Unions, Employment Conditions, and American Exceptionalism

Objectives To describe working and employment conditions, and health-related outcomes in non-agricultural employees in Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Central America and Uruguay on the basis of the working conditions surveys (WCSs) available in Latin America. In addition, we aimed to discuss the methodological barriers that hinder the comparability of these surveys. Methods The data have been taken from the first WCSs of Colombia (2007), Argentina (2009), Chile (2009–2010), Central America (2011) and Uruguay (2012). For comparative purposes, we selected a subsample of 15241 employees, aged 18–64 years, engaged in non-agricultural activities. For our analysis, we selected the variables for which data were available in at least three surveys and that were measured with the same or similar questions. We calculated prevalences with 95% confidence intervals for the selected variables on working and employment conditions, and health-related outcomes, separated by sex and country. Results Overall, regarding employment conditions, a large share of both sexes worked >40 hours a week. The most frequent exposures were repetitive movements, followed by noise and manual handling, with men being more frequently exposed. Regarding psychosocial exposures, working fast was very common among both sexes. In relation to health, while workers in Chile (33.4% of women and 16.6% of men) and Central America (24.3% of women and 19.1% of men) were more likely to report poor self-perceived health, workers in Colombia (5.5% of women and 4.2% of men) were less likely to do so. Moreover, the percentage of workers reporting occupational injuries was always less than 10%. Conclusions Although there are differences in exposures and health-related outcomes between the studied populations of the Latin American countries, we identified some common patterns. Given that the development of national WCSs in the region contribute to the understanding of occupational health, ongoing efforts focused on improving their comparability should be strengthened.

ObjectiveTo describe working and employment conditions, and health status between non-agricultural employees with a written contract from Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Central America and Uruguay.MethodsWe compared data from the first working...

Land grabbing in Central America is driven primarily by agro-industries and mining. Tourism development and infrastructure are also important forces behind new processes of land acquisition. Examining land grabbing in Central America allows us to move beyond single-cause explanations of land grabs and shows that it is a complicated and multi-actor process occurring at many scales. Contemporary processes of land acquisition and land re-concentration in Central America are embedded in a historical continuum of indigenous dispossession by colonial powers, later by international corporations and more recently by a combination of domestic and international capital in which the domestic landed elites play an important role. Even when the size of scale of land acquisitions is smaller compared with other parts of the world, new processes of land deals in Central America impact thousands of peasant livelihoods. These impacts are related both to changing property to land and to grabbing control over resources with implications for among other things, food security, human health, employment conditions and taxes, resulting in violent agrarian conflicts. Future research on land grabbing in Central America should focus on how drug trafficking interacts with land deals, the role of domestic elites in mining deals, the legal, illegal and quasi-legal instances in which the State operates in alliance with corporations, private security forces and the military.

ObjectiveTo describe the survey methodology and initial general findings of the first Central American Survey of Working Conditions and Health.MethodsA representative sample of 12 024 workers was interviewed at home...

ObjectiveTo describe the initial results of the first Central American Survey of Working Conditions and Health, completed in 2011.MethodsA cross-sectional survey of a representative national sample of 12,024 workers (2004...

BackgroundInformal employment is assumed to be an important but seldom studied social determinant of health, affecting a large number of workers around the world. Although informal employment arrangements constitute a permanent, structural pillar of many labor markets in low- and middle-income countries, studies about its relationship with health status are still scarce. In Central America more than 60 % of non-agricultural workers have informal employment. Therefore, we aimed to assess differences in self-perceived and mental health status of Central Americans with different patterns of informal and formal employment.MethodsEmployment profiles were created by combining employment relations (employees, self-employed, employers), social security coverage (yes/no) and type of contract -only for employees- (written, oral, none), in a cross-sectional study of 8,823 non-agricultural workers based on the I Central American Survey of Working Conditions and Health of 2011. Using logistic regression models, adjusted odds ratios (aOR) by country, age and occupation, of poor self-perceived and mental health were calculated by sex. Different models were first fitted separately for the three dimensions of employment conditions, then for employment profiles as independent variables.ResultsPoor self-perceived health was reported by 34 % of women and 27 % of men, and 30 % of women and 26 % of men reported poor mental health. Lack of social security coverage was associated with poor self-perceived health (women, aOR: 1.38, 95 % CI: 1.13-1.67; men, aOR: 1.36, 95 % CI: 1.13-1.63). Almost all employment profiles with no social security coverage were significantly associated with poor self-perceived and poor mental health in both sexes.ConclusionsOur results show that informal employment is a significant factor in social health inequalities among Central American workers, which could be diminished by policies aimed at increasing social security coverage.

