Definition, sources, magnitude, effect modifiers, and strategies of reduction of the healthy worker effect.

Abstract

This article summarizes, compares, and contrasts the definition, sources, magnitude, effect modifiers, and strategies of reduction of the healthy worker effect (HWE), based on the opinion expressed in the papers of nine contributors who responded to the request of the Industrial Disease Standards Panel (IDSP), Ontario, Canada. It provides an insight into the complex issues relating to the HWE. In addition, the catalog of 15 strategies to reduce the HWE is deemed to be useful for investigators in occupational epidemiology.