Healthy work (Jobba frisk) – a web-service about vocational guidance, asthma, and eczema
A. Boman*1, I. Anveden1, M. Danielsson1, A. Holmblad1, C. Lidén1, B. Meding2, G. Sandemo1, M. Svartengren1, P. Wiebert3
1Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Stockholm Centre for Public Health, Stockholm, Sweden
2National Institute for Working Life, Stockholm, Sweden
3Occupational Medicine, Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Background
An increasing part of children and youth has asthma and eczema caused by an inherited disposition and environmental factors. These groups are considerably more sensitive than other to agents that irritate the airways and the skin. Working in certain environments entails an increased risk of acquiring asthma or hand eczema. Both hand eczema and asthma influence the ability to work and have severe negative influence on the quality of life. Entering a vocation training or longer university education and not being able to continue in your chosen job or fulfil your dreams is a traumatic experience for many persons. Knowledge of these risks and the consequences of having to change job for reasons of bad health is very limited in school, among young students and their parents.
Development
The purpose of the project was to create a web-service that effectively could reach out with information about the risks for acquiring asthma and eczema in certain occupations and to diminish risks for occupationally related diseases.
The web-service addresses primarily youth who are about to choose education or vocational training. Secondarily it addresses vocational guidance personnel, school health personnel, and parents. Experts on occupational asthma and eczema have together with public relations officers developed the content of the web service. For graphical design a web design bureau was consulted and for vocative form a communications consultant bureau was used. Two reference groups took part in the development of the web-service. One consisted of school students in the ages and grades where choice for future education is made (age 15 in 9th grade in Sweden) and in the second were representatives for vocational guidance personnel, school health personnel and government agencies for occupational safety and health (SWEA) and employment (AMS). Economical support has come from The National Institute of Public Health (NIPH) in Sweden, AFA Insurance and Stockholm County Council.
Results
Jobba Frisk (www.jobbafrisk.se) is a web-service that was introduced during the fall 2004. It has easily acquirable information about asthma and eczema, about high risk and low risk jobs, about problems and possibilities in various occupations and about the importance of avoiding hazardous occupations. At the moment there are 35 high risk and 55 low risk occupations registered. The web-service was promoted by sending a folder of printed material to all schools in Sweden (approximately 300). After the release and a campaign the average monthly visiting rate is 3000 unique visitors. Each visitor looks at 6.5 pages per visit. The most frequented job pages deal with beauty, healthcare and construction. The effect of the web site on the level of knowledge of occupationally related asthma and skin problems will be evaluated by repeated questionnaires to the pertinent target groups.
Conclusion
The web-service Jobba Frisk has improved the conditions to reach out with information on the risk of acquiring asthma and eczema in certain occupations and vocations. We presume it will be a powerful support for vocational guidance personnel and school health personnel and reduce the risk for occupationally related health problems.
Content last modified: 20 May 2005
