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Job-Exposure Matrices: Design, Validation, and Limitations

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Handbook of Life Course Occupational Health

Part of the book series: Handbook Series in Occupational Health Sciences ((HDBSOHS))

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Abstract

In the context of the need to evaluate past occupational exposures, job-exposure matrices or JEMs are a common method used in occupational epidemiology research to estimate workers’ exposure based on job titles, industry information, and population exposure data. This chapter discusses major steps of JEM design (including source of the exposure data and job classification systems) and the processes of developing and validating JEMs for reliability and validity. Examples of JEMs available in North America or Europe are also given. This chapter also discusses limitations that should be known by users, including the lack of individual variation in exposure estimates within a job category, potential bias related to the source of the JEM, and the potential error of job coding schemes. The chapter also discusses merging JEMs from different sources, and their use in the broader public health area.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Univ Angers, CHU Angers, Univ Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail) – UMR_S 1085, SFR ICAT, Angers, France

    Alexis Descatha

  2. CHU Angers, Poisoning Control Center-Clinical Data Center, Angers, France

    Alexis Descatha

  3. Epidemiology and Prevention, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine, Hofstra Univ Northwell Health, Hempstead, NY, USA

    Alexis Descatha

  4. Division of General Medical Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Bradley A. Evanoff

  5. Inserm UMS 011, Cohort in Population Unit, Villejuif, France

    Annette Leclerc

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  1. Alexis Descatha
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  2. Bradley A. Evanoff
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  3. Annette Leclerc
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Correspondence to Alexis Descatha .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Morten Wahrendorf

  2. School of Social Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

    Tarani Chandola

  3. Poisoning Control Center, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire d'Anger, Angers, France

    Alexis Descatha

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Descatha, A., Evanoff, B.A., Leclerc, A. (2023). Job-Exposure Matrices: Design, Validation, and Limitations. In: Wahrendorf, M., Chandola, T., Descatha, A. (eds) Handbook of Life Course Occupational Health. Handbook Series in Occupational Health Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-94023-2_9-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-94023-2_9-1

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