Question

Us research suggests that noise exposure may alter metabolism and increase the risk of obesity. Consequently, researchers now hypothesize that noise exposure may also be associated with diabetes. Furthermore, construction workers often have high noise exposure from the use of bulldozers, jackhammers, trucks backing up, and other equipment, noise levels can reach as high as 120 dB. Researchers have decided to conduct an occupational cohort study to compare the diabetes incidence between group of construction workers and the general population (non-construction workers). At the end of the study, all participants are screened for diabetes using an A1C test. However, at the end of the study, it appears that there is no association between working in the field of construction and the development of diabetes. What type of bias might be expected in this study design?

A-Different misclassification of disease status

B Loss-to-follow-up bias

C-The Healthy Worker Effect

D. Bias is likely not an issue in this study.

Answer 1

The Healthy Worker Effect is the type of bias that might be expected in this study. The bias could mask any potential association between noise exposure and diabetes in construction workers. (option C)

Step-by-step explanation:

The type of bias that might be expected in this study design is The Healthy Worker Effect. The Healthy Worker Effect refers to the phenomenon where a cohort of workers appears to have better health outcomes compared to the general population due to the requirement of good health to be employed in certain professions. A potential solution would be to include a comparison group from a different occupation with similar noise exposure levels. In this case, construction workers may have undergone a thorough health screening before being hired, resulting in a healthier cohort compared to the general population. This would mask any potential association between noise exposure and diabetes.

A potential solution to minimize this bias would be to include a comparison group of workers from different occupations with similar levels of noise exposure but without the same health screening requirements. This would help to reveal the true association between noise exposure and diabetes.