Development of the Healthy Work Collaborative: Findings From an Action Research Study to Inform a Policy, Systems, and Environmental Change Capacity-Building Initiative Addressing Precarious Employment

Abstract

Precarious employment (PE) is a complex problem that affects an increasing number of workers across all economic sectors who experience low wages, hazardous conditions, and few benefits, and results in adverse health outcomes. PE is characterized by nontraditional work arrangements, precluding workplace-based interventions. Policy, systems, and environmental initiatives that engage cross-sectoral stakeholders may be an applicable health promotion approach to address PE. The University of of Illinois at Chicago Center for Healthy Work’s Healthy Communities through Healthy Work (HCHW) is an outreach project of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health–funded Center of Excellence for Total Worker Health that conducted a multiphased qualitative action research (AR) study. AR designs may be a novel approach to develop initiatives to address problems like PE. This article reports on HCHW’s first AR phase to answer four research questions: (1) What are participants’ perceptions of PE? (2) What are participants’ perceptions of their roles in addressing PE? (3) What initiatives are under way that address PE? and (4) How can the findings be used to facilitate opportunities for healthy work? Key informant interviews with health (public health and health care; N = 23) and labor sector organizations (worker centers, worker advocacy organizations, and unions; N = 21) were conducted. Data were thematically analyzed alongside a chart-based content analysis, and shared in 11 key stakeholder meetings. Findings revealed an opportunity for the labor sector to improve health sector readiness to address PE in the context of health, and were used to develop the Healthy Work Collaborative, a cross-sectoral health promotion capacity building policy, systems, and environmenta change initiative to address PE.

Assessing Local Public Health Agency Alignment With Public Health 3.0: A Content Analysis of Illinois Community Health Improvement Plans

“…In addition, addressing SDOH in a Public Health 3.0 model calls for community-wide, multilevel, cross-sectoral PSE approaches 17,39,40. Our content analysis found a limited presence of these approaches.…”

Community Health Workers Should be Worker Advocates

“…45 Another way of encouraging physician engagement with occupational health issues is a collaborative project with labor organizations, as developed in Chicago by the Healthy Work Collaborative at the University of Illinois Chicago. 46 Some training has been either offered to the CHWs of a particular employer or were focused on 1 targeted disease.…”

“…With regard to physicians, 1 long-term strategy to improve clinical occupational health care would be additional medical school training in occupational health; a recent report on occupational health medical education by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine noted that occupational and environmental curricula in medical school are “uncommon.” 45 Another way of encouraging physician engagement with occupational health issues is a collaborative project with labor organizations, as developed in Chicago by the Healthy Work Collaborative at the University of Illinois Chicago. 46…”

Taking stock: The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on University–Community engagement

“…Overall, some of the literature reports the (i) development or adaptation of engagement activities in the field of health and well-being , mainly through community medical care and services, the provision of facilities and structures (e.g. university hospitals) and the development of protocols and new technologies and tools to assist the community, among other initiatives, to provide care and support to health systems ( Maglia and Braida, 2020 ; McElfish et al, 2021 ; Michener et al, 2020 ; Perry et al, 2021 ; Rosa et al, 2021 ; Tozini et al, 2022 ; Vinson et al, 2021 ; Welter et al, 2021 ). Such initiatives are especially connected to government partnerships (vi) and were developed at the institutional level or led by groups of academics (staff, students) within their departments or disciplines.…”