Objective: This study aimed to evaluate construction workers’ health behaviors, attitudes, and perceptions of health risks from work related and non-work related hazards.
Methods: Construction workers completed a survey that assessed hazardous health behaviors (such as alcohol and tobacco use), attitudes toward health, and health risk perceptions. We compared construction workers’ health behaviors to general population data from the behavioral risk factor surveillance system (BRFSS).
Results: Construction workers reported greater smoking and drinking compared with their age-adjusted white man counterparts in Missouri. While there was a high awareness of work-related health and safety risks, concerns about general health risks did not correspond with risks from relevant health behaviors.
Conclusion: Educational efforts have created awareness of work-related safety and health issues in this population; similar efforts are needed to address disparities of general health behaviors.
Division of General Medical Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine (Ms Strickland, Dr Dale, Dr Evanoff); and Saint Louis University School of Medicine (Mr Wagan), St. Louis, Missouri.
Address correspondence to: Jaime R. Strickland, MA, Division of General Medical Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, Campus Box 8005, 660 S Euclid Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110 (jaime.strickland@wustl.edu).
Funding: Research reported in this publication was supported by a research grant (R21CA161169) from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and by the Washington University Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences grant UL1 TR000448 & TL1 TR000449 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) of the NIH. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official view of the NIH.
Conflicts of Interest: None declared.
