Laborers (helpers and tenders in construction and other manual work) experience overall mortality rates that exceed the average mortality rates in the population by two-to-three fold. The disproportionate impact on black laborers are especially severe. Laborers have high risk cancer mortality rates for most sites. The laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA) represents more than 500,000 members, of which 320,000 are construction laborers. More than half the membership consists of racial-ethnical minorities. Recently, LIUNA initiated a comprehensive health program focusing on risk factors on and off the job, and covering both members and their families.
The aim of this program is to eradicate differentials between laborers and the general population by the year 2,000. This proposed study will (1) develop a baseline mortality rate overall and by cancer site against which to measure future progress; (2) conduct a needs assessment on attitudes and behaviors of members in select geographic areas to compare key cancer-related factors by racial- ethnic and geographic characteristics; (3) conduct an organizational inventory of resources that can be mobilized for cancer prevention and control and (4) field test the implementation of an intervention based on membership assistance programs (MAP) to address cancer-related factors through changes in behaviors and institutional services.
