Mr. Takashi Gokita
Columbia University, United States
Abstract Title: Association Between Occupational Health Nurse Staffing and Musculoskeletal Disorder Incidence in Minnesota: A Time-Series Study (2003–2010)
Biography: Takashi Gokita is a 2nd-year MPH candidate at Columbia University, specializing in Health Promotion Research and Practice within the Department of Sociomedical Sciences. His research focuses on occupational health and the impact of the built environment on physical health. He completed a three-month occupational health internship at Genentech, a biotechnology company in California and is a Registered Nurse and Public Health Nurse in Japan.
Research Interest: This study presents a time-series investigation exploring the relationship between occupational health nurse (OHN) staffing and musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) incidence among workers in Minnesota between 2003 and 2010. Using publicly available state-level data, annual MSD incidence rates per 100,000 workers were analyzed in relation to the number of OHNs per 100,000 workers. Both contemporaneous and one-year lagged associations were examined through visualization and linear regression models. The results demonstrated a significant positive correlation between OHN staffing and MSD reporting within the same year (Adjusted R² = 0.61, p = 0.013), with an even stronger association observed in the lagged model (Adjusted R² = 0.71, p = 0.011). These findings suggest that higher OHN staffing levels may enhance the detection, reporting, and documentation of MSDs, rather than reflecting a genuine increase in incidence. Importantly, the observed lag effect emphasizes not only the role of OHNs in sustaining long-term workplace health improvements, ergonomic adjustments, and preventive interventions, but also the necessity of implementing health education that can more promptly promote awareness of prevention among workers. This study provides preliminary but meaningful evidence underscoring the critical role of OHNs in occupational health surveillance, injury recognition, and prevention efforts. The results have implications for workforce planning, policy development, and the establishment of staffing benchmarks in occupational health services. Although limited by aggregated state-level data and a short timeframe, the study highlights the need for further longitudinal and multilevel research to confirm associations, clarify causal mechanisms, and broaden applicability across industries and regions.