A feasibility study to develop a multilevel occupational health intervention program for nail salon employees and owners

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Racial/ethnic minorities who occupy a major portion of the nail salon worker population in the U.S. – particularly Vietnamese immigrants – often experience disproportional occupational health burden because of cultural and language barriers, inadequate health and safety training, weak labor protections and economic pressures. Evidence of adverse health outcomes include acute and chronic effects such as skin problems, respiratory irritations, cognitive symptoms, musculoskeletal illnesses, and potential adverse reproductive health risks. Gaps in policy and lack of evidenced-based interventions tailored to Vietnamese nail salon workers present a critical need to prioritize the increased effort for research in this population. In this project, we propose to conduct a feasibility study to develop a multilevel occupational health intervention program/toolkit for nail salon employees and owners. The first aim will focus on developing a set of self- assessment checklists and technical assistance manual that owners/managers can use to assess and modify the salon's environment. These materials will cover important health and safety information about chemical safety, infection control, ergonomics and labor rights. In the second aim, we will recruit 12 salons (owners and employees within each salon for minimum of 36 respondents) in the Philadelphia metropolitan area to participate in the study. Twelve salons will be assigned to receive an intervention package (self-assessment checklists + technical assistance manual + video training + coaching) and followed for 3 months. The feasibility assessment will focus on four important areas: process, resource, data and human management and outcomes assessment (e.g., reduction in health symptoms and positive changes in salon's environment). This study will enable us to not only evaluate our intervention content and delivery mechanism but also to assess feasibility measures that will inform the planning of a larger study. This project addresses NIOSH strategic priority goal 1 of “reducing occupational cancer, cardiovascular disease, adverse reproductive outcomes, and other chronic diseases” and intermediate activity goal 1.12.2 (Intervention Research) “ss”. It targets NORA Service sector and Cancer, Reproductive, Cardiovascular and Other Chronic Disease Prevention cross-sector program. The expected outputs from this feasibility study will be an intervention toolkit, publication of results from the pilot study, and a systematic feasibility assessment to inform the planning of a larger study. The expected end outcomes will be to make the materials available to other local health departments and community-based organizations for their outreach efforts – not only for Vietnamese nail salon technicians but potentially other ethnic minority groups. The project has high potential impact because once proven effective, the program can be adapted for use by other local/state organizations or online delivery to salons located in resource-limited areas.