25 January 2016

The South-East Asia region are projected to see the highest increase in non-communicable diseases (NCD). This study examines how mining industry employees are exposed to various factors that elevates their NCD risk. Assessment is over a 5 year duration with results showing risk indicators were high and increased significantly from baseline through 5-year follow-up.

25 January 2016

The study tests the reliability of the Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) on two species of Malaria. The results found that despite it being used in Indonesia as a point-of-care tool, its negative ratio for P-vivax indicates that the RDT lacked sufficient discriminating exclusion power; falling below general acceptance criteria.

25 January 2016

This study uses the results from a health check programme to analyse and predict the cardiovascular disease risks of one natural gas pipeline company. The cardiovascular diseases risk factors of the employees are found to be high, which indicates the importance of continuing the annual health check programme. This article is in Chinese.

18 January 2016

Silicosis is a form of occupational lung disease due to exposure to silica dust. This large study conducted in a population of working Southern African gold miners finds a flat or even declining trend in silicosis prevalence in contrast to autopsy data that shows a rising trend. This provides important evidence for large scale efforts underway on the subcontinent to combat tuberculosis and silicosis (two diseases closely associated). It is one of the few studies that examines empirically the ‘healthy worker effect’.

25 January 2016

This exploratory Duty of Care study demonstrates how there are differences between students studying abroad and employees working abroad: students are more likely than international assignees to be diagnosed with behavioural health issues, to be referred to a health provider (rather than being treated through in-patient care), and to be evacuated or repatriated.

25 January 2016

The requests for assistance from international assignees from different sectors: corporate, government and non-governmental organisations are compared. The findings of this study indicate that there are differing implications to consider when managing Duty of Care. It also highlights the necessity of providing support for international assignees and their dependents.

08 January 2016

The study discusses how companies can save if a pre-travel screening is implemented. By developing screening programs that link destination risk with an individual’s health risks, companies can avert unwarranted hospitalisations, medical evacuations and failed assignments.

08 January 2016

A review of progress towards the global target to reduce salt intake by 30% by 2015. The review shows how there is a large and increasing number of countries that have salt reduction strategies in place. The absence of a consistent approach to implementation highlights uncertainty about the elements most important to success.