Validity test of the IPD-Work consortium approach for creating comparable job strain groups between Job Content Questionnaire and Demand-Control Questionnaire

• Authors: Bongkyoo Choi , Sangbaek Ko , Per-Olof Ostergren

Abstracts

EN

Objectives This study aims to test the validity of the IPD-Work Consortium approach for creating comparable job strain groups between the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) and the Demand-Control Questionnaire (DCQ). Material and Methods A random population sample (N = 682) of all middle-aged Malmö males and females was given a questionnaire with the 14-item JCQ and 11-item DCQ for the job control and job demands. The JCQ job control and job demands scores were calculated in 3 different ways: using the 14-item JCQ standard scale formulas (method 1); dropping 3 job control items and using the 11-item JCQ standard scale formulas with additional scale weights (method 2); and the approach of the IPD Group (method 3), dropping 3 job control items, but using the simple 11-item summation-based scale formulas. The high job strain was defined as a combination of high demands and low control. Results Between the 2 questionnaires, false negatives for the high job strain were much greater than false positives (37–49% vs. 7–13%). When the method 3 was applied, the sensitivity of the JCQ for the high job strain against the DCQ was lowest (0.51 vs. 0.60–0.63 when the methods 1 and 2 were applied), although the specificity was highest (0.93 vs. 0.87–0.89 when the methods 1 and 2 were applied). The prevalence of the high job strain with the JCQ (the method 3 was applied) was considerably lower (4–7%) than with the JCQ (the methods 1 and 2 were applied) and the DCQ. The number of congruent cases for the high job strain between the 2 questionnaires was smallest when the method 3 was applied. Conclusions The IPD-Work Consortium approach showed 2 major weaknesses to be used for epidemiological studies on the high job strain and health outcomes as compared to the standard JCQ methods: the greater misclassification of the high job strain and lower prevalence of the high job strain.

Keywords

EN

epidemiological studies; Malmö; sensitivity; specificity; scoring methods; misclassification

• Publisher: Instytut Medycyny Pracy im. prof. dra Jerzego Nofera w Łodzi
• Journal: International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health
• Year: 2015
• Volume: 28
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 321-333

Dates

published

2015

Contributors

author

Bongkyoo Choi

• University of California, Irvine, United States of America (Center for Occupational and Environmental Health)
• University of California, Irvine, United States of America (Program in Public Health)
• Korea University, Seoul, South Korea (Department of Environmental Health)

author

Sangbaek Ko

• University of California, Irvine, United States of America (Center for Occupational and Environmental Health)
• Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Gangwon-do, South Korea (Department of Preventive Medicine)

author

Per-Olof Ostergren

• Lund University, Malmö, Sweden (Social Medicine and Global Health)

Identifiers

DOI

10.13075/ijomeh.1896.00355

Biblioteka Nauki

2177398