use, binge drinking, eating more sugar, eating more fast food, and eating fewer meals from home. Results suggest Total Worker Health™ needs may vary between students and recent college alumni.