| Description |
Few studies have examined the health of porter populations worldwide and none of the porters in Mount Kenya National Park. Because of health concerns (e.g., load weights and wage inequality), a health promotion partnership was formed between a team of university professors and students and the Kenyan Wildlife Service to improved porters' health by implementing a number of employment policy changes as well as wilderness medicine and health promotion workshops. The specific aim of this evaluation using a mixed method data collection strategy was to assess changes in the overall health of the porters to determine the effectiveness of partnership interventions (e.g., policy changes, pack weight restrictions, wage guidelines, health promotion, and wilderness medicine workshops) on four outcome variables. The major research question was whether porters had experienced any improvements in their physical health, economic health, social health, and institutional health related to the interventions since the beginning of their employment. Changes in the porter's health were evaluated using a mixed method research design involving both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. Qualitative methods involved a narrative interview approach among 15 porters. Quantitative methods included a quasi-experimental recollection proxy pretest design involving a retrospective pre- and posttest survey of 70 porters. The survey measured the four major outcome domains and used modified standardized surveys from other porter populations. The iv survey instrument was pilot tested and validated prior to use in this study with a similar population of 115 porters of Mount Kenya National Park. A convenience and snowball sampling method was used to enroll participants who all consented to participation following IRB approved methods. Data collection was done verbally with all questions and responses read to the porters with the help of a translator. The porter's responses were directly entered into an SPSS database on the researcher's laptop computer. The data analysis used SPSS in determining statistical significance using paired sample t-tests. The quantitative survey revealed statistically significant positive pre- and posttest mean changes with p values below p < .01 in favor of improved working conditions in all of the four health outcome variables of interest. The identified themes helped to better explain the quantitative findings and support future policy recommendations to the Kenyan Wildlife Service, the land managing agency for Mount Kenya National Park. This study suggests that working conditions for the Mount Kenya National Park porter population are improving over time with advocacy of the health promotion partnership and interventions to increase health education, policy changes and monitoring of the recommended porter load weights and minimum wages. . |
