Author Date

2026-03-18

Degree Name

BS

Department

Public Health

College

Life Sciences

Defense Date

2026-03-16

Publication Date

2026-03-18

First Faculty Advisor

Steve Thygerson

First Faculty Reader

Jim Johnston

Honors Coordinator

Len Novilla

Keywords

silicosis, occupational health, silica, Spanish-speaking workers, occupational medicine providers, health communication

Abstract

Silicosis is a lung disease caused by inhalation of respirable silica particles. Silicosis is usually characterized by high occupational exposure to silica in industries like mining, sandblasting, construction, and stone fabrication. Recent research showing increasing rates of silicosis among native Spanish-speaking workers demonstrates the need for improved silicosis diagnosis and patient education. While research has been done to understand the epidemiological distribution of silicosis and native Spanish-speaking workers, there has been limited research evaluating occupational medicine providers’ clinical practices related to the diagnosis of silicosis among this population.

This exploratory pilot study evaluated occupational medicine providers’ experiences related to silicosis among native Spanish-speaking workers. In this pilot study, a cross-sectional anonymous survey was used to collect data on clinical practices, patient education, reporting barriers, and provider opinions. Participants in the survey were U.S occupational medicine providers recruited by email through professional directories. The survey ran for 15 days, and 41 complete responses were used in the analysis. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, Likert distributions, and thematic coding.

Results from the survey showed that most occupational medicine providers had access to interpreter or translation services, but less consistent access to Spanish-language educational materials. Providers indicated consistent occupational history-taking and high self-reported confidence in diagnosing silicosis. These findings are descriptive because of the small convenience sample of the study. However, the results do potentially indicate opportunities to improve distribution of Spanish-language materials and reporting practices. Future research could improve the findings of this study by recruiting larger samples of providers and focusing on more generalizable disparities in clinical practices.

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