The migrant farmworker population in the United States is a vulnerable and understudied population whose characteristics are constantly shifting. The number of youth involved in agriculture work is increasing, and they, in particular, may be at increased risk for occupational hazards, such as pesticide exposure. The present study utilized an ecological framework for focus group discussions with 33 adolescent migrant farmworkers in Oregon. Adolescents’ risk perception and health beliefs associated with pesticide exposure are examined on four levels of environmental influence: microenvironment, organizational environment, social/community environment, and macroenvironment. Adolescents provided insight on such topics as perceived vulnerability of illness due to pesticide exposure, attitudes toward farmwork, influence of their boss, knowledge of occupational hazards, safety training, and barriers to occupational choice. Cultural influences on occupational safety and health are discussed and increased attention to safety training is recommended.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Acosta, M. S., & Lee, B. (2001). Migrant and seasonal hired adolescent farmworkers: A plan to improve working conditions. Marshfield, WI: Marshfield Clinic.
2.
Anderson, R. M., Goddard, C. E., Garcia, R., Guzman, J. R., & Vazquez, F. (1998). Using focus groups to identify diabetes care and education issues for Latinos with diabetes. Diabetes Education, 24, 618-625.
3.
Arcury, T. A., Quandt, S. A., Cravey, A. J., Elmore, R. C., & Russell, G. B. (2001). Farmworker reports of pesticide safety and sanitation in the work environment. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 39, 487-498.
4.
Arcury, T., