Farmworker Community Research Articles

“Where they (live, work and) spray”: Pesticide exposure, childhood asthma and environmental justice among Mexican-American farmworkers

Asthma prevalence is reportedly low for children of Mexican descent compared with other ethnic groups and Latino subgroups. The results of our exploratory ethnographic research among children of farmworkers in California dramatically suggest otherwise. Unstructured and semi-structured open-ended interviews and photovoice methods were combined to explore the lived experiences of members of a marginalized farmworker community. This research gives voice to a population of families living in the highly toxic, yet agriculturally wealthy environment of the San Joaquin Valley. Little work has been reported employing photovoice, a community-based participatory research method, to study childhood exposure to pesticides. A rich narrative about perceptions of pesticide exposure emerged from the ethnographic interviews. Thematic analysis yielded beliefs about the relationship between air quality and childhood asthma. The findings suggest that childhood asthma should be reviewed within the context of local levels of environmental exposure and the principles of environmental justice.

Strawberry Fields as Extreme Environments: The Ecobiopolitics of Farmworker Health

Based on nearly two years of ethnographic research with farmworkers in California’s Pájaro Valley, in this article I build on Olson’s idea of “extreme environments.” By merging theories of biopolitics and political ecology, or ecobiopolitics, I explore the naturalization of chemically intensive systems of agricultural production and the health consequences they produce for farmworkers. State and industry regimes of agricultural knowledge and practice are designed to control workers and the environment in strawberry fields. They also produce devastating syndemics and chronicities of disease in farmworker bodies and communities. The relationships between health disparities and farmworkers’ lifetimes of exposure to toxic pesticides remain underexplored and poorly understood, perpetuating toxic ignorance about the relationships between pesticides and farmworker health. This enables equating worker well-being with industry well-being. Synergies between ethnographic and environmental health research are needed to challenge toxic ignorance, toxic layering, and the invisible harms they produce in agricultural communities.

Using participatory methods to enhance patient-centred mental health care in a federally qualified community health center serving a Mexican American farmworker community.

Mexican American farmworkers experience high rates of mental health conditions; however, it is difficult for them to access care. Patient-centred care is a systems-wide approach to improving the delivery of services for diverse populations in the primary care setting. We describe the application of community-based participatory research methods to assess and address gaps in perceptions of mental health care between providers and migrant workers living in a US-Mexico Border community. A federally qualified health centre (FQHC) serving a community of approximately 60 000 agricultural workers who live in Yuma County and harvest vegetables during the winter season. We conducted patient focus groups (n = 64) and FQHC staff interviews (n = 16) to explore attributes and dimensions of patient-centred mental health care. Patients and staff both prioritized increased access to mental health care and patient-centred care, while patients were more concerned with interpersonal care and providers with coordination of care. All participants stressed the relationship between life events and mental health and the centrality of family in care. Patients also emphasized the importance of a good attitude, the ability to solve problems, positive family relationships and reliance on faith. Patients suggested that the FQHC inform patients about mental health resources, provide community informational talks to address stigma, and offer support groups. The participatory approach of this qualitative study resulted in a wealth of data regarding patient preferences that will enable the FQHC to develop protocols and training to provide patient-centred mental health-care services for their community.

Health in my community: conducting and evaluating PhotoVoice as a tool to promote environmental health and leadership among Latino/a youth.

The PhotoVoice method has shown substantial promise for work with youth in metropolitan areas, yet its potential for use with Latino youth from agricultural areas has not been well documented. This project was designed to teach environmental health to 15 high school youth while building their individual and community capacity for studying and addressing shared environmental concerns. The project also aimed to test the utility of PhotoVoice with Latino agricultural youth. Fifteen members of the Youth Community Council (YCC), part of a 15-year project with farmworker families in Salinas, CA, took part in a 12-week PhotoVoice project. Their pictures captured the assets and strengths of their community related to environmental health, and were then analyzed by participants. A multi-pronged evaluation was conducted. YCC members identified concerns such as poor access to affordable, healthy foods and lack of safe physical spaces in which to play, as well as assets, including caring adults and organizations, and open spaces in surrounding areas. Participants presented their findings on radio, television, at local community events, and to key policy makers. The youth also developed two action plans, a successful 5K run/walk and a school recycling project, still in progress. Evaluation results included significant changes in such areas as perceived ability to make presentations, leadership, and self-confidence, as well as challenges including transportation, group dynamics, and gaining access to people in power. The PhotoVoice method shows promise for environmental health education and youth development in farmworker communities.

Risk Factors for Intimate Partner Violence in a Migrant Farmworker Community in Baja California, México

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is one of the most common forms of violence against women worldwide. Among Mexican women, it is estimated that 15 to 71% have experienced physical or sexual abuse by an intimate male partner in their lifetime. This study examined the prevalence of four leading risk factors associated with IPV (alcohol consumption, education, socioeconomic status (SES), and gender roles) in adult women (n = 68) in a migrant farmworker community in México. Alcohol consumption among women was higher than the national average, and partner consumption was lower. Education level and SES were low, and women identified with a feminist ideology more than a traditional gender role. Results also revealed that 86.4% (n = 57) of participants identified violence against women as a common problem in the community, and the majority (94.0%, n = 62) of participants believe that IPV specifically is a problem within the community.

Con Respeto: A Conceptual Model for Building Healthy Community-University Partnerships Alongside Mexican Migrant Families

In this paper we grapple with the question of how healthy community and university partnerships can be formed in order to support migrant students’ access to higher education. Employing autoethnographic and narrative research, and drawing from our work within the context of the migrant family conference at California State University, Fullerton from 2011 to 2013, we outline a conceptual model for building <em>healthy</em> partnerships. The first section of this paper offers a general overview of the literature on community-university engagement and collaboration as well as provides background information about the migrant farmworker community. The next section puts forward a new conceptualization of community-university partnerships encompassing the dimensions of trust, validation, reciprocity, and interdependence. These dimensions are framed within the notion of <em>respeto</em>. Finally, the third section of this paper discusses challenges that surface in creating new collaborations as well as addresses practical implications in response to obstacles faced by migrant families. Ultimately, the problems, questions, and proposed frameworks are designed to open a dialogue on the language and lenses we use to characterize the quality of partnerships we seed with historically underserved communities.

Literacy Worlds of Children of Migrant Farmworker Communities Participating in a Migrant Head Start Program

Within this ethnographic case study, I examine the ways that a Migrant Head Start program failed to build on the funds of language and literacy knowledge of a group of socioculturally and linguistically marginalized preschool children. Using a literacy-as-social-practice lens, I explore the children’s early literacy knowledge by focusing on the ways that reading and writing mediate the lives of the migrant farmworker community—their parents’ and community members’ lives. Observational and interview data analysis revealed literacy practices in the migrant camps that reflected their lives of bureaucratic regulation, family and community relationships, and spirituality in the migrant camps. Participant observation in the Migrant Head Start program revealed a school-based focus on only surface features of early literacy, delivered in an unfamiliar language and reflecting culturally specific beliefs and values about literacy practice that did not match those of most of the children. Analysis also revealed the ways that literacy practice among the migrant farmworkers moved and changed as the individual life experiences of the families changed, particularly in relation to increased geographic permanence over time.

Obesity Among Latino Children Within a Migrant Farmworker Community

Childhood obesity has increased substantially among Latino children, placing them at risk for its related health consequences. Limited attention has been given to childhood obesity among Latino migrant farm-working communities. To examine, within a migrant farm-working community, (1) the prevalence of obesity among Latino children and parents and (2) parent perceptions of children's weight status and intentions to take corrective action. Structured interviews were completed with the parents of 495 children seen for well-child office visits in the pediatric department of a community health center during a 15-month period between 2010 and 2011. Medical chart reviews were completed for each child participant. Forty-seven percent of the children were overweight (20%) or obese (27%). In comparison to preschool-aged children, those in elementary and middle school were more likely to be obese. In elementary school, girls were more likely than boys to be overweight or obese. Child obesity was associated with parent obesity. Parental concern about their child's weight was associated with child obesity but not with child overweight. Parental concern was associated with parent intention to address the child's weight, particularly in older children. Analysis was completed in 2012. Interventions are needed that address both childhood obesity and parent weight status among Latino migrant farmworkers. Prevention programs that address the weight status of Latino children who are overweight, but not necessarily obese, are also needed, as their parents tend to be no more concerned about a child who is overweight than one who is normal weight.

