Farmworker Health
Some facts about farmworker health:
1. The health needs of farmworkers have been ignored , for the most part,
by the public health research community. Most agricultural studies have
focused on farm owners/operators, a population very different from migrant
and seasonal farmworkers.
3. Of those farmworkers who go to health clinics, at least 40% present
with multiple and complex health problems including infectious and chronic
diseases, making diagnosis and treatment that much more difficult.
3. Although there are field sanitation guidelines for farmworkers developed
by the Occupational Health and Safety Adm. (OSHA), these guidelines are
seldom enforced by OSHA or complied with by employers.
Conditions such as tuberculosis, diabetes, cancer, and HIV, which require
careful monitoring and frequent treatment, pose a special problem for farmworkers
who must move frequently. As a predominantly Hispanic population, farmworkers
are particularly vulnerable to diabetes.
The incidence of hypertension is significantly associated with occupational
class and transition. Epidemiological studies support the view that psychosocial
stress contributes to differences in blood pressure. Employment security
and other work conditions play a pivotal role. The absence of decision-making
latitude on the job, as experienced by farmworkers, has been shown to be
directly associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease and elevated
blood pressure.
Depression is common among farmworker adults, where it is often related
to isolation, economic hardship, and weather conditions. In addition, poverty,
stress, mobility, and lack of recreational opportunities make farmworkers
especially vulnerable to substance abuse.
For more specific information about farmworker health, the National
Center for Farmworker Health provides detailed hypertext fact sheets:
Back to Top
Back to Issues Summaries | 
