Research Project
Great Lakes Center for Farmworker Health and Well-being
Working to understand and improve factors that affect agricultural workers' health and wellbeing
- Principal Investigator
- Forst, Linda
- Research Area(s)
- Environmental Health
- Rural Health
- Workplace Health
- Funding Source
- CDC/ NIOSH U54OH012503
Abstract
GLCFHW Overall Center Abstract Hired migrant and seasonal farmworkers experience unique employment conditions that challenge their ability to live healthy, fulfilled lives. Hazardous work, unstable employment, atypical employment policies, lack of government oversight and enforcement, extreme poverty, and lack of social support negatively impact the health and well-being of FWs. Further impediments include residence in remote rural settings, and limited access to healthcare and social services. Illinois is a major agricultural state that hires upward of 50,000 FWs each year to support the US food supply chain. The overall goal of the Great Lakes Center for Farmworker Health and Well-being (GLCFHW) is to implement strategies and actions that protects and promotes the health and well-being of farmworkers across the US. Specific aims are to: 1) conduct high quality research that elucidates pathways for change that benefits agricultural workers; 2) build and strengthen multidirectional collaboration and engagement to create networks that support FW health and well-being; 3) translate and disseminate evidence to promote policies and practices that demonstrate the value and approaches to supporting FW health and well-being within and outside of work. We have assembled Center Administration, cores in Evaluation and Planning, Outreach, and Research, and Internal and External Advisory groups and we have garnered the support of stakeholders. We will conduct three research projects: 1) to translate and test survey tools; 2) to link state-based data systems and outpatient records for surveillance of illness and injury among FWs; 3) to collect survey data on lived experience and biospecimens for markers of inflammation and immune response to determine predictors of health and well-being. We will disseminate research results and translate our findings to action. Outputs. validated survey tools, surveillance data, methods and findings from research studies, network analysis, environmental scan, strategic plan, outreach and evaluation protocols, website w/ data visualization. Outcomes. an established center focused on the health and wellbeing of agricultural workers, evidence for interventions, network of researchers and multilevel collaborators, pathways and mechanisms for dissemination, translation of findings to action NIOSH Objectives. NORA: Reduce risk of fatal/nonfatal injuries and work-related illnesses to workers in the agriculture sector. Improve reporting and surveillance. Identify and examine the impact of worker characteristics on employer or organizational practices and worker safety, health, and well-being. Improve the safety, health, and well-being of workers with non-standard work arrangements. Other alignments: research to practice (r2p), promotion/protection of worker health and well- being; translation and validation of NIOSH Worker Well-being Questionnaire for agricultural workers.
Public Health Relevance Statement: Agriculture is the most hazardous sector of the economy, and agricultural workers experience the highest rate of severe illness, injury, and death in our region and across the U.S. In Illinois, 35-50,000 Â agricultural workers live in extreme poverty, despite their critical importance to the food supply chain. The new Great Lakes Center for Farmworker Health and Wellbeing aims to protect and promote the health and well-being of farmworkers through translation of basic science and survey research, surveillance, networking across NIOSH Centers of Excellence in Agriculture and Education/Research, and conduct outreach to workers, service providers, employers, trade organizations, government agencies and policymakers.