A Total Worker Health Approach to Ag Worker Health
Project Overview
Both in the United States and Colorado, farmers face higher rates of death by suicide than any other occupation. Financial losses, drought/flooding events, chronic illness or pain, a lack of work-life balance, and the physical or social barriers to access behavioral health services all weigh heavy on this population. Left untreated, agricultural workers can feel helpless and hopeless, leading to anxiety, depression, and suicide.
The San Luis Valley (SLV) region of Colorado relies heavily on agriculture; over one third of the working population in this area works in agriculture, farming, or ranching. The demographic makeup of this region is roughly half Hispanic and half white non-Hispanic, with 15-23% of families living below the poverty line.
Agricultural workers in the SLV are facing a mental health crisis, and do not have many resources to solve this issue alone. This project aims to determine the state of behavioral health and well-being amongst SLV agriculture workers, and map connections between community behavioral health resources and agriculture workers. An exploratory analysis will be done to assess if workers with more social ties experience less severe outcomes regarding stress, well-being, and depression.
Affiliate Research Team
Gwen Fisher, PhD (co-PI)
Associate Professor, Occupational Health Psychology Program Director (MAP ERC)
Colorado State University
Achievements
Publications
Funding: This research was supported by the Cooperative Agreement number, U19OH011227, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. This content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC.