Maritime Health Research and Education-Net

The Maritime Health Research and Education-NET (MAHRE-Net) is a non-profit network of universities, seafarers and other workers, maritime students and researchers. MAHRE-Net is composed of three parts: 1) Research data collecting programs based on standardized, validated, internationally recognized occupational health questionnaires, 2) Use of clinical health examination data and questionnaires for early diagnosis and prevention of pre-diabetes (See DM2 below) and later pre-hypertension 3) Educational Diplomas and MSc. programs for learning health science research methods, using the data-study materials from the research program. The primary target study populations include maritime students, seafarers, fishermen, port workers, offshore workers, divers, and their social relations, but all other industries can be included. The aim is to provide a foundation for the evidence base for the identification of health risks to foster safe and healthy maritime preventive strategies and policies within the UN Global Sustainable Goals.[1][2] The program includes the permanent monitoring of the four main topics of the EU-Occupational Health strategy: a. Mental health, b. Ergonomics, c. Safety climate, d. Metabolic diseases, diabetes type II, hypertension, which is high risk in seafarers and fishers. The intention In the cohort design strategy, we will follow and support the young people from the maritime schools in their careers. The method is that we ask the classes of maritime (or other) students to fill out a standardized questionnaire in one of the four themes at the beginning of their studies on their mobile phones. When they start their practice times at sea, they complete the same questions to identify the influence on their well-being on board. We measure how many of them leave the sea profession and we ask them how they think the profession can continue to be attractive to young people. It is intended to suggest and assist in the implementation of preventive measures based on the results. Later, we continue to ask them at some year intervals with the same questionnaires to assess whether the efforts have helped. We give the same questionnaires to the maritime students in other countries for comparison and to learn from their proposals on how to get the best working conditions. Also, we ask what is needed of teaching to help the industry to give them the best conditions so they can stay safe in the job. Different cohort data sources like pre-employment medical health examination data can be tried out for feasibility and validity. A "Cohort" is defined in epidemiological science as a group of people who share the same characteristic, in this case, more or less the same birth years and we take several contacts to them over their life. Cohorts are also started with maritime workers through unions, other organizations, and shipping companies.

DAta collection with
1. GHQ12 questionnaire in Venezuela, Thailand, Spain, France
2. Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire with portworkers in the containerterminals, Colon and Balboa, Panama, (n=990) ... updated information https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Maritime_Health_Research_and_Education-NET/DATA_COMPILING

Data are being analysed by BScPubHealth and MScPubHealth students for their thesis. Some of the students continue af their graduation to publish scintific articles based on their thesis