The unifying theme of Dr. Barbeau's research is the characterization of the ways organizations and social institutions (e.g., employers, labor unions, regulatory agencies, and the tobacco industry) influence workers' health status and health behaviors. Her research program promotes discoveries regarding:
- work environment factors associated with general health outcomes and with tobacco use and cessation behavior among blue-collar and other unionized workers;
- successful smoking cessation intervention strategies, involving labor unions;
- employer and union policies associated with worker health, with a focus on occupational safety and health programs, and work-family responsive policies.
- tobacco industry political strategies aimed at building alliances with labor unions, and
- the implications for future tobacco control alliances to reduce class-based disparities in tobacco use.