American Journal of Industrial Medicine
Volume 53, Issue 4, 2010, Pages 361-371

Using community-based participatory research to design and initiate a study on immigrant worker health and safety in San Francisco's Chinatown restaurants (Article)

Minkler M.* , Lee P.T. , Tom A. , Chang C. , Morales A. , Liu S.S. , Salvatore A. , Baker R. , Chen F. , Bhatia R. , Krause N.
  • a School of Public Health, University of California, 50 University Hall 7360, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, United States
  • b Labor Occupational Health Program, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, United States
  • c Chinese Progressive Association, San Francisco, CA, United States
  • d School of Public Health, University of California, 50 University Hall 7360, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, United States
  • e Department of Public Health, San Francisco, CA, United States
  • f Chinese Progressive Association, San Francisco, CA, United States
  • g School of Public Health, University of California, 50 University Hall 7360, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, United States
  • h Labor Occupational Health Program, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, United States
  • i Chinese Progressive Association, San Francisco, CA, United States
  • j Department of Public Health, San Francisco, CA, United States
  • k School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States

Abstract

Background: Restaurant workers have among the highest rates of work-related illness and injury in the US, but little is known about the working conditions and occupational health status of Chinese immigrant restaurant workers. Methods: Community-based participatory research (CBPR) was employed to study restaurant working conditions and worker health in San Francisco's Chinatown. A community/academic/health department collaborative was formed and 23 restaurant workers trained on research techniques and worker health and safety. A worker survey instrument and a restaurant observational checklist were collaboratively developed. The checklist was piloted in 71 Chinatown restaurants, and the questionnaire administered to 433 restaurant workers. Results: Restaurant workers, together with other partners, made substantial contributions to construction of the survey and checklist tools and improved their cultural appropriateness. The utility of the checklist tool for restaurant-level data collection was demonstrated. Conclusions: CBPR holds promise for both studying worker health and safety among immigrantChinese restaurantworkers and developing culturally appropriate research tools. A new observational checklist also has potential for restaurant-level data collection on worker health and safety conditions. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:361-371, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Author Keywords

Chinese Restaurant Immigrant Occupational health and safety Community-based participatory research

Index Keywords

China Asian cooperation methodology Research Design human Asian continental ancestry group checklist San Francisco ethnology catering service United States Humans male Emigrants and Immigrants Restaurants female safety questionnaire Article Questionnaires migration standard participatory research Community-Based Participatory Research occupational health Cooperative Behavior instrumentation
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-77949806032&doi=10.1002%2fajim.20791&partnerID=40&md5=af5288e24183320d8d45ec0485c76c11
DOI: 10.1002/ajim.20791
ISSN: 02713586
Cited by: 41
Original Language: English