Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #109648

Martha Soledad Vela Acosta, MD, PhD, Division of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Texas, School of Public Health, 80 Fort Brown 1.220D. UT-SPH, RAHC building, Brownsville, TX 78521, 956-882-5163, martha.s.vela.acosta@uth.tmc.edu and Diane Bush, MPH, Labor Occupational Health Program, UC Berkeley, University of California at Berkeley, 2223 Fulton Street, 4th Floor, Berkeley, CA 94720-5120.

Background: About a third of the 38 million Hispanics in the U.S. are less than 19-years-old. Occupational health and safety training for vulnerable Spanish speaking young workers, particularly farmworkers, require community partnerships addressing the scarcity of bilingual resources. This study's aim was to assess the feasibility for developing and implementing a bilingual occupational health and safety curriculum to be administered to Hispanic workers including farmworkers in Texas. Methods: Educators, parents, students and farmworkers (n=52) participated via interviews, focus groups and a workshop to develop a culturally appropriate bilingual curriculum to address occupational health and safety and worker benefits, risks, and rights. The curriculum was pilot tested and evaluated on students (n=30) attending high school equivalency programs. Results: The Work Safely-Trabaje con Cuidado was effective for increase in knowledge of occupational health and safety and workers' rights (p<0.05), and changes in their safety risk perception (p<0.05). Responses from teachers and students participating demonstrated to be culturally appropriate and deserved additional efforts to fully implement this curriculum at high school level. Conclusions: Bicultural and bilingual long-term interventions need continue to evaluate the impact on the health and safety of farmworkers. The results of this feasibility study support and will inform the development of a large scale randomized efficacy trial.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to describe the step process to use occupational health and safety materials available in English to be evaluated by a regional non-English and bilingual speaking community.
• Participants will be able to identify assets and barriers to carry on an educational intervention approach addressing bilingual workers.

Keywords: Occupational Health Programs, Hispanic Youth

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.