1
|
Iglesias-Rios L, Kort A, Handal AJ. Precarious Work and Housing for Michigan Farmworkers During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond. J Agromedicine 2024; 29:432-450. [PMID: 38651537 PMCID: PMC11197151 DOI: 10.1080/1059924x.2024.2341803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Farmworkers in Michigan face precarious and exploitative labor conditions that affect their access to affordable, fair, and quality housing, which are key social determinants of health. We sought to assess the health, working conditions, and housing access, affordability, and quality of farmworkers living in and outside of employer-provided housing during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS We conducted a mixed methods cross-sectional study in collaboration with community partners from the Michigan Farmworker Project and the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. We assessed housing, labor conditions, and general health through in-depth phone interviews with seasonal, migrant, and H-2A farmworkers (n = 63) during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021) in Michigan. Descriptive analyses of these data included comparisons by type of farmworker and type of housing (employer-provided or other). RESULTS The majority of farmworkers interviewed were women and seasonal farmworkers and spoke primarily Spanish. A significant share of farmworker participants reported living in poverty (38.3%) and had low or very low food security (27.0%). Nearly half of farmworkers (47.6%) rated their health as "fair" or "poor" during the year prior to the interview, and more than a third reported 3 or more chronic conditions (39.6%) and lack of health insurance coverage (38.7%). Among the 43 workers tested, 25.6% reported testing positive for COVID-19. Farmworkers reported experiences of objectification and dehumanization. Three-quarters of workers reported feeling that they were treated as less than human by supervisors and one-third reported verbal abuse. Farmworkers also experienced challenges exacerbated by their social vulnerability that impeded them from finding affordable, quality housing. Regarding housing quality, the majority of workers (80.6%) reported one or more environmental hazards around their residence, and about a third reported not having air conditioning (33.%) and lacking a functioning washing machine (33.9%). Concerns about the quality of drinking water accessible to workers and exposure to chemicals were shared by participants. CONCLUSION This study adds valuable knowledge to the understanding of the systemic barriers to housing and work conditions for female and male seasonal, migrant, and H-2A farmworkers in Michigan. Shortcomings in the regulatory and policy environment result in precarious housing and work conditions, including exploitative labor practices. These conditions negate equality, fairness, and health equity, important tenants for public health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lisbeth Iglesias-Rios
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Alexa Kort
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Alexis J Handal
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Young MEDT, Perez-Lua F, Sarnoff H, Plancarte V, Goldman-Mellor S, Payán DD. Working around safety net exclusions during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study of rural Latinx immigrants. Soc Sci Med 2022; 311:115352. [PMID: 36126474 PMCID: PMC9444313 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Rural Latinx immigrants experienced disproportionately negative health and economic impacts during the COVID-19 pandemic. They contended with the pandemic at the intersection of legal status exclusions from the safety net and long-standing barriers to health care in rural regions. Yet, little is known about how rural Latinx immigrants navigated such exclusions. In this qualitative study, we examined how legal status stratification in rural contexts influenced Latinx immigrant families' access to the safety net. We conducted interviews with first- and second-generation Latinx immigrants (n = 39) and service providers (n = 20) in four rural California communities between July 2020 and April 2021. We examined personal and organizational strategies used to obtain economic, health, and other forms of support. We found that Latinx families navigated a limited safety net with significant exclusions. In response, they enacted short-term strategies and practices - workarounds - that met immediate, short-term needs. Workarounds, however, were enacted through individual efforts, allowing little recourse beyond immediate personal agency. Some took the form of strategic practices within the safety net, such as leveraging resources that did not require legal status verification; in other cases, they took the form of families opting to avoid the safety net altogether.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria-Elena De Trinidad Young
- Department of Public Health, School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, 5200 N Lake Road, Merced, CA, 95343, USA.
