Health and wellbeing of vulnerable service workers across their lives
Official title: The Health and Wellbeing of Vulnerable Service Sector Workers across the Life Course
Funded at Harvard University · NIH-11390469 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A large study at Harvard looks at how unemployment and workplace practices affect health for adults working in service jobs over time.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Harvard University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cambridge, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,839,276 |
| NIH project number | 4RF1AG081273-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11390469 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults 21 years and older who work in service-sector jobs (retail, grocery, food service, and related sectors) and may experience unemployment or health-related workplace challenges.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals not currently employed in service-sector jobs or outside the studied age range may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project will follow adults 21 and older who work in retail, grocery, and food service to understand how income changes and job conditions influence health over the life course. Researchers will use employer-employee linked data to examine how unemployment, alternative income sources, and workplace policies like paid sick leave relate to health behaviors and outcomes. The study aims to identify what could buffer health risks when workers face unemployment or on-the-job illness, including how coworkers and customers influence adherence to health practices. Results could inform policies and workplace guidelines to protect workers and the communities they serve.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could guide better workplace policies and support systems to protect the health of service-sector workers and their communities.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has shown that income and workplace policies influence health, with this project building on that by linking employer data to health outcomes.
Where this research is happening
-
Harvard University
Cambridge, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Schneider, Danny — Harvard University
- Study coordinator: Schneider, Danny
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.