Study Addresses Work-Related Health Challenges

Work and health go hand in hand. Just as with other nonmedical factors that contribute to a person’s health picture, workplace conditions can shape an individual’s overall well-being. In occupations such as farmwork, restaurant work, hotel housekeeping, and domestic cleaning, workers commonly face high physical demands, chemical exposures, and other stressors, often compounded by lower socioeconomic status, all of which can be tied to chronic illness and stress. Together with community health workers (CHWs), community members working in high-risk fields, and academic partners, the Arizona CEAL Regional Team developed Hearts in Action, an intervention to improve health by raising awareness of the work–health connection and addressing work-related and other social stressors.

CHWs were engaged early on to co-develop and implement the intervention, and they shaped every part of the study, from recruitment to dissemination of results. The CHWs delivered four two-hour sessions to explore the ways one’s job can affect health and empower workers to envision and act toward a more health-supportive workplace. The final session offered a chance to reflect on progress.

The researchers’ findings

• The workers identified numerous challenges to both physical and mental health arising from their work settings. They commonly reported stressful environments, harmful exposures, extreme temperatures, and insufficient training. Often, the stresses and long hours spilled over into home life.
• Participants identified solutions and strategies for promoting a healthier workplace, including establishing boundaries and working in teams. They also identified external needs, such as greater access to medical care and more educational resources and supports.
• CHWs, and their central involvement as co-researchers, were crucial to the research project’s community-led process.

The evidence-based opportunities

• Engaging CHWs early and centering them throughout the research process presents the opportunity for community expertise and stronger research capacity.
• CHW-led conversations also produce more candid dialog with participants, allowing for more in-depth and nuanced insights that strengthen relevance and rigor.
• Addressing work as being tied to health, using a participatory research model, can enable a community supportive of workers while enhancing their skills to advocate for their health.