Workplace-based opportunities to support child care workers’ health and safety
Child care workers earn among the lowest wages in the United States and they struggle with many health issues. The purpose of this study was to describe workplace supports for nutrition, physical activity, other health behaviors (e.g., smoking cessation, stress management), and occupational health a...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2020-09-01
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| Series: | Preventive Medicine Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335520301145 |
| _version_ | 1817975660122996736 |
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| author | Amber E. Vaughn Erik A. Willis Dianne S. Ward Falon Smith Anna Grummon Laura A. Linnan |
| author_facet | Amber E. Vaughn Erik A. Willis Dianne S. Ward Falon Smith Anna Grummon Laura A. Linnan |
| author_sort | Amber E. Vaughn |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Child care workers earn among the lowest wages in the United States and they struggle with many health issues. The purpose of this study was to describe workplace supports for nutrition, physical activity, other health behaviors (e.g., smoking cessation, stress management), and occupational health and safety available to child care workers, and thereby inform the development of future workplace-based interventions to improve worker well-being. Between 2015 and 2016, 74 North Carolina child care centers (and directors), participating in a larger randomized controlled trial, completed a Workplace Health and Safety Assessment (interview and observation) measuring four domains: Infrastructure, Organizational Policies and Procedures, Programs and Promotions, and Internal Physical Environment. This study used baseline data to report means and standard deviations. Participating child care centers employed, on average, 12.7 ± 8.4 employees. Total scores from the Workplace Health and Safety Assessment averaged 41.3 ± 12.6 out of a possible 154, demonstrating many missed opportunities for supporting health/safety. More specifically, centers scored on average 9.5 ± 3.9 on Infrastructure (35% of potential points), 11.1 ± 3.9 on Organizational Policies and Procedures (32% of potential), 7.6 ± 5.4 on Programs and Promotions (12% of potential), and 13.1 ± 2.2 on Internal Physical Environment (49% of potential). The most frequent supports available were for occupational health and safety issues, while fewer supports were available for physical activity and other health behaviors. Child care workers could benefit greatly from more comprehensive workplace health and safety interventions; however, strategies must overcome centers’ limited capacity and resources. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T21:51:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-60fc38912365410da569906deb5f7af8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2211-3355 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T21:51:43Z |
| publishDate | 2020-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Preventive Medicine Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-60fc38912365410da569906deb5f7af82022-12-22T02:28:23ZengElsevierPreventive Medicine Reports2211-33552020-09-0119101154Workplace-based opportunities to support child care workers’ health and safetyAmber E. Vaughn0Erik A. Willis1Dianne S. Ward2Falon Smith3Anna Grummon4Laura A. Linnan5Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1700 Martin L. King Jr. Blvd., CB 7426, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7426, USA; Corresponding author.Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1700 Martin L. King Jr. Blvd., CB 7426, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7426, USACenter for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1700 Martin L. King Jr. Blvd., CB 7426, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7426, USA; Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2202 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, CB7461, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7461, USACenter for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1700 Martin L. King Jr. Blvd., CB 7426, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7426, USACenter for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1700 Martin L. King Jr. Blvd., CB 7426, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7426, USA; Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 307 Rosenau Hall, CB 7440, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7440, USADepartment of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 307 Rosenau Hall, CB 7440, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7440, USAChild care workers earn among the lowest wages in the United States and they struggle with many health issues. The purpose of this study was to describe workplace supports for nutrition, physical activity, other health behaviors (e.g., smoking cessation, stress management), and occupational health and safety available to child care workers, and thereby inform the development of future workplace-based interventions to improve worker well-being. Between 2015 and 2016, 74 North Carolina child care centers (and directors), participating in a larger randomized controlled trial, completed a Workplace Health and Safety Assessment (interview and observation) measuring four domains: Infrastructure, Organizational Policies and Procedures, Programs and Promotions, and Internal Physical Environment. This study used baseline data to report means and standard deviations. Participating child care centers employed, on average, 12.7 ± 8.4 employees. Total scores from the Workplace Health and Safety Assessment averaged 41.3 ± 12.6 out of a possible 154, demonstrating many missed opportunities for supporting health/safety. More specifically, centers scored on average 9.5 ± 3.9 on Infrastructure (35% of potential points), 11.1 ± 3.9 on Organizational Policies and Procedures (32% of potential), 7.6 ± 5.4 on Programs and Promotions (12% of potential), and 13.1 ± 2.2 on Internal Physical Environment (49% of potential). The most frequent supports available were for occupational health and safety issues, while fewer supports were available for physical activity and other health behaviors. Child care workers could benefit greatly from more comprehensive workplace health and safety interventions; however, strategies must overcome centers’ limited capacity and resources.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335520301145WorksiteHealth promotionOccupational health and safetyTotal worker health |
| spellingShingle | Amber E. Vaughn Erik A. Willis Dianne S. Ward Falon Smith Anna Grummon Laura A. Linnan Workplace-based opportunities to support child care workers’ health and safety Preventive Medicine Reports Worksite Health promotion Occupational health and safety Total worker health |
| title | Workplace-based opportunities to support child care workers’ health and safety |
| title_full | Workplace-based opportunities to support child care workers’ health and safety |
| title_fullStr | Workplace-based opportunities to support child care workers’ health and safety |
| title_full_unstemmed | Workplace-based opportunities to support child care workers’ health and safety |
| title_short | Workplace-based opportunities to support child care workers’ health and safety |
| title_sort | workplace based opportunities to support child care workers health and safety |
| topic | Worksite Health promotion Occupational health and safety Total worker health |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335520301145 |
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