| | - Fabiola Perez-Lua
- Department of Public Health, School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, 5200 N Lake Road, Merced, CA, 95343, USA
| | - Hannah Sarnoff
- Department of Public Health, School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, 5200 N Lake Road, Merced, CA, 95343, USA
| | | | - Sidra Goldman-Mellor
- Department of Public Health, School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, 5200 N Lake Road, Merced, CA, 95343, USA
| | - Denise Diaz Payán
- Department of Health, Society and Behavior, Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Cordato D, Blair C, Thomas P, Firtko A, Miller M, Edwards LS, Thomas J, Balabanski AH, Dos Santos A, Lin L, Hodgkinson S, Cappelen-Smith C, Beran RG, McDougall A, Parsons M. Cerebrovascular Disease Profiles of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities in South Western Sydney and New South Wales. Cerebrovasc Dis 2022; 51:744-754. [PMID: 35551130 DOI: 10.1159/000524242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities are growing globally. Understanding patterns of cerebrovascular disease in CALD communities may improve health outcomes through culturally specific interventions. We compared rates of transient ischaemic attack (TIA)/stroke (ischaemic stroke, intracerebral haemorrhage) and stroke risk factor prevalence in overseas and Australian-born people in South Western Sydney (SWS) and New South Wales (NSW). METHODS This was a 10-year retrospective analysis (2011-2020) of SWS and NSW age-standardized rates per 100,000 person-years of TIA/stroke. Data were extracted from Health Information Exchange and Secure Analytics for Population Health Research and Intelligence systems. Rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), atrial fibrillation (AF), smoking, and obesity were also calculated. RESULTS The SWS and NSW age-standardized rate of TIA/stroke for people born in Australia was 100 per 100,000 person-years (100/100,000/year). In SWS, 56.6% of people were overseas-born compared to 29.8% for NSW. The age-standardized rate of TIA/stroke for Polynesian-born people was more than double that of Australian-born people (p < 0.001). Hypertension (33 [SWS] vs. 27/100,000/year [NSW]) and T2DM (36 [SWS] vs. 26/100,000/year [NSW]) were the most common risk factors with rates >50/100,000/year (hypertension) and >80/100,000/year (T2DM) for people born in Polynesia, Melanesia, and Central America. Rates of T2DM, AF, and obesity for Polynesian-born people were over threefold greater than people born in Australia. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION Greater rates of TIA/stroke were observed in specific CALD communities, with increased rates of cerebrovascular risk factors. Culturally specific, targeted interventions may bridge health inequalities in cerebrovascular disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dennis Cordato
- Department of Neurology and Neurophysiology, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- South Western Sydney Stroke and Research Group, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Brain Centre, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- South Western Sydney Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Christopher Blair
- Department of Neurology and Neurophysiology, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia,
- South Western Sydney Stroke and Research Group, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia,
- Sydney Brain Centre, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia,
- South Western Sydney Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia,
| | - Peter Thomas
- Department of Neurology and Neurophysiology, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- South Western Sydney Stroke and Research Group, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Brain Centre, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Angela Firtko
- Department of Neurology and Neurophysiology, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- South Western Sydney Stroke and Research Group, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Brain Centre, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Megan Miller
- Department of Neurology and Neurophysiology, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- South Western Sydney Stroke and Research Group, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Brain Centre, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- South Western Sydney Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Leon Stephen Edwards
- Department of Neurology and Neurophysiology, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- South Western Sydney Stroke and Research Group, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Brain Centre, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- South Western Sydney Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - James Thomas
- Department of Neurology and Neurophysiology, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- South Western Sydney Stroke and Research Group, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Brain Centre, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- South Western Sydney Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Anna H Balabanski
- Melbourne Brain Centre, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Neuroscience, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Neurology, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Neurology, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Angela Dos Santos
- South Western Sydney Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Melbourne Brain Centre, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Neuroscience, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Neurology, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Longting Lin
- South Western Sydney Stroke and Research Group, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Brain Centre, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- South Western Sydney Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Suzanne Hodgkinson
- Department of Neurology and Neurophysiology, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- South Western Sydney Stroke and Research Group, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Brain Centre, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Cecilia Cappelen-Smith
- Department of Neurology and Neurophysiology, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- South Western Sydney Stroke and Research Group, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Brain Centre, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Roy G Beran
- Department of Neurology and Neurophysiology, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- South Western Sydney Stroke and Research Group, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Brain Centre, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Medicine, Griffith University, Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia
- Sechenov Moscow First State University, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Alan McDougall
- Department of Neurology and Neurophysiology, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- South Western Sydney Stroke and Research Group, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Brain Centre, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Mark Parsons
- Department of Neurology and Neurophysiology, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- South Western Sydney Stroke and Research Group, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Brain Centre, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- South Western Sydney Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Maxwell AE, Young S, Crespi CM, Vega RR, Cayetano RT, Bastani R. Social determinants of health in the Mixtec and Zapotec community in Ventura County, California. Int J Equity Health 2015; 14:16. [PMID: 25643835 PMCID: PMC4320817 DOI: 10.1186/s12939-015-0148-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2014] [Accepted: 01/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
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. 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. METHODS In 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. RESULTS Respondents (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. CONCLUSIONS Many 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.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Annette E Maxwell
- Fielding School of Public Health and Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity, University of California, 650 Charles Young Drive South, A2-125 CHS, Box 956900, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-6900, USA.
| | - Sandra Young
- Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project, PO Box 20543, Oxnard, CA, 93034, USA.
| | - Catherine M Crespi
- Fielding School of Public Health and Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity, University of California, 650 Charles Young Drive South, A2-125 CHS, Box 956900, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-6900, USA.
| | - Roena Rabelo Vega
- Fielding School of Public Health and Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity, University of California, 650 Charles Young Drive South, A2-125 CHS, Box 956900, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-6900, USA.
| | - Reggie T Cayetano
- Fielding School of Public Health and Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity, University of California, 650 Charles Young Drive South, A2-125 CHS, Box 956900, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-6900, USA.
| | - Roshan Bastani
- Fielding School of Public Health and Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity, University of California, 650 Charles Young Drive South, A2-125 CHS, Box 956900, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-6900, USA.
| |
Collapse
|