Male Migrant Workers Research Articles

Accession with low compliance: Sri Lanka’s experience with the 1990 International Convention on Migrant Workers

ABSTRACT The article reviews Sri Lanka’s compliance with the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (ICRMW) acceded in 1996. The article highlights the common issue of routine accession/ratification of international Conventions by origin countries without full appreciation of their corresponding obligations. It highlights the large gap between accession and compliance with the Convention even after two decades. While Sri Lanka has taken a series of steps to improve migration governance and protection of migrant workers, there are several significant gaps in compliance with the ICRMW as reflected in the failure to bring national migration legislation in line with ICRMW provisions, continued abuse and exploitation of both female and male migrant workers in major destination countries, persistent recruitment malpractices, and lack of credible policies to deal immigrant workers. Some examples from Bangladesh and the Philippines – the other two major countries in Asia to ratify the ICRMW – have been cited to provide comparative insights where relevant. The article highlights several policy areas for action, especially by the government.

Impact of promoting employment quality on new generation migrant workers’ settlement intention a study based on gender perspective

This meta-analysis summarizes the research findings of many local and international experts and constructs a comprehensive employment quality evaluation system based on factors including monthly salary, working hours, job stability, career reputation, social security, labor rights, development prospective, worker satisfaction and more. Binary Logistic Regression was used to analyze and discuss new generation migrant workers’ settlement intention, both as a whole and for different genders. Analysis suggests there are significant gender differences when it comes to settlement intention. Education level, social circle, skill development, weekly working hours and colleague relationship all have profound impact on new generation female migrant workers’ settlement intention. On the other hand, only career type and overall job satisfaction show significant influence over male migrant workers’ decision. It has to be noted that overall job satisfaction is an integrative indicator. Therefore, this paper suggests that in order to study the relationship between employment and settlement intention, one should start from analyzing comprehensive employment quality indicators with special attention paid to gender differences.

Portrait of Indonesian Workers Life in Saudi Arabia in the Novel Kedai 1001 Mimpi by Valiant Budi

A grim portrait of life is often shown by migrant workers who work in Saudi Arabia through novel Kedai 1001 Mimpi by Valiant Budi, researcher tries to peel the grim portrait of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. This research, using qualitative descriptive method and literature sociology approach, seeks to explore the portrait of humanity accepted by Indonesian labor migrants working in Saudi Arabia. The results of this study show a portrait of humanity experienced by female and male migrant workers. The portrait of life that happens to women in the novel Kedai 1001 Mimpi by Valian Budi is sexual harassment, physical violence, accusation, lack of protection. The portrait of humanity portrayed in male migrant workers is harassment, dissension, defamation, and unclear employment contracts. This research has significance in the humanitarian and social fields that there are many grim portraits of living witnesses who have worked as migrant workers in Saudi Arabia so that the government needs to find the right solution so that the forms of injustice received by migrant workers in Saudi Arabia do not recur.

Migration, service work, and masculinity in the global South: Private security guards in post‐socialist China

AbstractPast research on service work and masculinity has focused on men in traditionally feminized occupations or men in celebrated male‐dominated occupations in the global North, thus neglecting the experiences of men in low status, male‐dominated, and supposedly “masculine” service occupations in the global South. This article attempts to fill the gap by illustrating the problematic connections between work and masculinity among rural‐to‐urban male migrant workers in low paid private security guarding in South China. It examines how macrostructural forces of labor precarization, growing class inequalities, and the emergence of a discourse of consumer supremacy in post‐socialist China has rendered the instrumental, symbolic, and social connections between work and masculinity problematic for this group of workers. It also describes five different strategies employed by these workers to achieve a sense of manhood: practicing combative masculinity; practicing toxic masculinity; constructing a discourse of professionalism; emphasizing their fulfillment of familial responsibility; and espousing an entrepreneurial aspiration.

