For more than 20 years women in northeastern North Carolina have been organizing to address social, economic, and health issues arising from industrial work in an area with few employment opportunities. Although the impacts of racial discrimination and fast paced assembly line production have been described by government inspectors, journalists, and women advocating on their own behalf, research has not quantified the occurrence of specific health outcomes or their risk factors. Through collaboration of investigators at Duke University, University of North Carolina, and the Center for Women's Economic Alternatives, the investigators propose to evaluate occupational roots of health disparities among women in a five-county region of northeastern North Carolina. An intensive prospective cohort study of women newly employed in assembly line work in the area is planned to define the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders and acute injuries under different work conditions and exposures, document high-risk groups, and allow the exploration of etiologic factors. To facilitate analyses, a multidimensional exposure assessment will be conducted documenting work processes, exposures, and conditions of women employed in the target industries. This will be accomplished through collaboration with workers, serving as key informants, and the use of participant-action and risk-mapping techniques. The exposure matrix will be used in etiologic analyses but will also serve as an educational tool for workers and providers of healthcare. This process will include not only traditional (physical, chemical, and ergonomic) work exposures but also psychosocial aspects including level of control and demand. In addition to providing high-quality data on an unstudied high-risk population, this work will employ a blend of qualitative and quantitative methodologies to help document and quantify health-related quality of life and social consequences of employment for women in rural North Carolina and the relationship of these consequences to different types of work exposures. Community outreach will be integrated at all stages of the research design to foster empowerment of women employed in this industry through risk factor education, medical information on disease and treatment, ergonomic training, and legal rights. Education will also be targeted to medical providers in this geographic area on work exposures and conditions, exposure response, prevention, basic epidemiology, and ergonomics.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01ES010939-01
Application #
6311922
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZES1-JPM-B (HD))
Program Officer
Tyson, Frederick L
Project Start
2000-09-30
Project End
2005-07-31
Budget Start
2000-09-30
Budget End
2001-07-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2000
Total Cost
$535,282
Indirect Cost
Name
Duke University
Department
Public Health & Prev Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
071723621
City
Durham
State
NC
Country
United States
Zip Code
27705
McPhee, C S; Lipscomb, H J (2009) Upper-extremity musculoskeletal symptoms and physical health related quality of life among women employed in poultry processing and other low-wage jobs in northeastern North Carolina. Am J Ind Med 52:331-40
Lipscomb, Hester; Kucera, Kristen; Epling, Carol et al. (2008) Upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms and disorders among a cohort of women employed in poultry processing. Am J Ind Med 51:24-36
Lipscomb, Hester J; Dement, John M; Epling, Carol A et al. (2007) Depressive symptoms among working women in rural North Carolina: a comparison of women in poultry processing and other low-wage jobs. Int J Law Psychiatry 30:284-98
Lipscomb, H J; Dement, J M; Epling, C A et al. (2007) Are we failing vulnerable workers? The case of black women in poultry processing in rural North Carolina. New Solut 17:17-40
Lipscomb, H J; Epling, C A; Pompeii, L A et al. (2007) Musculoskeletal symptoms among poultry processing workers and a community comparison group: Black women in low-wage jobs in the rural South. Am J Ind Med 50:327-38
Lipscomb, Hester J; Loomis, Dana; McDonald, Mary Anne et al. (2006) A conceptual model of work and health disparities in the United States. Int J Health Serv 36:25-50
Lipscomb, Hester J; Argue, Robin; McDonald, Mary Anne et al. (2005) Exploration of work and health disparities among black women employed in poultry processing in the rural south. Environ Health Perspect 113:1833-40