Time-based data in occupational studies - the whys, the hows and some remaining challenges in Compositional Data Analysis (CoDA)

• Data on the use of time in different exposures, behaviors and work tasks are common in occupational research. Such data are most often expressed in hours, minutes, or percentage of work time. Thus, they are constrained or “compositional”, in that they add up to a finite sum (e.g. 8 hours of work, or 100% work time). Due to their properties, compositional data need to be processed and analyzed using a set of specifically adapted methods called compositional data analysis (CoDA). CoDA has become an established framework to handle compositional data in various scientific fields such as nutritional epidemiology, geology and chemistry, but has only recently gained attention in public and occupational health sciences. In this paper, we introduce the reader to CoDA by explaining why CoDA should be used when dealing with compositional time-use data, showing how to perform CoDA, including a worked example, and pointing at some remaining challenges in CoDA. The paper concludes by emphasizing that CoDA in occupational research is still in its infancy, and stresses the need for further development and experience in the use of CoDA for time-based occupational exposures. We hope that the paper will encourage researchers to adopt and apply CoDA in studies of work exposures and health.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Arbetsmedicin och miljömedicin (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Occupational Health and Environmental Health (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

work environment

isometric log-ratio

ergonomics

constrained

Health-Promoting Work

Hälsofrämjande arbete

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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