Diversity and social cohesion in the United Arab Emirates

The article examines the effects of cultural diversity on social cohesion in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE is an oil-rich country established in 1971 as a federation of seven Emirates. It is a small state with a population of ten million; the citizens account only for 10% of the population. Oil wealth enables the country to achieve advanced levels of human, social and economic development. Recently, the UAE has experienced a massive social change; modernization processes have been impended on highest levels. However, due to the historical demographic structure of the local population, the UAE always depended on external labor forces. Skilled and unskilled male workers immigrate from neighboring countries; as a result, the population structure has changed. After the world economic depression in 2008, the UAE experienced a dramatic increase in the number of population. Professional workers from all over the world flowed to the country, and Dubai became a major center for the regional trade market; today, its free zones are considered the best technical base for service and logistic businesses. Today, more than 200 nationalities live in the country, and the majority of them are migrant male workers. This instable and unbalanced demographic structure created cultural domination - international cultures dominate the local one. The demographic imbalance between citizens and foreigners resulted in a kind of disharmony. Due to their feeling of being a minority, the Emiratis move from the old cities to the suburban areas, which creates many social tensions. All these circumstances affected social cohesion, communal harmony and the direct social interaction of cultural groups. To illustrate the tensions and discomforts in the UAE, the author presents the results of face-to-face interviews and a group discussion - as a critical analysis by those in the center of change.

Perceived mental health, wellbeing and associated factors among Nepali male migrant and non-migrant workers: A qualitative study

BackgroundPoor mental health and illness among the working population have serious socioeconomic and public health consequences for both the individual and society/country. With a dramatic increase in work migration over the past decades, there is recent concern about the health and wellbeing of migrant workers and their accessibility to healthcare services in destination countries. This study aimed to explore the mental health and wellbeing experiences of Nepali male returnee-migrants and non-migrant workers, and their perceptions about risk factors for poor health and health service accessibility. MethodsThis qualitative study was conducted among Nepali migrant and non-migrant workers in February 2020. Four focus group discussions comprising 25 men and a total of 15 in-depth interviews were conducted with male non-migrant and returnee migrant workers from Gulf countries and Malaysia. The discussions and interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, translated into English and analysed thematically. ResultMigrant workers reported a higher risk of developing adverse mental health conditions than non-migrant workers. In addition, fever, upper respiratory infection, abdominal pain, ulcer, and occupational injuries were common health problems among both migrant and non-migrant workers. Other major illnesses reported by the migrant workers were heat burns and rashes, snake-bites, dengue, malaria, gallstone, kidney failure, and sexually transmitted diseases, while non-migrants reported hypertension, diabetes, and heart diseases. Adverse living and working conditions including exploitation and abuse by employers, lack of privacy and congested accommodation, language barriers, long hours’ hard physical work without breaks, and unhealthy lifestyles were the contributing factors to migrant workers’ poor mental and physical health. Both migrant and non-migrants reported poor compliance of job conditions and labor protection by their employers such as application of safety measures at work, provision of insurance and healthcare facilities that affected for their wellbeing negatively. Family problems compounded by constant financial burdens and unmet expectations were the most important factors linked with migrant workers’ poor mental health. ConclusionBoth migrant and non-migrant workers experienced poor mental and physical health, largely affected by their adverse living and working conditions, unmet familial and financial needs and unhealthy life styles. Greater compliance is needed by employers of work agreements and the promotion of labor rights for worker's health and safety. In addition, policy interventions to raise awareness about occupational health risks and effective safety training for all workers (migrant and non-migrant) are recommended.

COVID-19 and Undiagnosed Pre-diabetes or Diabetes Mellitus Among International Migrant Workers in Singapore.

Objective: Migrant workers, a marginalized and under-resourced population, are vulnerable to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to limited healthcare access. Moreover, metabolic diseases—such as diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, and hyperlipidemia—predispose to severe complications and mortality from COVID-19. We investigate the prevalence and consequences of undiagnosed metabolic illnesses, particularly DM and pre-diabetes, in international migrant workers with COVID-19.Methods: In this retrospective analysis, we analyzed the medical records of international migrant workers with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 hospitalized at a tertiary hospital in Singapore from April 21 to June 1, 2020. We determined the prevalence of DM and pre-diabetes, and analyzed the risk of developing complications, such as pneumonia and electrolyte abnormalities, based on age and diagnosis of DM, and pre-diabetes.Results: Two hundred and fouty male migrant workers, with mean age of 44.2 years [standard deviation (SD), 8.5years], were included. Twenty one patients (8.8%) were diagnosed with pre-diabetes, and 19 (7.9%) with DM. DM was poorly controlled with a mean HbA1c of 9.9% (SD, 2.4%). 73.7% of the patients with DM and all the patients with pre-diabetes were previously undiagnosed. Pre-diabetes was associated with higher risk of pneumonia [odds ratio (OR), 10.8, 95% confidence interval (CI), 3.65–32.1; P < 0.0001], hyponatremia (OR, 8.83; 95% CI, 1.17–66.6; P = 0.0342), and hypokalemia (OR, 4.58; 95% CI, 1.52–13.82; P = 0.0069). Moreover, patients with DM or pre-diabetes developed COVID-19 infection with lower viral RNA levels.Conclusions: The high prevalence of undiagnosed pre-diabetes among international migrant workers increases their risk of pneumonia and electrolyte abnormalities from COVID-19.

