Integrating Worker Health Education in Community Agencies to Address Immigrant Worker Health

Details

• Personal Author:
  Herting J ; Tsai JH-C
• Description:
  Statement of the Problem. Ethnic minorities, including both native- and foreign-born, are disproportionally represented in low-paying and often inherently high-risk jobs. For foreign-born, ethnic minority immigrant workers, the likelihood of experiencing occupational health disparities is exacerbated by language, accent and cultural difference; discrimination associated with race/ethnicity, immigration or citizenship; fear of deportation; low levels of occupational health literacy, and inequalities in access to health care (1). Although worksite prevention approaches are intended to improve worker health and safety, such conventional approaches are relatively ineffective in reaching low-wage immigrant workers. Innovative intervention approaches and dissemination of research to practice are needed to reduce and eliminate the pressing occupational health disparities experienced by the growing immigrant populations in the United States. Community agencies, especially immigrant community institutions (2-4), serving as resources, cultural/linguistic brokers and advocates for immigrants are alternative venues (compared to workplace venues) to reach immigrant workers and cultivate community norms for promoting worker health. Asian immigrants, counting for 6% of the U.S. population, are steadily growing and projected to become the largest immigrant group in the United States by 2055 (5). Chinese is the largest subgroup of the Asian American immigrant population. In this presentation, we discuss effective engagement approaches derived from an implementation science project for community-based prevention for Chinese American immigrant workers. Procedures. Using a qualitative study design, we used key informant interviews in multiple community agencies representing the Chinese service sector, Chinese faith-based sector, Pan-Asian service sector, and pan-ethnic nonprofit sector, all of which have existing programs relevant to Chinese American immigrant workers. Agency directors were approached by an invitation letter and follow-up telephone contacts to obtain agency agreement and recommendations for middle or upper level administrators who are knowledgeable about the agency operation for the interview. One recommended administrator in each agency was then contacted and consented for the interview. Trained Chinese-English bilingual staff conducted semi-structured interviews focusing on agency decision-making processes and intra- and extra-organizational factors that influence agency openness to adopt innovative approaches for basic worker health education (WHEB) as part of routine community service. Contact logs were used to document recruitment experiences as well as monitor recruitment and data collection processes. Analyses. Domain and taxonomy analyses were employed to examine the semi-structure interview data and contact logs. Descriptive statistics were used to assess the characteristics of the participating agencies. Results. Four Chinese community agencies, 12 Chinese faith-based organizations, 3 Pan-Asian community agencies, and 7 pan-ethnic nonprofits participated in the study. Process evaluation revealed that agency internal changes, service demands, unfamiliarity with research, and inability to apprehend agency fit with the study goals were common challenges to participate. Agencies were generally open to being contacted for our pilot implementation trial of the WHEB program; however, low degrees of reservation were observed. Concerns about the demands on agency staff, activity format match with organizational mission, and timing fit of the pilot trial within agency schedule were commonly cited reasons. Intra-organizational factors (e.g., organizational mission, staffing, organizational structure) and extra-organizational factors (e.g., funding, funder's expectations, community needs, and services available at other agencies) pertinent to organizational decisions for service or program changes offered contextual explanations for these findings. Persistence, broad data collection windows, and ongoing support to assist research staff in developing effective strategies facilitated recruitment. Tailored communication strategies were needed to increase agency understanding about the research and our approaches to work within their organizational context to minimize the demands on the agency. Practical implications/Conclusion. Occupational Health and Safety researchers have generated ample workplace interventions to prevent or reduce occupational illnesses and injuries and promote healthy workforce. However, immigrant workers do not always benefit from these research findings. Community agencies and organizations can serve as assets for implementing worker health interventions and promoting changes in community norms to collectively reinforce prevention for worker health and safety. Effective community-based collaborative approaches are needed to reduce health disparities among immigrant workers, yet innovation in practice involves complex, iterative processes. This research reveals knowledge and strategies required for successfully engaging an array of community agencies in this endeavor. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Demography Emigration And Immigration Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Community Based Demographic Characteristics Immigrant Workers Information Dissemination Intervention Worker Health
• Publisher:
  American Psychological Association
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Minnesota ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20055647
• Citation:
  Work, Stress and Health 2017: Contemporary Challenges and Opportunities, The 12th International Conference on Occupational Stress and Health, June 7-10, 2017, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2017 Jun; :1
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington, Seattle
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20140701
• Source Full Name:
  Work, Stress and Health 2017: Contemporary Challenges and Opportunities, The 12th International Conference on Occupational Stress and Health, June 7-10, 2017, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• End Date:
  20171231
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:124ba7885e9f2ddd100e20c939af44e15999170dd3c7b0dd530dfdd59a24ce483a49d5c0995d3d6dcfcf5874d83ebe8f10768f00a0369ad3c441fe23286f9e50
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/213444/cdc_213444_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 236.96 KB ]