Cohort study of use of the hands-and knees-position as the first approach to resolving shoulder dystocia and preventing neonatal birth trauma

236: Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy in the offspring of immigrant women in Sweden: a cohort study

This chapter examines the experiences of individuals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a temporary humanitarian status in the United States. Like temporary foreign workers (TFWs), TPS holders have a temporary immigration status that provides work authorization, but with no pathway to citizenship. But unlike TFWs, TPS holders are not required to work and are not tied to any specific employer if they do. This program, which covers over 400,000 immigrants who hail mainly from Haiti and Central America, has been politically volatile. In this context and based on 121 interviews with TPS holders in the New York City region, we provide a new perspective on the "coolie" experience of workplace precarity. This chapter considers the benefits of disentangling immigrant legal status from the contractual relationship with employers, while also considering the persistent challenges of temporary noncitizen "free labor" under racial capitalism.

We explored the relationships between sociocultural and psychological constructs and adherence to antiretroviral therapy among predominantly Spanish-speaking immigrant Latinos in the southeastern United States. A cross-sectional clinic-based sample of immigrant Latino men and women participated in an interviewer-administered assessment. Self-reported prevalence of adherence was assessed along with demographic characteristics, acculturation, physician trust, social support, and theory of planned behavior (TPB) constructs: attitude, subjective norm (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC). A total of 66 respondents met inclusion criteria. Average age was 38 years old, 74% of respondents were male, 71% heterosexual, and 86% reported being from Mexico or Central America. Prevalence of “complete” adherence (i.e., not missing a single dose) in the past 30 days was 71%. Social support was significantly and inversely associated with adherence, PBC, and attitude. Positive correlates of adherence included attitude, PBC, and employment status. In multivariable analysis, SN and PBC were significantly associated with social support, controlling for acculturation, physician trust, and number of behavioral referents. TPB constructs have utility in explaining ART adherence among immigrant Latinos in the “Deep South.” Further research is necessary to understand the complex relationships between social support, attribution processes, and ART adherence outcomes.

<h3>Introduction</h3> Work is considered a key determinant of mental health. However, evidence on the impact of work in mental health in Latin America is scarce. <h3>Objectives</h3> To analyse the relationship between mental health status and work in Latin America through three indicators: labour relationship (employed/self-employed or employer), employment condition (formal/informal), and occupational category (non manual skilled/non manual non-skilled/manual skilled/manual non-skilled). <h3>Methods</h3> Cross sectional study based on health and working condition surveys from 8 countries of Latin America. Poor mental health was defined as a score of &gt; = 3 on the GHQ12; &gt;= 10 on the PHQ9; or &lt;= 13 on the WHO5 scales. Informal workers were defined as those unregistered or lacking a contract. Occupational categories were created following the international standard classification of occupation. Prevalence ratios and their IC95% were calculated stratified by sex and adjusted by age, educational level and marital status. <h3>Results</h3> Final sample consisted of 72,452 workers, from Argentina (n=8966), Brazil (n=52832), Costa Rica (n=1503), El Salvador (n=1507), Guatemala (n=1510), Honduras (n=1507), Nicaragua (n=1500) and Panamá (n=1505). Poor mental health ranged from 4.5% in Brazilian men to 25.9% in Panamanian women. Manual non-skilled men showed higher prevalence of poor mental health than non-manual skilled men in Argentina (RPa 1.43 IC95% 1.04 - 1.95) and Central America (RPa 1.94 IC95% 1.12 - 3.34). In Brazil, men employers showed higher prevalence of poor mental health (RPa 1.25 IC95% 1.02 - 1.53) and informal workers showed higher prevalence of poor mental health irrespective of sex (Men RPa 1.16 IC95% 1.02 - 1.33; Women RPa 1.30 IC95% 1.05 - 1.60). <h3>Conclusion</h3> Prevalence of poor mental health varies significantly between occupational groups and countries. Special attention should be pay to informal workers, workers in elementary occupations and employers.

Objective: This study examined the extent to which stigma-related concerns about mental health care account for the underuse of mental health services among low-income immigrant and U.S.-born black and Latina women. Methods: Participants included 15,383 low-income women screened for depression in county entitlement services who were asked about barriers to care, stigma-related concerns, and whether they wanted or were getting mental health care. Results: Among those who were depressed, compared with U.S.-born white women, each of the black groups were more likely to report stigma concerns (African immigrants, odds ratio [OR]=3.28, p=.004; Caribbean immigrants, OR=6.17, p=.005; U.S.-born blacks, OR=6.17, p=.06). Compared with U.S.-born white women, immigrant African women (OR=.18, p

To examine the relationship between race/ethnicity and motivation for weight loss and motivation for exercise among patients with chronic disease. Cross-sectional. Our study took place within a network of federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in the rural southern United States. 463 active FQHC patients with diabetes and/or hypertension identifying as African American, White Hispanic, or non-Hispanic White participated in our study. Primary outcomes were assessed using standardized measures of motivation for a) weight loss; and b) hypertension per the Transtheoretical Model. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that, when controlling for age, sex, education status, employment status, poverty, comorbidity, and weight status, there were no significant differences in motivation for exercise among the different racial/ethnic groups (P=.361). However, when controlling for the same factors, there was a significant difference in motivation for weight loss, with African American participants more than twice as likely as non-Hispanic White participants to be motivated to lose weight (ORADJ = 2.430, P=.002). Our study suggests that, among rural patients with obesity-related chronic disease, there is a significant variation in motivation to lose weight between racial/ethnic groups. This underscores the importance of culturally tailoring interventions and in considering motivation for change when promoting weight loss behaviors. Additional implications for intervention development and delivery are discussed.