Promoting Environmental Justice through University-Community Research Collaborations: The Case Study of Farm Worker Communities in Oxnard, California

Promoting Environmental Justice through University-Community Research Collaborations: The Case Study of Farm Worker Communities in Oxnard, California

Organic Food Conclusions Don’t Tell the Whole Story

Organic Food Conclusions Don’t Tell the Whole Story

Creating a Patient Navigation Model to Address Cervical Cancer Disparities in a Rural Hispanic Farmworker Community

This report describes the implementation of a pilot patient navigation (PN) program created to address cervical cancer disparities in a predominantly Hispanic agricultural community. Since November 2009, a patient navigator has provided services to patients of Catholic Mobile Medical Services (CMMS). The PN program has resulted in the need for additional clinic sessions to accommodate the demand for preventive care at CMMS.

Informal Occupational Safety Information Exchange Among Latino Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers

ABSTRACT Latino farmworkers in North Carolina are a hard-to-reach population that faces diverse occupational health risks, including pesticide exposure. Health and safety education efforts often employ lay health advisor or promotor(a) de salud models in which farmworker community members are trained to provide health education. As a frequently tight-knit and isolated group, farmworkers may be well suited to serve as resident lay health advisors. This paper presents data collected from a nonrandom sample of Latino farmworkers living in North Carolina regarding the natural level of occupational safety information exchange among Latino farmworkers, specifically pesticide safety information. The data affirm that farmworkers informally exchange occupational safety information with one another, with the level of exchange increasing during the agricultural season. Consequently, if trained, the data suggest that farmworkers might be situated to provide in situ occupational health and safety education to their peers. This remains to be systematically tested and evaluated.

Design of an educational framework in introducing an unknown food crop into a farm worker community for ensuring food security

This study aims to design an educational framework based on the utilization cycle as a food-based strategy, integrating both agricultural and nutritional components, and also to empower people to improve their food security by introducing an unknown food crop into a specific community based on an in-depth understanding of current practices using known food crops. It was carried out in a rural farm-worker community in the Free State Province of South Africa. An educational framework was designed to guide the nutrition intervention strategy. This strategy was based on information gathered on the utilization of spinach (known crop) and was then applied to design a training manual for the intervention using an unknown crop (orange-fleshed sweet potato) in collaboration with agricultural extension officers. The community was explored at grass-roots level, and the current utilization patterns of spinach were observed. Behaviours, habits and drivers behind utilization was identified and combined with theory to design the educational framework for a food-based intervention. The framework was tested and refined by exposing agricultural officers to it. The design of the strategy is a problem-solution approach, which consists of 4 phases: (1) addressing shortcomings of current diet - not providing the minimum daily requirements for various vitamins and minerals as per the findings of the NFCS, (2) addressing the main underlying causes - which are low consumption of fruits and vegetables, and low dietary diversity, (3) proposed changes – inclusion of OFSP in their diets to not only increase dietary diversity but to also improve the status of vitamin A, and (4) desired outcome – optimal utilization of OFSP through home garden cultivation. By observing the current strategies applied to the utilization of food crops, a framework was designed suitable to the unique local situation of a community to ensure maximum acceptance and application of unknown food crops. By involving agricultural extension officers in the process, the strategy was refined to be used by trainers in any rural community to implement introduction of new food crops to support the community in utilizing the new food crop and to ultimately improve dietary diversity. Key words: Food-based approach, home-gardens, utilization cycle, educational framework, agricultural extension officers, rural farm worker community.

