In Their Own Words: A Pre-Assessment Study of Female Agricultural Workers’ Health-Related Risk Perceptions, Cognition, and Behaviors Based on Their Lived Experiences

This study explores the perceptions, understanding, and behaviors regarding health-related risk issues reported in interviews with 21 Hispanic female agricultural workers living and working in central Florida. Results reveal that these farmworkers are aware of many health risk issues facing women in their communities, and realize the relevance and impact of them on their health, safety, and well-being (affective learning). They also actively seek information about these risks and pursue support to both treat and prevent them (behavioral learning). However, results also reveal learning gaps in terms of unintelligible health information (cognitive learning) and pursuing expert medical support regarding physical and mental illnesses, as well as abuse (behavioral learning). Finally, this study extends the IDEA model theoretical framework in two important ways. First, it employs the model as both theory and method. In doing so, it confirms the utility of the IDEA model for both collecting and examining interview data provided by underrepresented populations regarding health risk issues. Second, it employs the model effectively as a pre-assessment tool to identify internal and external learning gaps in affective learning perceptions, cognitive learning comprehension, and behavioral learning actions regarding health-related risk issues. As such, it provides a foundation upon which future research may construct and implement authentic learner- and learning-centered strategic instructional health risk communication interventions directly targeting identified gaps in what female agricultural workers currently believe, know, and do. Finally, the study also identifies recommendations for future research focused on health-risk communication as it may inform strategic instructional interventions.