Public health experts are bracing for the appearance of the Zika virus – which causes severe birth defects among pregnant women who’ve been exposed to it – in the United States. However, they predict that it will not have the same devastating effect that it’s had in South America and the Caribbean.

As many as 1 in 6 working women of child-bearing age in the U.S. are cigarette smokers and numbers vary widely across industries and occupations according to a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) study published this month in Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

Tendons in the hand can thicken abnormally and develop tendinitis in people who text frequently using their thumbs, says a study published online in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.

Shawn Roll, an assistant professor at the USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, focuses primarily on research for the prevention, rehabilitation and assessment of musculoskeletal disorders like carpal tunnel syndrome.

Winter precipitation can bring an increased risk for slips and falls on the ice and snow. Julia Henderson-Kalb, M.S., OTR/L, an instructor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at Saint Louis University, recommends some simple steps to minimize fall risk.

Taking a leisurely stroll with a dog has become hazardous for some in the Halifax region. Rosemary Mooney, an occupational therapist at the Halifax Infirmary, said she’s noticed an up-tick recently in the number of people she’s treating who have been hurt while walking their dog.

A woman’s heart attack may have different underlying causes, symptoms and outcomes compared to men, and differences in risk factors and outcomes are further pronounced in black and Hispanic women, according to a scientific statement published in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation.

Although the effects of sleepiness and fatigue has been extensively researched, the multi-layered, complex construct of fatigue has resulted in much of the research, particularly field-based studies, being confounded to some extent due to the many endogenous and exogenous variables that “interplay” simultaneously.

The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH) said today that as investigations of the ongoing Flint water crisis continue, public workers have a right to know that they are protected by state and federal whistleblower statutes, as well as civil service rules.

A pilot study finds that using smartphone reminders to prompt people to get moving may help reduce sedentary behavior. The study was supported by the American Cancer Society (ACS), with technical expertise provided by the e-Health Technology Program at the MD Anderson Cancer Center.