Organophosphorous pesticide breakdown products in house dust and children's urine

Human exposure to preformed dialkylphosphates (DAPs) in food or the environment may affect the reliability of DAP urinary metabolites as biomarkers of organophosphate (OP) pesticide exposure. We conducted a study to investigate the presence of DAPs in indoor residential environments and their association with children's urinary DAP levels. We collected dust samples from homes in farmworker and urban communities (40 homes total, n=79 samples) and up to two urine samples from resident children ages 3-6 years. We measured six DAPs in all samples and eight DAP-devolving OP pesticides in a subset of dust samples (n=54). DAPs were detected in dust with diethylphosphate (DEP) being the most frequently detected (≥60%); detection frequencies for other DAPs were ≤50%. DEP dust concentrations did not significantly differ between communities, nor were concentrations significantly correlated with concentrations of chlorpyrifos and diazinon, the most frequently detected diethyl-OP pesticides (Spearman ρ=-0.41 to 0.38, P>0.05). Detection of DEP, chlorpyrifos, or diazinon, was not associated with DEP and/or DEP+diethylthiophosphate detection in urine (Kappa coefficients=-0.33 to 0.16). Finally, estimated non-dietary ingestion intake from DEP in dust was found to be ≤5% of the dose calculated from DEP levels in urine, suggesting that ingestion of dust is not a significant source of DAPs in urine if they are excreted unchanged.

Reasons for Self-Medication and Perceptions of Risk Among Mexican Migrant Farm Workers

Although the frequency of self-medication among Mexican migrants has been well-documented in the public health literature, the multiple reasons for this practice are poorly understood. Most studies point to migrants' cultural preferences for Mexican medications, their prior experiences in countries where antibiotics are loosely regulated, and their lack of access to health care as the primary factors behind their self-medication. Based on participant observation and in-depth interviews with 23 Mexican migrants in a farm working community in the interior of California, we argue that occupational vulnerability is an equally important factor that encourages self-medication. All 23 of our interviewees reported having engaged in some degree of self-medication, notable in this location 8 h from the US-Mexico border. Among interviewees, occupational vulnerability represented an even more important factor influencing self-medication than lack of health insurance or lack of legal documentation. While interviewees did express a preference for Mexican medications as more potent and effective, this did not necessarily translate to a preference for using them without a doctor's supervision. Finally, we show that rather than remaining unaware of the risks of following this custom "transported from Latin America", Mexican migrants devised an elaborate hierarchy of resort of the safest self-medication practices to follow.

Suicide in a Poor Rural Community in the Western Cape, South Africa: Experiences of Five Suicide Attempters and Their Families

International studies have documented the association between poverty, low education levels and poor mental health, including suicide attempts. Many farm worker communities in the Western Cape, South Africa, are exposed to poor living and working conditions throughout their lives. They also tend to suffer from chronic illness such as tuberculosis as well as widespread alcohol abuse. Many farm workers are also exposed to pesticides, which have been associated with affective disorders. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews this qualitative study explored the life experiences of five suicide survivors and their carers to examine the factors that, according to them, predisposed them to and precipitated the suicide attempt. The impact of the suicide attempt on the family was also explored as well as shortcomings in terms of psychological support networks in the community. Contextual factors identified by the study participants that affected them included abject poverty as a result of unemployment and low education levels, childhood within dysfunctional family environments, early alcohol use and current alcohol dependence, previous and current interpersonal conflict and violence, a sense of hopelessness and the absence of coping mechanisms. Easy access to pesticides as a means for self-harm was also a common factor. Further research on the determinants of suicide attempts in this community is needed, as well as on effective and affordable interventions in remote and vulnerable communities such as these. Addressing structural problems would deal with the underlying reasons for suicidal feelings. In the meantime, shorter-term multi-sectoral interventions are needed by stakeholders such as government, civil society and faith-based organizations. These could include effective legislation and policies that regulate working and living conditions of farm workers, appropriate mental health care interventions, educational workshops, and nutrition schemes that address the unique needs of rural farming communities.

Increasing cervical cancer screening in a Hispanic migrant farmworker community through faith-based clinical outreach.