Peer Association and Routine Activities in Sex Worker Patronage among Male Migrant Workers

ABSTRACT Studies of people who buy sex often focus on psychological and personality factors with less attention paid to the role of social contexts. This study integrates the two lines of inquiry, routine activity theory and peer deviance, to examine the social process of paying for sex. We argue that deviant peer association may shape buying sex due to peers’ role in shifts in the three components of routine activity theory: motivation, targets, and lack of guardians. With rich information on sexual behaviors from the China Migrant Sexual Health Survey (n = 1,521), we conducted a series of regressions and structural equation models on commercial sex behaviors among male migrants. Our findings demonstrate that having more peers engaged in deviance is significantly associated with buying sex; the three routine activity components are also significantly associated with buying sex; the peer effect on buying sex is significantly (39% of the variance) mediated by routine activities. These results help understand the role of routine activities in mediating peer association and buying sex, and also contributes to the literature of sex work on the less-studied population of sex work clients in China. Theoretically, the results provide evidence for the role of peers in shaping routine activities.

Gender Pay Gap Among Urban-Urban Migrant Workers: Pakistan's Two-Tier Urban Labor Market

Urban-urban migration has socio-economic and demographic consequences on the labor markets. It affects job mobility and gender-balance in the urban workplace. This study analyzes the gender wage gap among urban-urban migrant workers in Pakistan. The study used the most recent Labour Force Survey, a nationally representative dataset, to identify the determinants of wages for male and female migrant workers separately. The wages of urban-urban female migrants tend to be 45% lower than their male counterparts. The results indicated disparities in working hours and human capital endowment as some of the contributing factors to the increasing gender wage gap. This research calls for implementing drastic measures, i.e., gender-insensitive capacity building of urban migrant workers, workplace incentives for women, and enhancement of women leadership roles, to reduce gender inequalities in the urban labor market.

Evaluating imidacloprid exposure among grape field male workers using biological and environmental assessment tools: An exploratory study.

Imidacloprid is a neonicotinoid insecticide commonly injected through agricultural drip irrigation systems to reduce the population of vine mealybugs (P. ficus) in grape farms. There is a growing concern of potential human health effects of imidacloprid, however, there is limited information on the exposure to imidacloprid in farm workers. Imidacloprid exposure was evaluated in this exploratory study of 20 male migrant grape workers sampled five days after imidacloprid was injected in the irrigation system during winter and summer seasons. We administered a questionnaire on work activities, exposure characteristics, and socio-demographics and collected personal air, hand wipe, and spot urine samples. Heat exposure was also assessed. Spearman's correlation coefficients and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were utilized to evaluate associations and differences in imidacloprid exposures with socio-demographic, occupational, and environmental characteristics. All participants had less than a high school education and about half identified an Indigenous language as their primary language. Although not detected in air samples, imidacloprid was detected in 85% of the hand wipes (median: 0.26: 0.41 μg/wipe, range: 0.05-7.10 μg/wipe). The majority of participants (75%) had detectable urinary concentrations of imidacloprid (median: 0.11μg/g creatinine, range: 0.05-3.90μg/g of creatinine), and nearly all (95%) had detectable urinary concentrations of 5-hydroxy-Imidacloprid (5-OH-IMI), a metabolite of imidacloprid (median: 1.28μg/g creatinine, range: 0.20-27.89μg/g creatinine). There was a significant correlation (p<0.001) between imidacloprid in hand wipes and urinary imidacloprid and 5-OH-IMI (rs: 0.67 for imidacloprid and 0.80 for 5-OH-IMI). Hand temperature was significantly and positively correlated (p<0.05) with imidacloprid concentration on hand wipes (rs: 0.70), and urinary biomarkers (rs: 0.68 for imidacloprid, and 0.60 for 5-OH-IMI) suggesting that working in high temperatures may influence the exposure and absorption of imidacloprid. Thus, research on farm workers would benefit in the future by evaluating imidacloprid exposure in relation to heat stress and other occupational factors.

