Paul Landsbergis

Publications of Paul Landsbergis

• Occupational gradients in smoking behavior and exposure to workplace environmental tobacco smoke: the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis.

  Authors: Kaori Fujishiro, Karen D Hinckley Stukovsky, Ana Diez Roux, Paul Landsbergis, Cecil Burchfiel

  Journal of occupational and environmental medicine / American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 02/2012; 54(2):136-45.

  : This study examines associations of occupation with smoking status, amount smoked among current and former smokers (number of cigarettes per day and lifetime cigarette consumption (pack-years)),: This study examines associations of occupation with smoking status, amount smoked among current and former smokers (number of cigarettes per day and lifetime cigarette consumption (pack-years)), and workplace exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) independent from income and education. : This is a cross-sectional analysis of data from a community sample (n = 6355, age range: 45-84) using logistic and multinomial regression. All analyses were stratified by sex and adjusted for socio-demographic variables. : Male blue-collar and sales/office workers had higher odds of having consumed more than 20 pack-years of cigarettes than managers/professionals. For both male and female current or former smokers, exposure to workplace ETS was consistently and strongly associated with heavy smoking and greater pack-years. : Blue-collar workplaces are associated with intense smoking and ETS exposure. Smoking must be addressed at both the individual and workplace levels especially in blue-collar workplaces.

• Sedentary work, low physical job demand, and obesity in US workers.

  Authors: BongKyoo Choi, Peter L Schnall, Haiou Yang, Marnie Dobson, Paul Landsbergis, Leslie Israel, Robert Karasek, Dean Baker

  American journal of industrial medicine. 11/2010; 53(11):1088-101.

  Little is known about the role of low physical activity at work (sedentary work or low physical job demand) in the increasing prevalence of obesity of US workers. This cross-sectional and secondaryLittle is known about the role of low physical activity at work (sedentary work or low physical job demand) in the increasing prevalence of obesity of US workers. This cross-sectional and secondary data analysis included 1,001 male and 1,018 female workers (age range: 32-69) from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) II study (2004-2006). Sedentary work and physical job demand were measured by questionnaire items. Total obesity (based on body mass index) and central obesity (based on waist circumference) were defined using WHO criteria. After controlling for covariates (socio-demographic, psychosocial working conditions, health status, and health behaviors), sedentary work, low physical job demand, or their combination increased the risk for total and central obesity in male workers, particularly when they worked longer than 40 hr per week. Sedentary work marginally increased the risk for total and central obesity in female workers. Low physical activity at work is a significant risk factor for total and central obesity in middle-aged US male workers.

• Psychosocial working conditions and active leisure-time physical activity in middle-aged us workers.

  Authors: Bongkyoo Choi, Peter L Schnall, Haiou Yang, Marnie Dobson, Paul Landsbergis, Leslie Israel, Robert Karasek, Dean Baker

  International journal of occupational medicine and environmental health. 10/2010; 23(3):239-53.

  This study was to examine whether psychosocial work characteristics such as job control, psychological job demands, and their combinations are associated with leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) inThis study was to examine whether psychosocial work characteristics such as job control, psychological job demands, and their combinations are associated with leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) in US workers. 2019 workers (age range: 32 to 69) from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) II study (2004-2006) were chosen for this cross-sectional study. Job control and job demands were measured by standard questionnaire items. Active LTPA was defined as "moderate or vigorous" level of physical activity. After controlling for covariates (e.g., age, race, education, income, physical effort at work, obesity, and alcohol consumption), high job control was associated with active LTPA. Active jobs (high control and low demands) and low-strain jobs (high control and high demands), compared to passive jobs (low control and low demands), increased the odds for active LTPA. The associations varied by sex and education level. Job demands alone were not associated with active LTPA. Having on-the-job learning opportunities and decision authority on their tasks may be conducive to active LTPA in middle-aged US workers.

• Associations of occupation, job control and job demands with intima-media thickness: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

  Authors: Kaori Fujishiro, Ana V Diez Roux, Paul Landsbergis, Sherry Baron, R Graham Barr, Joel D Kaufman, Joseph F Polak, Karen Hinckley Stukovsky

  Occupational and environmental medicine. 10/2010; 68(5):319-26.

  Occupation has been linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and mortality, but few studies have investigated occupation in relation to early atherosclerotic disease. This study examinedOccupation has been linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and mortality, but few studies have investigated occupation in relation to early atherosclerotic disease. This study examined associations between various occupational characteristics and carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) in a multi-ethnic sample. The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) recruited 6814 adults aged 45-84 years and free of clinical CVD (response rate 60%, 51% female). Questionnaire data were used to determine occupational group (managerial/professional, sales/office, service, blue-collar), psychosocial job characteristics (ie, job demands, job control) and other sociodemographic information. Common carotid artery (CCA)-IMT was greater for blue-collar jobs than for management/professional jobs (mean difference = 0.012 mm, p = 0.049) after adjustment for age, sex, race, place of birth (US or foreign born) and CVD risk factors. Compared to management/professional jobs, internal carotid artery (ICA)-IMT was greater for sales/office, service and blue-collar jobs (mean difference = 0.071 mm, p < 0.001; 0.057 mm, p = 0.009; and 0.110 mm, p < 0.001, respectively) after adjustment for age, sex, race and place of birth. The difference between blue-collar jobs and management/professional jobs remained significant after additional adjustment for CVD risk factors, income and education (mean difference = 0.048 mm, p = 0.045). Higher levels of control at work were associated with thinner CCA-IMT (mean difference = -0.009 mm, p = 0.016, adjusted for age, sex, race and place of birth) but not with ICA-IMT. Job demands had no significant association with IMT. Blue-collar jobs and low levels of job control were associated with the development of subclinical atherosclerosis.