Researchers find workers may be reluctant to bring attention to these conditions due to factors such as immigration-related trauma, lack of English proficiency, fear of losing their jobs and unfamiliarity with American culture and business practices.
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The beauty service microbusiness industry in the United States — such as the small, independently-owned nail salons found across the country — is huge, with more than $62 billion in annual sales.
However, most of the workers who provide these highly sought services are Asian female immigrants who earn very low wages. These workers face numerous workplace health challenges stemming from the chemicals they use, repetitive movements with handheld tools and awkward body posturing.
They also are reluctant to bring attention to these conditions due to factors such as possible immigration-related trauma, lack of English proficiency, fear of losing their jobs and unfamiliarity with American culture and business practices.
A new commentary led by Dr. Aurora Le, associate professor with the Texas A&M University School of Public Health, offers multi-layered insight into the complex challenges these beauty service workers face, as well as suggestions for interventions and policy measures to address them.
For this assessment, which was funded through the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Le and a colleague from the University of Minnesota used a research framework that depicts how behavior, the physical/built environment, sociocultural environment, and health care system interact with factors at the individual, interpersonal, community and society level to influence the health of individuals and populations.
“This structure not only helps us understand how these multilayered issues affect each other, but also helps us shape and prioritize strategies to address health issues and disparities through organizations, communities and policies,” Le said.
For example,…
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