Good Guys, Mad City: Sudanese Male Migrant Life in Beirut

This article explores the relationship between labor precarity, masculinity, and striving among generations of Sudanese male migrant workers in Beirut. Based on fieldwork conducted between 2019 and 2020 with intergenerational, multiethnic Sudanese migrant communities in Beirut and with male migrant returnees in Khartoum, I argue that Sudanese male migrant workers navigate the structures that condition them as precarious labor in Lebanon by forming networks of care and interdependency. How are they gendered through these relations of livelihood and co-survival? I explore how Sudanese male migrants conduct themselves through ideals of masculine propriety and labor discipline in their striving for an ethically and materially sustainable life achieved through marriage and eventual return. Yet in the current context of revolution and accumulating economic crises in Lebanon as well as in Sudan, these goals are foreclosed for young migrants who are caught in a spiral of unemployment and debt. In conversation with migrants who struggle to balance their aspirations of living with the present challenges of surviving, I explore how crisis restructures their relations of codependency, attachments to home, and aspirations for the good life at the end of migration.

The network structure of posttraumatic stress disorder among Filipina migrant domestic workers: comorbidity with depression

ABSTRACT Background Labour migrants are exposed to potentially traumatic events throughout the migration cycle, making them susceptible to developing mental disorders. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is often comorbid with depression. Comorbidity worsens the course of illness, prognosis, treatment response, and increases suicidal risk. Using network analysis, this study examined the structure of PTSD and depression in a sample of migrant domestic workers, an especially vulnerable community of labour migrants. This study sought to derive the central or most important symptoms, strongest edges or relationships among symptoms, and bridge symptoms between PTSD and depression. Methods Data were obtained from 1,375 Filipina domestic workers in Macao SAR, China. Data from a subsample of 1,258 trauma-exposed participants were analysed using R software. Results Most of the strongest edges were within the same disorder and, for PTSD, within the same symptom cluster. Highest node centrality were PCL-5’s ‘avoid thoughts’, ‘lose interest’, ‘negative emotions’, and ‘not concentrate’, and PHQ-9’s ‘sleep difficulties’. The bridge symptoms were PHQ-9’s ‘sleep difficulties,’ ‘psychomotor agitation/retardation,’ and ‘fatigue,’ PCL-5’s ‘not concentrate’, and PHQ-9’s ‘worthlessness’ and ‘anhedonia’. Limitations Results may not generalize to Filipino migrant workers in other occupations and to male migrant workers. Potentially relevant symptoms like somatic symptoms and fear of somatic and mental symptoms were not included. Conclusions Central and bridge symptoms are the most important nodes in the network. Developing interventions targeting these symptoms, particularly depression symptoms, is a promising alternative to PTSD treatment given substantial barriers to specialist care for this population.

Labor, Health, and Marginalization: A Culture-Centered Analysis of the Challenges of Male Bangladeshi Migrant Workers in the Middle East.

Based on the culture-centered approach, we examine the meanings of health and negotiations of health care structures among low socioeconomic status (SES) Bangladeshi male migrant workers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We engage in coconstructive problem definition and strategizing through 44 semistructured in-depth interviews/focus groups about health, migration, and well-being. Our analysis of the participants' narratives elucidates the intersectionality of health as a lived experience of migrant labor within neoliberal structures focused on labor extraction, highlighting health not as a static or purely epidemiological construct, but as a combination of the physical, mental, spiritual, and socioeconomic material realities within which they are located. These include a recognition of the importance of interconnectedness of physical and mental well-being, drawing upon one's cultural and familial roles and responsibilities, as well as locating health within structurally exploitative practices. Specifically, the participants articulate the absence of substantive health and labor protections that result in poor health outcomes for them.

Documented higher burden of advanced and very advanced HIV disease among patients, especially men, accessing healthcare in a rapidly growing economic and industrial hub in South Africa: A call to action.

