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Maritime Health Research and Education -Net (MHRE-NET)

Introduction
The Maritime Health Research and Education-Net is a non-profit network of students and researchers to collaborate within the OMEGA-NET. The target populations include seafarers, fishermen, port workers, offshore workers and the seafarers' wives. The OMEGA-NET aims to optimize and integrate occupational, industrial, and population cohorts at the European level, to 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.

Objectives

 * 1) Omega-Net, multi-country, lifelong, prospective cohort studies
 * 2) Standard protocol and announcements with different themes for students
 * 3) Harmonise exposure and outcome information by using standard questionnaires
 * 4) Objective and subjective assessments of workplace hazards exposures
 * 5) Develop and validate Job-exposure Matrices (JEM)
 * 6) Systematic reviews and pooled studies from the cohort rounds
 * 7) Cohort-Linkage to pre-entry and follow-up health exams and other health registers
 * 8) Make training materials based on the cohort outcomes and other scientific sources
 * 9) Give OHS training to maritime doctors, seafarers, fishermen, students and others
 * 10) Integrated research methodology in the supervision of student’s thesis work

Contributions to the Industry

 * 1) The maritime doctors and other martime health professionals receive updated knowledge on the health risks at sea for specific jobs and work areas, the Job-Exposure Matrices that is needed for them to perform adequate health examinations according to the ILO/WHO Guidelines
 * 2) The companies receive updated knowledge that enables for a strategic and thus more cost-effective prevention efforts also in the Job-Exposure Matrices
 * 3) The international organisations will be able to update the regulations adequately.
 * 4) Flag states are supported to comply with their obligations to perform a regular monitoring of the working and living environment on board according to the ratified ILO Conventions

Ethical requirements
The ethical rules for database research in the respective Universities and the ICOH Code of ethics are complied with. Confidentiality in handling personal information is done according to the rules set out by the national Data Protection Agencies. Normally there is no personal sensitive information included so approval from the Ethics Committee is not necessary. All questionnaires ask for informed consent as the first question. The supervisors take care to secure that the data is processed under the Act on medical confidentiality as guidelines for good epidemiological practice. The participants' anonymity will be protected in every way and this will be indicated in the project description. It will be ensured that the electronic table is locked so that the information cannot be seen by anyone other than the researchers. The researchers respect individual ownership of the data and share publications and the data where this is convenient and keep always good partnerships as described in: The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity for self-regulation in all research.

Board of Directors
The center's main decision-making authority is the Research-Center Board. The Board is made up of active associate researchers and most of them are occupational medical specialists.

Coordination of activities

 * 1) The Board of Directors selects the Coordinator of the Center for 2 years
 * 2) Board meetings are held every 3 months
 * 3) The Center Coordinator is responsible for convening Board meetings
 * 4) A one-year plan for activities and meetings is ready at the end of Dec.

Advisory Committee
The Advisory Committee is composed of one from each of the following institutions: IMHA-board, ILO, IMO, ITF, Europêche and WMU. Goals In collaboration with the Center Coordinator, the Board of the IMHR-NET establishes objectives for which research areas should be prioritized and what results are expected to be obtained from research in these areas.

Evaluation of the IMHR-NET activities
The Board of IMHR-NET Directors understands every year an evaluation of the activities of the Center. The IMHR-NET Coordinator presents an annual report to the Board in late December.

Financial Accounting
There are no separate accounts for the IMHR-NET since the economy is placed with each of the institutions of the participants of the established collaboration projects.

Financial Resources
The main financial resource for the IMHR-NET 's activity is the existing resources of individual participants and national and international research foundations. Author affiliations in the publications Besides the affiliation from own institution, IMHR-NET-OMEGA-NET can be added

Annual status report
The IMHR-NET Coordinators are responsible for preparing an annual status report that is approved by the Board of Directors. The progress report should include a brief overview of last year's results with signatures and dates.