ABSTRACTPeople engaged in informal employment are not insured by any labour or social protection. Welfare state regimes could affect the relationship between informal employment and health. This study aimed to assess the relationship between informal employment and health status in the non-agricultural working population in Central America, by welfare state regime and gender. Based on a sample of 8680 non-agricultural workers (First Central American Survey of Working Conditions and Health), we conducted Poisson regression models with robust variance to obtain prevalence ratios (PR) and their confidence intervals (95% CI) of poor health status (self-perceived and mental health) of workers with informal employment versus those with formal employment. Models were adjusted by age and occupation and stratified by welfare state regime and gender. We found that prevalence of poor health status was highest among women and workers in informal employment. Positive associations between informal employment and poor self-perceived health were found in familialist and highly familialist countries for both genders, being highest in women in familialist countries (PR: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.08–1.80). Significant associations were only found for poor mental health among women in familialist countries (PR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.01–1.53) and men in highly familialist countries (PR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.00–1.79). Our results suggest that universal social protection policies could reduce the negative effects of informal employment on health status for both women and men. Future development of labour and social policies integrating a gender perspective might be crucial to address health inequalities related to informal employment in Latin American countries.

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Notes 1 “Student's Call for Professor's (sic) Termination,” The Metropolitan 26:19 (2003) p. 9. 2 Correspondence dated February 16 and 18, 2004. 3 For example, see Allan Bloom, The Closing of the American Mind (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1987). 4 “If It's Right, Then By God, It's Right,” The Metropolitan 27:22 (2005) p. 9. 5 See Henry A. and Susan Searls Giroux, Take Back Higher Education (New York: Palgrave, 2004). They make a strong argument regarding the attack on higher education. 6 Ellen W. Schrecker, No Ivory Tower: McCarthyism & the Universities (New York: Oxford University Press, 1986). 7 Ellen W. Schrecker, No Ivory Tower: McCarthyism & the Universities (New York: Oxford University Press, 1986), pp. 68–69. 8 I might point out that all Colorado state employees must sign a loyalty oath which states the same thing as the loyalty oaths of the previous periods. 9 Shrecker, op. cit., p. 76. 10 Philip J. Meranto, Oneida J. Meranto and Matthew R. Lippman, Guarding the Ivory Tower: Repression and Rebellion in Higher Education (Denver: Lucha Press, 1985). We interviewed several professors and graduate students who lost their job or could not procure a regular teaching position as a result of their stand on the war. One of the most popular professors and highly publicized case was Michael Parenti, who to this day is only hired as a visiting professor for fear he will incite “too much critical thinking” among students. Parenti is a prolific writer and one many of us depend upon for interpretation of power and politics. 11 Seymour Martin Lipset, Rebellion in the University (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1972) and American Exceptionalism, a Double-edged Sword (New York: Norton, 1996). 12 Jerry L. Martin and Anne D. Neal, Defending Civilization: How our Universities are Failing America and What Can Be Done About It (Washington, D.C: American Council of Trustees and Alumni, 2002), pp. 2–3. 13 See www.i2i.org/articles/2003I.pdf for complete narrative of students and one faculty. 14 See www.i2i.org/articles/2003I.pdf for complete narrative of students and one faculty. 15 Martin and Neal, op. cit., p. 3. 16 Giroux, op. cit., p. 209. 17 Dinesh D'Souza, Illiberal Education: The Politics of Race and Sex on Campus (New York: The Free Press, 1991). 18 Paul Rogat Loeb, Generation at the Crossroads (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1994). 19 D'Souza, op. cit. 20 The authors' interpretation of student narrative in “In Our Own Voices,” at i2i.org. These students complained about numerous things including having to watch Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine. 21 Horowitz speech at Metro State College, September 22, 2003. 22 http://www.aaup.org/statements/SpchState/comaclass.htm 23 http://www.aaup.org/statements/SpchState/comaclass.htm. 24 http://www.aaup.org/statements/SpchState/comaclass.htm. 25 House Joint Resolution 04–1003, Concerning First Amendment Protection on the Campuses of Colorado's Publicly Funded Colleges and Universities. 26 John Leo, “A kick where it is needed”, U.S. News & World Report, February 23/March 1, 2004, p. 20. 27 AAUP, op. cit. 28 See www.studentsforacademicfreedom.org 29 David Horowitz, The Art of Political War (Dallas: Spencer, 2000). 30 See www.cpaulsmith.com/class.asp, website discussing the passing of legislation in Frederick, MD, October 19, 1999. 31 D'Souza, p. 42. 32 www. frontpagemagazine.com, September 13, 2004. 33 www. frontpagemagazine.com, September 13, 2004. 34 Email conversations with the adjunct professor who eventually was encouraged to step down from teaching for a semester and who shall remain anonymous. 35 The President's “Notice of Disciplinary Action,” dated August 9, 2004.