This demonstration and education research project is designed to implement and evaluate a union-based health program for painters that integrates respiratory protection and smoking prevention/cessation into an existing structure for occupational safety and health programs. This mulitrisk, mulitcompoment intervention package consists of environmental, training, and self- help components that target respirator use, proper ventilation, and smoking prevention/cessation for maintenance and construction painters. Contractors (i.e., employers) will receive an intervention designed to elicit support for workers, positive respiratory health behaviors. This intervention is unique in that it represent a union-based, mulitrisk reduction program that (1) integrates health protection and health promotion, (2) addresses both the individual and the environment, and (3) is based on researched models of behavioral change. The target population for the study are painters who belong to the International Brotherhood of Painters & Allied Trades, one of the collaborating institutions in this project. The overall design of the study is a randomized pretest-posttest comparison group design with repeated measures on cohort and independent samples. Twenty local unions will be stratified by geographic location and size and randomly assigned to intervention and control conditions. Measurement of the primary outcomes include self-report, observational, and archival data collection. An implementation analysis and a case study have been incorporated as part of a process evaluation. The results from this study will (1) demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of a comprehensive union-based health and safety program, (2) provide data on the acceptability and implementation of a model intervention for blue-collar populations, and (3) provide materials and programs that can be used and adapted for the construction trades.
