Filling the data gaps: Results of a survey to better understand health disparities at work

Despite demographic changes, our public health data systems do not yet accurately collect race, eth archers to identify, evaluate, and address health disparities in New Hampshire. Between 2000 and 2010, there was a 23% growth in the state's foreign-born population. Two of our major cities are refugee settlement sites. As follow up to a state plan to “Reduce Health Disparities and Promote Health Equity,” we developed, implemented, and analyzed data from a series of questionnaires and focus groups given to people trained in the NH Coalition of Safety and Health (COSH) worker safety and health trainings. Where it was not possible to reach out through the COSH training sessions, especially our immigrant population, we worked with state multi-cultural community organizations to assist in facilitating the survey and focus groups in different venues. The survey instruments were administered over a period of six months. Data was entered into a database and analyzed via NVivo software by age, gender, race, ethnicity, language, income, exposures to hazards in the workplace, knowledge of workers' compensation, access to healthcare, discrimination at work, and perceptions of risk. Results of the study will help to inform the State's priority areas of economic, social and cultural barriers to health. It is our goal that the data derived from this study will be used by our key stakeholders to develop interventions and prevention strategies that are better tailored to the needs of our most vulnerable workers.