Methods and types of knowledge generated

 * The target study populations are maritime schools and maritime workers organisations. For each questionnaire round, one questionnaire is used plus some specific items e.g.
 * Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ),
 * Nordic Safety Climate Scheme (NOSACQ-50),
 * Copenhagen Psycho-Social Social Questionnaire (CoPSQ),
 * the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12),
 * Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ),
 * Self-Reported Injury at work and
 * Nordic Occupational Skin Questionnaire (NOSQ).
 * Objective and subjective assessments of workplace hazards exposures.
 * European Working Conditions Surveys (EWCS).
 * Demographic- and health variables: age, gender, job position/type of workplace, height, weight, smoking and general health are permanent variables for comparisons and statistical analysis.

Integrated training in research methodology and supervision of thesis
The IMHR-NET offers training in research methodology integrated with supervision of the student’s thesis, that can be based on one of the standardized questionnaires and so the students contribute with new relevant knowledge. This takes benefit from the good experiences with supervision of the MSc. Pub. Health and Maritime students' in maritime subjects e.g. NOSACQ-50, CoPSQ and GHQ-12 questionnaires and integrated research methodological training and guidance.

Contribution to UNs 17 Sustainable Development Goals

 * Goal 3: Good health and well-being for all workers
 * Goal 4: Quality Education
 * Goal 5: Gender Equality
 * Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
 * Goal 10: Reduced Inequality (Compliance with MLC2006)
 * Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production (Ships’ SOx and NOx emissions)
 * Goal 14: Life underwater observations on compliance with good waste management
 * Goal 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal

Contribution to quality education

 * The outcomes of the previous and newer cohort studies will be an important part of the continuing training of the Maritime Medical doctors and the training for fishermen and seafarers.
 * Without this knowledge the medical doctors cannot perform their obligations adequately and give preventive advice for the seafarers and fishermen according to the ILO/IMO Guidelines on the Medical Examinations of Seafarers.
 * Links to relevant organisations and funds
 * ICOH International Commission on Occupational Health
 * EPICOH Scientific Committee on Epidemiology in Occupational Health
 * OMEGA-NET Cohorts a network of researchers in occupational exposure cohorts
 * COST mission vision and values
 * HERA network for an environmental, climate and health research agenda
 * The European Survey Research Association of European survey researchers
 * European Working Conditions Surveys (EWCS)
 * The European Social Fund
 * Funding Nordic Council Ministers
 * Nordic Council Ministers Funding NGO Co-Operation Baltic Sea Region
 * Nordic Council Ministers Funding-opportunity Nordic-Russian Co-Operation
 * ITF Seafarers Trust
 * Nippon Foundation

Links to OMEGA-NET publications and core documents

 * Carla Marca S, Paatz P, Gyorkos Ch, Cuneo F, Drevvatne Bugge M, Godderis L, Bianchi R, Guseva Canu P. Validation of questionnaires and rating scales used in medicine: Protocol for a systematic review of burnout self-reported measures. medRxiv. 25 June 2020. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.24.20138115
 * Kogevinas M, Schlünssen V, Mehlum IS, Turner MC. The OMEGA-NET international inventory of occupational cohorts. Annals of Work Exposure and Health, in press. 2020.
 * Susan Peters, Michelle C Turner, Merete D Bugge, Danielle Vienneau, Roel Vermeulen. International Inventory of Occupational Exposure Information: OMEGA-NET. Annals of Work Exposures and Health, wxaa021, https://doi.org/10.1093/annweh/wxaa021 Published: 10 March 2020
 * Bodin T, Çağlayan Ç, Garde AH, Gnesi M, Jonsson J, Kiran S, Kreshpaj B, Leinonen T, Mehlum IS, Nena E, Orellana C, Peckham T, Seixas N, Vanroelen C, Julià M. Scand J. Precarious employment in occupational health – an OMEGA-NET working group position paper. Work Environ Health. 2019 Nov 17. pii: 3860. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.3860. [Epub ahead of print]
 * Guseva Canu I, Mesot O, Györkös C, Mediouni Z, Mehlum IS, Bugge MD. Burnout syndrome in Europe: towards a harmonized approach in occupational health practice and research. Ind Health. 2019;57(6):745‐752. doi:10.2486/indhealth.2018-0159
 * Omega net cohorts about the project/
 * Omega net cohorts statement on research integrity and responsible research practice