Lephalale Municipality in Limpopo Province, South Africa, has seen significant economic and industrial development owing to expansion of the coal mining and power generation sectors. This development has coincided with substantial population growth of 65% between 2001 and 2016, attributable to largely (migrant) males living in the area who, overall, outnumbered females by ~121:100. The local HIV prevalence is reported to be higher than national rates. Anonymised National Health Laboratory Service CD4+ data were used to document increasing laboratory services workload and to establish the burden of advanced (CD4+ count &lt;200 cells/µL) and very advanced (&lt;100 cells/µL) HIV disease among adult patients accessing public healthcare in Lephalale between 2006 and 2015. A cross-sectional design was used to analyse CD4+ laboratory data. CD4+ outcomes were categorised by volumes of tests, year, health facility type, age categories (15 - 19, 20 - 24, 25 - 29, 30 - 34, 35 - 39, 40 - 44, 45 - 49 and &gt;49 years), CD4+ test range (≤50, 51 - 100, 101 - 200, 201 - 350, 351 - 500 and ≥501 cells/µL) and gender. Median CD4+ counts were calculated. Extracted Lephalale data comprised 57 490 CD4+ results, with a mean patient age of 34 years. Considerably fewer male than female patients had CD4+ counts reported (male/female ratio 0.45:1). CD4+ test volumes showed a five-fold escalation over the study period, increasing from 1 458 tests in 2006 to 8 239 in 2015. A considerable burden of advanced and very advanced HIV disease (exceeding 50% of all cases) was noted in 2006/2007; by 2015 the proportion had fallen, but was still high at 27%. The overall median CD4+ count in 2006 (192 cells/µL) confirmed a high burden of advanced disease, with modest improvement to 289 cells/µL by 2015. Between 2006 and 2015, the median CD4+ count for females increased from 204 to 405 cells/µL, while that for males increased from 126 to 285 cells/µL. Age analysis further revealed that men aged &lt;20 years or &gt;25 years, and specifically those aged 30 - 45 years, had up to 44% more advanced HIV disease. Lower median CD4+ counts and a dramatic increase in volumes of CD4+ tests performed from 2007 onwards revealed a high burden of advanced and very advanced HIV disease in patients accessing care in Lephalale. Viewed together with Statistics South Africa census documentation of a disproportionately high number of males compared with females living in the area, these figures suggest that improved systems are urgently needed to encourage and accommodate access to HIV care for male (migrant worker) patients living and working in emerging industrial centres.

Changing Trends of HIV, Syphilis, and Hepatitis C among Male Migrant Workers in Chongqing, China: Nine Consecutive Cross-Sectional Surveys, 2010-2018.

