Social determinants of health in the Mixtec and Zapotec community in Ventura County, California.

Annette E Maxwell,Catherine M Crespi,Roshan Bastani,Sandra Young,Reggie T Cayetano,Roena Rabelo Vega

doi:10.1186/s12939-015-0148-0

Abstract

IntroductionThere are an estimated 165,000 indigenous Mexicans living in California, including Mixtec and Zapotec immigrant farm workers. Because many of these immigrants speak only their native non-written languages, there is little information about the needs of this community. An academic-community partnership research team developed a survey to assess basic needs that are known to be social determinants of health in the Mixtec and Zapotec community in Ventura County.MethodsIn summer 2013, Spanish-Mixteco and Spanish-Zapoteco bilingual promotoras conducted surveys in Spanish, Mixteco and Zapoteco in the greater Oxnard area in Ventura County, California to assess the following basic needs: ability of adults and children to obtain health services; household needs regarding work opportunities, food, housing, transportation, safety and education; and discrimination. Independent variables included respondent characteristics such as age, gender, marital status, living part of the year in another city, and household characteristics such as Spanish spoken in the household, number of household members and number of health care providers/agencies used. Several sets of analyses examined the relationship between basic needs and independent variables.ResultsRespondents (N = 989) reported insufficient employment opportunities (74%), food for the family (59%) or housing (48%), lack of transportation (59%), and discrimination or bullying (34%). Most reported access to medical care for children (90%), but only 57% of respondents were able to get health care for themselves.ConclusionsMany basic needs in the Mixtec and Zapotec community in Ventura County are unmet. It will require many different resources and services to address the needs of this community and to overcome longstanding inequities that are experienced by immigrant farm workers. Our findings will guide the development of future health programs and will serve as a baseline to evaluate the impact of services to improve the health conditions in this community.

Highlights

There are an estimated 165,000 indigenous Mexicans living in California, including Mixtec and Zapotec immigrant farm workers
Confirming findings from surveys conducted among much smaller samples of indigenous farm workers in Oregon [10] and California [16,17], our data, collected in the Mixtec and Zapotec community in Ventura County, California, show that many basic needs such as food security, housing and access to health care are not met
Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) has begun the process of sharing information from this survey with local health care providers

Summary

Introduction

There are an estimated 165,000 indigenous Mexicans living in California, including Mixtec and Zapotec immigrant farm workers Because many of these immigrants speak only their native non-written languages, there is little information about the needs of this community. Mixtecs and Zapotecs, two indigenous groups from the Oaxaca area in Mexico, have settled in large numbers in Ventura County, California, and many are employed as farm workers with little pay and only seasonal work. Research in these and other immigrant communities is challenging due to language barriers, lack of trust, long working hours, and fear of deportation among some members of the community [7]. Data on the demographic characteristics of this community and its needs are lacking

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