Using a Total Worker Health/Total Farmer Health Approach to Assessing Ag Worker Wellbeing

Summary: In the San Luis Valley, Colorado – community leaders have voiced increasing concern for the behavioral health of workers in the agriculture industry. Using Total Worker Health® and Total Farmer Health® frameworks, we developed an interactive worker wellbeing assessment. Approximately 118 participants responded to our survey with a completion rate adequate for analysis.

This presentation will describe worker wellbeing through measures of job satisfaction, coworker support, work affect, work fatigue, overall health status, chronic health conditions, individual stress, general mental health status, substance use, work injury, social support, anxiety, and depression.

Intended Audience: Ag industry leaders, health providers, behavioral health clinicians

Objectives: After the training, participants will be able to…

Identify sources of stress for agriculture workers in the San Luis Valley, Colorado
Recognize varying levels of behavioral health risk factors, behaviors, and outcomes
Evaluate behavioral health through a work-centric lens

Katherine A. James, PhD, MSPH, MS

Associate Professor, University of Colorado – Anschutz Medical Campus

Dr. James is an epidemiologist specializing in climate change and human health in the San Luis Valley, CO, and other areas of the Mountain West. While most of her work focuses on environmental health systems, her experience facilitating community-engaged research positions her well to lead research across several intersecting fields.