Perceptions of health and well-being among women in a work-based welfare program

Women who are single parents, poor, and employed in low-paying jobs have little choice about being dependent on public assistance programs to meet basic personal and family needs.

To explore women's perceptions of their health and well-being while enrolled in a work-based welfare program. This is the second in a series of articles about Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

Qualitative interviews and quantitative survey methods were used to explore perceptions of health and well-being in a purposive sample of mothers (n = 34) enrolled in a work-based welfare program in a city in the U.S. Midwest.

Instruments used were a semistructured interview guide, a demographic data form, and the General Well-Being Schedule (i.e., a survey tool developed for the U.S. Health and Nutrition Examination Survey). Data collection was completed in June 2000. The data were triangulated; using both quantitative and qualitative data added to the in-depth understanding of the subjects.

Distress levels reported by participants were significantly higher than in the general U.S. population.

Results of this study suggest that current policies do not effectively support health and well-being of single mothers enrolled in work-based welfare programs.