Partnerships between academic medical centers and faith-based community organizations have been associated with increased screening rates in low-income minority women. We describe clinical outcomes of an outreach partnership between a cancer center and a faith-based outreach clinic offering gynecologic screening services in central Florida to increase cervical cancer screening adherence in a priority population of primarily Hispanic farmworker women. Data sources included a retrospective chart review. This descriptive study examined patterns of cervical cancer screening behavior among the patient population of the faith-based outreach clinic. Findings suggest that among this group of patients, the demographic factors that predict adherence with cervical cancer screening recommendations are number of years having lived in the United States and marital status. Women residing in the United States for more than 5 years were significantly more adherent with cervical cancer screening recommendations compared with women who have resided in the United States for 5 years or less (p = .05), and married women were more likely to be adherent than unmarried women (p = .02). The partnership was successful in increasing cervical cancer screening adherence in this medically underserved population. When enabling barriers to screening adherence are removed through faith-based clinical outreach and engaged continuously for a number of years, uninsured, low-income Hispanic women are more likely to receive recommended preventive services.

“Our People Are Still Resisting”: Farmworker Community Organizing and the Texas Agricultural System

Previous research demonstrates that the contemporary industrial agricultural system in the United States is ecologically and socially destructive. In many ways, it exemplifies the capitalist system of production. A case study of farmworker community organizers in Texas reveals that a key aspect of organizers’ resistance to the industrial agricultural system is a critique of the overall capitalist system. Semistructured, in-depth interviews demonstrate that organizers’ strategies for resistance include integrating human and environmental issues; working outside of the system; increasing inclusivity through incorporating women leaders, families, and community empowerment efforts; and emphasizing collaborative and nonhierarchical systems. This study identifies how, within the context of this resistance, the environmental justice approach can be a useful supplement to the treadmill of production and Marxian political economy approaches.

The Feasibility and Acceptability of a Home-Visitation, Asthma Education Program in a Rural, Latino/a Population

Objectives. The effectiveness of community health worker-delivered interventions to decrease environmental triggers for asthma in the home has been well documented in urban populations, but has had little evaluation in rural, Latino/a families. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a home-visitation intervention designed to decrease environmental triggers for pediatric asthma in rural, Latino/a families. Methods. Data from a large community health clinic's pediatric asthma program (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006) were used to retrospectively explore associations between program participation and asthma-related health outcomes. Demographic data were collected on 866 patients. Behavioral outcomes were evaluated in 374 participants. A medical record abstraction was conducted in a subsample of 400 patients to evaluate asthma-related urgent care use. Nonparametric tests were used to compare outcomes before and after the intervention. Demographic attributes associated with program participation were examined using logistic regression. Results. Most (91%) participants were Hispanic, and 61% of participants' caregivers were either seasonal or migrant farmworkers. Over half (61%) of the participants did not complete the full intervention. A statistically significant improvement was found in caregivers' abilities to manage asthma medications and adopt behaviors to decrease triggers inside the home. Behaviors related to decreasing outside triggers did not significantly change. Asthma-related urgent care use significantly decreased; however, there was no association between intervention dose and a decrease in urgent care use. Demographic attributes were generally not associated with program completion, having baseline and exit data on intermediate outcomes, and/or inclusion in the chart review. Conclusions. Results suggest that the asthma intervention helped caregivers improve the air quality in their homes and reduce urgent care admissions among pediatric participants. The intervention dose may be less important than taking part in an intervention to the extent feasible or desired by the family. Findings suggest that policy-level interventions need to address reimbursement for home visitation and environmental exposures that are beyond caregiver control, such as support for healthy and affordable housing in farmworker communities.

Oral Health Attitudes and Practices Among a German Mexican Mennonite Farmworker Community

The oral health needs of migrant farm laborers are greater and more immediate than those of comparable populations. However, little is known about the conditions of oral health care among German-speaking Mexican Mennonites, a distinctive cultural subgroup of migrant farm laborers. The purpose of this study was to examine the oral health practices, perceived oral health status, and barriers to obtaining dental care among a community of Low German-speaking Mexican Mennonites residing in Southwest Kansas. Interviews were conducted with a sample of 25 individuals, with questions addressing access/barriers to care, oral health practices, and perceived oral health status. The most frequently identified barriers to dental care were limited finances, lack of adequate health/dental insurance, and limited awareness of available dental services. Although the majority of participants reported experiencing no problems related to language or scheduling dental appointments, the results also indicated low utilization levels of oral care services. Findings suggest that: (1) this population is at-risk for periodontal disease, (2) culturally appropriate programs are needed for preventive oral care education, (3) community and statewide support may help improve access to affordable oral health care.