@article{ref1,
title="Health conditions as mediators of the association between World Trade Center exposure and health-related quality of life in firefighters and EMS workers",
journal="Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine",
year="2016",
author="Yip, Jennifer and Zeig-Owens, Rachel and Hall, Charles B. and Webber, Mayris P. and Olivieri, Brianne and Schwartz, Theresa and Kelly, Kerry J. and Prezant, David J.",
volume="58",
number="2",
pages="200-206",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: Studies have reported reduced health-related quality of life (HrQoL) in rescue/recovery workers for years postdisaster. Few have examined specific postdisaster physical and mental health conditions as mediators of the association between exposure to disaster and HrQoL. <br><br>METHODS: We used the Short Form-12 to measure HrQoL in 7190 male World Trade Center (WTC)-exposed first responders. Potential mediators included physician diagnoses obtained from medical records and mental health conditions obtained from questionnaires. <br><br>RESULTS: Among moderately and highly WTC-exposed workers, health conditions fully mediated the observed relationship between WTC-exposure and physical health functioning of HrQoL, and substantially mediated the association between WTC-exposure and mental health functioning. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Because WTC-related health conditions explain the relationship between WTC-exposure and HrQoL, medical monitoring with treatment of affected populations is necessary to mitigate the adverse effects of WTC-exposure on HrQoL.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1076-2752",
doi="10.1097/JOM.0000000000000597",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000000597"
}