The Impact of Economic Deregulation for Health Disparities Among Gulf of Mexico Commercial Fishermen

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cherryhomes E ; Davis, Letitia ; Guillot-Wright S
• Description:
  Commercial fishing is one of the most dangerous occupations in the US and includes some of the most vulnerable populations, including low-wage, older, and (im)migrant workers. We conducted a secondary data analysis of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Voices Oral History Archives to better understand how structural and social determinants of health (SDoH) are related to individual injury and illness among fishermen. Interviews from Gulf of Mexico (GOM) English- and non-English speaking commercial fishermen, family members of fishermen, and policymakers were analyzed following an interpretive analytical approach. Our results show that key policy changes associated with deregulation have led to a decline in economic opportunities for fishermen in the GOM region and have long-term implications for their health and well-being. Specifically, we demonstrate how the deregulation of waterfront development, offshore oil development and pricing, and seafood imports has shaped precarious employment for fishermen, such as lower wages, job insecurity, loss of benefits, and decreased social protections. The economic precarity of fishermen is directly and indirectly related to injury, including not having the finances to maintain their boats, machines, or safety equipment as well as an inability to afford healthcare services. The linkage between poverty and structural conditions shows how neoliberalism has produced health disparities and inequities among fishing communities. We argue that governance theory can help build future research-to-policy and research-to-practice projects that are community-based, participatory, and built on long-term trust and communication. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Economics Emigration And Immigration Healthcare Disparities Hunting Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Commercial Fishermen Economic Consequences Fishing Industry Gulf Of Mexico Health Disparities Health Policy Immigrant Workers Marine Governance Policy SDOH Social Determinants Of Health

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• ISSN:
  0308-597X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement ; Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 6 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  141
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067907
• Citation:
  Mar Policy 2022 Jul; 141:105099
• Contact Point Address:
  Shannon Guillot-Wright, Vice Chair of Research and Health Policy and Assistant Professor, Dept of Family Medicine, Health Policy Research Director, Center for Violence Prevention, UTMB, Galveston, TX, 400 Harborside Dr., Galveston, TX 77550, USA
• Email:
  spguillo@utmb.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Texas Health Center at Tyler
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  Marine Policy
• End Date:
  20270929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:fb3c55194d189b010b637bec48ad43f457eaf31d8982b1f93201262866b3aaf7c8bc81bdec6872d1c700a6df759ff1fdebfdef4019ef63b4a7f05b9e12921d26
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230141/cdc_230141_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 361.12 KB ]