Occupation and paid employment is an essential component of adult life and a major determinant of health and healthy ageing. However, in recent years there has been very limited coordination and promotion of European health research on occupation and employment. Europe currently has some of the most valuable occupational, industrial, and population cohorts worldwide. The lack of integration of these cohorts hampers the optimal exploitation of these resources, essential to underpin evidence-based interventions and policy. The overarching concept of the Network on the Coordination and Harmonization of European Occupational Cohorts (OMEGA-NET) is to create a network to optimize the use of occupational, industrial, and population cohorts at the European level. OMEGA-NET will advance i) collaboration of existing cohorts, with extensive contemporary information on employment and occupational exposures, ii) coordination and harmonization of occupational exposure assessment efforts, and iii) facilitation of an integrated research strategy for occupational health in Europe. We will inventory numerous cohorts with occupational information in Europe; implement an online interactive tool with detailed information on existing cohorts; facilitate work on harmonization of occupational exposure and health outcome information and new protocols for data collection; connect scientific communities on occupational health in Europe and beyond; and provide networking, leadership, and training opportunities for early career researchers in occupational epidemiology and exposure assessment. The work will provide a foundation for an enhanced evidence base for the identification of health risks and gains related to occupation and employment to foster safe and healthy preventive strategies and policies.
Cohort studies - Epidemiology - Occupational health - Exposure assessment - Population
