Provocations Public Lecture

Hidden causes of rising disability and death in the working-age population 

Date: Wednesday, 25 June 

Time: 6 pm. The public lecture will be between 6 pm and 7 pm.

This online lecture is free to attend.

Abstract

Global deaths across all sexes and all age groups has risen significantly from 48.0 million (47.5–48.4) in 1990 to 60.0 million (58.9–61.3) in 2023. Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) now account for nearly two-thirds of global Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), with ischaemic heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases among the leading contributors. Notably, the working-age population has experienced the most pronounced increases in mortality rates, particularly among those aged 25–29 and 30–39 in North America and among those aged 30 to 74 years in all other regions

Occupational exposure to chemical agents, radiation, dust, noise, mechanical strain, and psychological stress may directly or indirectly contribute to mortality and chronic diseases. While the association between occupational exposures and systemic conditions is well-documented, their impact on physical and psychological health is underexplored in large population-based studies. Additionally, factors such as enterprise size, economic type, and job category may play a role in modulating the risk level. The present study presented two large population-based studies in Australia and China and discussed the potential impact of frequent exposure to occupational risk factors and health outcomes. Bayesian and SpXMod stage-wise model fit with a regression model with correlated, dimension-specific intercepts and covariate coefficients was used to estimate the results. Results of the studies suggest that efforts to reduce occupational risk exposure combined with surveillance to identify highly exposed populations should be prioritised.

Speaker 

Distinguished Professor Jing Sun
Chair of Biostatistics, Rural Health Research Institute, Charles Sturt University, Australia

Distinguished Professor Jing Sun is an internationally recognised expert in biostatistics, with a research focus on big medical data, chronic disease, and mental health. She leads innovative work in lifestyle-based rehabilitation, cognitive behavioural therapy, and the prognosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and mental disorders. Her research also spans global maternal and infant health, birth defect prevention, and global disease burden analysis, underpinned by her eminent expertise in biostatistics.

She is the elected President of the Board of Supervision at the International Engineering and Technology Institute, an Accredited Statistician of the Statistical Society of Australia, and a board member of its Accreditation Committee. In addition, she holds the title of Honorary Professor at the University of Technology Sydney.
Professor Sun has secured over A$32.5 million in competitive research funding and has authored more than 320 high-impact journal articles, including publications in the Lancet series journals, amassing over 22,000 citations to date.

The Provocations Public Lecture is co-hosted by the Royal Society of New South Wales (Western Branch) and Charles Sturt University.