This is a broad, interdisciplinary territory that crosses many fields of study including public health, psychology, sociology, anthropology, medicine, social welfare, and business. The economy provides an important context for work and health relationships through its central role in affecting the numbers, types, quality and content of jobs, and hence economics and knowledge of the economy are also important to the emerging field of work and health. Studies have demonstrated health effects of unemployment, job loss, and work stress. More recently, the changing nature of work may also have health consequences.
Job security is less common, and more jobs are temporary without benefits.
As researchers, policy makers, community practitioners, and journalists, you are paying increasing attention to these issues. We hope the Work and Health Map will provide information and resources for you. The Work and Health Map provides information about relevant research studies, organizations, web sites, and people who are contributing to our knowledge about the connections between work and health. We present summaries of important recent studies in a variety of topic areas. The Work and Health map draws together many of the disparate areas of study contributing to knowledge about employment and heath and organizes them into four different categories of relationships contributing to a field of work and health.