Background: Male migrant workers (MMWs) have been reported to be vulnerable to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Chongqing, China is one of the major migration destinations and hotspots of HIV. This study aims to explore the prevalence of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis C virus (HCV), as well as HIV-related knowledge and behaviors, among MMWs in Chongqing. Methods: Questionnaire surveys were conducted, and blood samples were collected and examined among MMWs selected by two-stage stratified sampling in Chongqing from 2010 to 2018. The Cochran–Armitage trend test was conducted to observe the trends in the prevalence of HIV, syphilis, and HCV, as well as HIV-related knowledge and behaviors. The Chi-square test and Binary Logistic Regression were conducted to observe the distinctions between different groups. Results: The overall HIV prevalence was 0.6% with an increasing trend (0.2% to 0.9%, p < 0.001), whereas the overall HCV prevalence was 0.5% with a decreasing trend (0.5% to 0.4%, p < 0.001). The overall syphilis prevalence was 1.3% in the ≥50 age group, 1.0% in the 30–49 age group, and higher than 0.3% in the 16–29 group (X2 = 19.527, p < 0.001). An uptrend (80.2%–80.6%, p < 0.001) was observed in correct HIV-related knowledge. The 16–29 ((Odds Ratio) OR: 1.575; 95%CI (Confidence Interval): 1.380–1.798; p < 0.001) and 30–49 (OR: 1.697; 95%CI: 1.495–1.926; p < 0.001) age groups had 1.575 and 1.697 times correct HIV-related knowledge more than the ≥50 age group. The proportion of subjects engaged in commercial sex in the past year (7.7%–13.3%, p < 0.001), consistent condom use during this activity (20.5%–54.0%, p < 0.001), and condom use in the last commercial sex (48.6%–72.1%, p = 0.020) were increasing. The risk of engaging in commercial sex in the past year in the 16–29 age group was 0.768 times (OR: 0.768; 95%CI: 0.643–0.917; p = 0.003) less than that in the ≥50 age group. The risk of engaging in non-regular sex in the past year in the 16–29 (OR: 2.819; 95%CI: 2.317–3.431; p < 0.001) and 30–49 (OR: 1.432; 95%CI: 1.184–1.733; p < 0.001) age groups were 2.819 and 1.432 times more than that in the ≥50 age group. The risk of engaging in anal sex in the past year in the 16–29 age group was 6.333 times (OR: 6.333; 95%CI: 1.468–27.327; p < 0.013) more than that in the ≥50 age group. The proportion of consistent condom use during non-regular sex in the past year (10.9%–47.3%, p < 0.001) and condom use in the last non-regular sex (40.8%–71.1%, p < 0.001) increased remarkably. The possibilities of consistent condom use during commercial sex in the past year in the 16–29 (OR: 2.606; 95%CI: 1.847–3.677; p < 0.001) and 30–49 (OR: 1.632; 95%CI: 1.214–2.195; p = 0.001) age groups were 2.606 and 1.632 times more than that in the ≥50 age group. The possibilities of condom use in the last commercial sex in the 16–29 (OR: 1.805; 95%CI: 1.258–2.589; p = 0.001) and 30–49 (OR: 1.360; 95%CI: 1.016–1.821; p = 0.039) age groups were 1.805 and 1.360 times more than that in the ≥50 age group. The possibilities of consistent condom use during non-regular sex in the past year (OR: 1.628; 95%CI: 1.066–2.484; p = 0.024) and condom use in the last non-regular sex (OR: 1.671; 95%CI: 1.148–2.433; p = 0.007) in the 16–29 age group were 1.628 and 1.671 times more than those in the ≥50 age group, respectively. Conclusion: An upward trend of HIV and a downward trend of HCV were observed among MMWs in Chongqing from 2010 to 2018. We also found an increase in commercial sex and inadequate condom use during high-risk behaviors among this population. The overall syphilis prevalence in the middle-aged and elderly groups was higher than in the young group, and elderly MMWs were more likely to engage in unprotected high-risk behaviors. Thus, targeted STI prevention for MMWs in Chongqing, especially those aged 50 years and above, is urgently needed.

Rooted flexibility: social reproduction, violence and gendered work in the Indian city

Drawing on feminist marxist and feminist geography scholarship the article develops the concept 'rooted flexibility' to examine the latent frictions between flexible labour regimes and the rooted, gendered demands of social reproduction in worker tenements and factories in Gurgaon, India. The article explores the everyday gendered terrain through which migrant women are incorporated into, disciplined and navigate flexible labour and precarious social reproduction in the city. Unlike the male migrant workers who are made flexible through ideologies and practices of mobility, the mobility of migrant working-class women whose stories are narrated in this article is constrained by patriarchal control and responsibilities to social reproductive labour. In the absence of labour mobility, the article explores how migrant women workers navigate conflicting demands of being both flexible waged-workers and rooted, ‘respectable’ housewives, resisting violent practices of labour discipline on the shop-floors and tenements. In doing so, the article examines how an embodied and differentiated politics of 'respectability' comes to materialise how ‘rooted flexibility’ is lived, contested and secured.

The Decision Supports for Male Migrant Workers’ Physical Features at Different Stages of Physical Exercise Behavior by Association Rules Based Data Mining Technology

Abstract With the adjustment of agricultural and rural economic structure, rapid industrialization and urbanization, more than a third of rural labor transferred to non-agricultural industries in China. Guangzhou was one of the major areas introducing many rural labor forces. Migrant workers became a huge group of workers. The health state of migrant workers was directly related to economic development. In fact, the health state of migrant workers was not optimistic in China. Migrant workers, as a special group, has become the “bottleneck” or the “blind spot” for extensively and deeply developing the National Fitness Program. The study aimed at providing decision supports for the health promotion of the migrant workers. Methods: 435 healthy male migrant workers (20~40 years old) were recruited on Guangzhou, China. The physical data was acquainted by Chinese Nation Adults’ Physical Health Standard. Physical Exercise Behavior Stages Questionnaire was the classification standard of exercise behavior change stage (EBCS). Association rules-based data mining technology was applied in this study to find out the potential links between physical features and EBCS on migrant workers, analyze their physical conditions at different EBCS, and provide health promotion decision supports for migrant workers. Results: Results showed that migrant workers displayed different physical features at different EBCS. The decision supports health promotion for migrant workers should be different at each different EBCS. Conclusions: The decision supports of health promotion for migrant workers were mainly included controlling and managing an appropriate body weight, especially at the pre-contemplation stage (PCS), being alert to the increased risk of hypertension at PCS, preparation stage (PS) and maintenance stage (MS), increasing their flexibility at PCS, and preventing the decline of cardiopulmonary function at PS.

