The survey showed that more than a quarter of home health care workers considered their general health to be moderate or poor, while one in five reported poor mental health and 14 percent reported poor physical health. Factors related to all three poorer health included low household income, cost barriers to health care, and a history of depression.
Personal data were collected from nearly 3,000 home health care workers in 38 states and compared with health care assistants and health care support workers who do not work in patients ’homes. Compared to the other two groups — who had similar jobs — home health care workers had far more illnesses, such as arthritis, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and depression.
“We have seen, especially during the COVID pandemic, that this workforce provides essential daily care for older adults to keep them healthy at home,” said lead author Dr. Madeline Sterling, Weill Cornell Assistant Professor of Medical Medicine.
“But many studies have not examined their own health. This data provided an opportunity to do so at the national level,” Sterling added.
With more than 2 million in their ranks – the number is expected to grow 38 percent over the next three years alone – home health workers are one of the fastest growing workforce in the industry. The group consists mostly of women and minorities, and is typically employed by home care agencies that provide hands-on personal and medical care for the elderly, the disabled, and those with chronic illnesses.
Dr. Sterling and colleagues analyzed data from 2014–2018 on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a telephone survey that reset the incidence of illness, health behaviors, and preventative health practices such as routines. doctor visits, dental treatment or flu vaccinations.
The findings are a “call to action” to create interventions and occupational health initiatives that focus specifically on home health care workers, Dr. Sterling said. In addition to promoting higher wages and ensuring adequate health insurance among this workforce, programs that can screen workers for and address health risks may be justified.
“Hopefully, this research will encourage public health professionals and policy makers to adopt such programs. At the moment, improving the health of these workers is not part of the debate, and it should be,” he said.
Source: ANI