Cultural safety in health for Latino day laborer families

Background Cultural safety in healthcare, a concept with origins in New Zealand, has gained attention internationally as a critical theoretical perspective that brings attention to social injustices in health care for marginalized populations. This presentation will discuss cultural safety as applied to the experience of Latino Day Laborer families in caring for the health of their family. Latino day laborer families are at risk for disparities of health through economic difficulty and unstable living conditions related to the temporary, low wage nature of the work. Methods: Community-based participatory action research was used with Latino Day Laborer parents, grandparents, and male health promoters to 1) explore the experience of Latino families caring for the health of their family members 2) identify and implement strategies for promoting cultural safety in healthcare. Focus groups and interviews were conducted with 1) Latino day laborer parents (n=30), 2) Latino grandparents caring for children of day laborers (n=20) 3) Latino day laborer men (n=14). Community action strategies of health screening and health promoter training were implemented. Results: Findings reveal themes of cultural dissonance, lack of trust, and enduring illness. Latino Day Laborer families indicate the lack of cultural safety in their experiences in caring for the health of their families. Strategies identified by participants for building cultural safety include use of Latino health promoters, worksite health services, and increasing cultural understanding of healthcare providers. Conclusions Findings give insight into concepts of cultural safety for Latino Day Laborer families and inform healthcare strategies.