More than just breadwinners: how Chinese male migrant workers’ family relationships shape their factory labour process

ABSTRACT Labour scholars have carefully examined how being daughters, wives, and mothers influences women’s labour process. In contrast, labour studies on men have rarely considered their family involvement except for being the breadwinners. Based on an ethnographic study on rural migrant workers in a Chinese factory, this article presents more complex work-family mechanisms for male workers. First, the married male migrant workers expressed deep family commitment. Shouldering family responsibilities made them more labour conservative, not only because they prioritized having a stable income but also because they empathized with the family obligations of married managers. However, the same family value could also lead to labour resistance when it was disrespected by the management. Second, the parents and relatives of single young male migrant workers played crucial roles in directing them to factories and made it difficult for them to resist unpleasant working conditions or leave. And the anticipation of future marriage further shaped the young male migrant workers’ labour practices. This article contributes to labour studies by demonstrating the indispensability of family to the analysis of male workers’ labour practices. It also challenges the gender stereotypes of male breadwinner/female caregiver and presents working-class men as being deeply embedded in family lives.

Alcohol use disorders among Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine the prevalence of Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs) among Myanmar male migrant workers (&gt; 15 years) living in Mae Sot, Thailand, and their patterns of drinking. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey was administered to 512 participants to measure AUDs and drinking patterns. ANOVA and χ2 analyses were performed to assess demographic differences between abstainers, harmful and hazardous drinkers (HHDs) (those showing signs of AUDs) and non-harmful drinkers. Findings Results showed that 12.3 percent of male Myanmar migrants were HHDs, a rate only slightly higher than in Thai men (9.1 percent), but much higher than in men still living in Myanmar (2.7 percent) (WHO, 2014). Also, 19 percent of alcohol-consuming Myanmar male migrant workers reported patterns of heavy episodic drinking, which is markedly higher than in alcohol-consuming Thai (4.7 percent) and Myanmar men (1.5 percent) (WHO, 2014). Originality/value Given the health risks associated with AUDs and heavy episodic drinking, the findings of this study suggest a need for appropriate alcohol-related health education and intervention for Myanmar male migrant workers.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and HIV/AIDS Risk Behaviors of Myanmar Migrant Workers in Thailand

Background: HIV/AIDS is still a problem in the health care system of developing countries. Migrant workers are considered a vulnerable population for HIV infection. The current information on HIV/AIDS and migrant workers is useful to provide suitable effective health interventions for the prevention of HIV/AIDS. This study aims to describe knowledge, attitudes and HIV/AIDS risk behaviors among Myanmar male migrant workers in Thailand. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Myanmar male migrant workers aged 18-60 years collected from February to May 2018. A total of 400 migrant workers who live in Patumthani provinces were selected by a convenience sampling method. Descriptive statistics were used to explore knowledge, a􀦮tudes and HIV/AIDS risk behaviors of participants. Results: The mean age of the participants was 33 years, ages ranged from 18 to 60 years old, achieved primary school (40.40%), and married (54.30%). An average living in Thailand was 3.25 years and monthly income was 9,166 baht (_286 USD), respectively. A majority of participants had a poor level of HIV/AIDS knowledge (55.25%) and a fair level of an attitude about HIV/AIDS disease and prevention (61.25%). Risk behaviors related to HIV/AIDS of participants who had sex with non-partners were 40.58%. Conclusion: Most participants had poor knowledge and a fair attitude of HIV/AIDS. Risk behaviors related to HIV/AIDS of the participants were relatively high. Moreover, most of participants had less access to health care services. This results confirmed that an urgent need to provide health intervention to increase knowledge on HIV/AIDS of Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand. Keywords: Myanmar migrant workers, HIV/AIDS, risk behavior, Thailand Received: 19 May 2019 Reviewed: 8 June 2019 Revised: 24 June 2019 Accepted: 1 July 2019 DOI: 10.35898/ghmj-33581