Preventing Opioid Use Disorders among Fishing Industry Workers

Angela Wangari Walter, Cesar Morocho, Lauren King, John Bartlett, Debra Kelsey, Monica DeSousa, Gretchen Biesecker and Laura Punnett
Additional contact information
Angela Wangari Walter: Department of Public Health, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854, USA
Cesar Morocho: Department of Public Health, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854, USA
Lauren King: Fishing Partnership Support Services; Burlington, MA 01803, USA
John Bartlett: Fishing Partnership Support Services; Burlington, MA 01803, USA
Debra Kelsey: Fishing Partnership Support Services; Burlington, MA 01803, USA
Monica DeSousa: Fishing Partnership Support Services; Burlington, MA 01803, USA
Gretchen Biesecker: Fishing Partnership Support Services; Burlington, MA 01803, USA
Laura Punnett: Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace (CPH-NEW), University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854, USA

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 4, 1-16

Abstract: Fishing industry workers are at high risk for work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and injuries. Prescription opioids used to treat pain injuries may put these workers at increased risk for developing substance disorders. Using a Community-Based Participatory Research approach, formative research was conducted to inform the eventual development of relevant interventions to prevent and reduce opioid use disorders among fishing industry workers. Qualitative interviews ( n = 21) were conducted to assess: knowledge and attitudes about opioid use disorders; features of fishing work that might affect use and/or access to treatment; and community and organizational capacity for prevention and treatment. Participants reported numerous pathways connecting commercial fishing with opioid use. The combination of high stress and physically tasking job duties requires comprehensive workplace interventions to prevent chronic pain and MSDs, in addition to tailored and culturally responsive treatment options to address opioid use disorders in this population. Public health programs must integrate workplace health and safety protection along with evidence-based primary, secondary, and tertiary interventions in order to address opioid use disorders, particularly among workers in strenuous jobs.

Keywords: opioid use disorders; prevention; industry workers; workplace health; community based participatory research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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