Thaís São-João, PhD, MSN, RN
Awards
Advance RI-CTR Pilot Projects Program (Cycle 8)
"RHODE ISLAND FISHERMEN’S CARDIOMETABOLIC HEALTH, QUALITY OF LIFE AND PRODUCTIVITY"
Multi-PI: Kimberly Arcoleo, PhD, MPH
Fishermen are the most at-risk workers across the Blue Economy (BE). Poor health has important implications for the social, economic, and environmental aspects of fisheries, where specifically, health is a pivotal asset underpinning productivity. In the U.S., the fisheries sector provides 56,167 jobs and produces $6.720 billion yearly. In Rhode Island (RI), the Fisheries Sector is valued at $268.5 million and accounts for 4,381 jobs.
The reduced physical ability of fishers can result in potential implications not only for marine ecosystems but also for the local and national economy by decreasing the amount of landed fish, and can be affected by many factors, such as cardiovascular health (CVH). It includes health behaviors (diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, sleep) and factors (body mass index, blood lipids and glucose, and blood pressure). There is relevant data on the elevated cardiometabolic risks surrounding the labor activities of commercial fishermen, but this is still an understudied population around the globe. So far, no studies have investigated the CVH of commercial fishermen in RI and the U.S.
The main research goal is to study the CVH, QoL, and lifestyle of BE workers of RI (phase I – population-based study) and determine if those affect the amount of landed fish, impacting BE (phase II – prospective cohort study); to design a tailored intervention to improve RI commercial fishermen’s both CVH and QoL (phase III – experimental study). This application aims to 1) determine the CVH, QoL, lifestyle, and cardiometabolic risk and protective factors of commercial fishermen in a local community in RI and 2) assess the landed fishing in pounds informed.
This project was designed considering the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SD), addressing SD Goals #3 (Good Health & Well-Being) and # 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). Locally, it relates to one of the four economic development goals proposed by the RI-BE Technology Cluster Coalition 2022-2025, Goal #3 - Increase the productivity of the existing workforce.
The outcomes of the long-term goals will inform the development and testing of a behavioral intervention for the prevention of cardiometabolic diseases and the reduction of CV mortality among RI commercial fishermen, which will support the development/improvement of public policies.