Health of the low-income workforce: Integrating public health and occupational health approaches

Workers' health, and especially low-income workers' health, was among the central concerns of the social reform movement to improve public health in the early 20th century. Today, work-related health factors are rarely considered in public health research or intervention programs targeting low-income populations. Conversely, few workplace safety and health programs, especially where low-income workers are employed, effectively address the broader range of public health problems impacting workers health. Additionally, work-related factors such as long working hours, shift work, and long commuting times create time constraints that complicate low-income workers' ability to access public health and health promotion opportunities. The absence of these comprehensive and integrated public health and occupational health programs likely contributes to health disparities, especially among low-income workers who are least likely to have access to such programs. Some recent initiatives that target low-income communities have tried to better integrate occupational health into mainstream public health programs such as through community health centers, public health departments and community-based participatory intervention programs. Also, recent NIOSH worklife initiatives have developed innovative projects that emphasize the importance of the workplace as the site for broader public health initiatives aimed at both preventing workplace exposures and promoting healthy behaviors., This presentation will examine the barriers, successes, and opportunities for better integrating occupational health concerns into the mainstream public health infrastructure and public health into the mainstream occupational health infrastructure, with a focus on programs that target low-income communities.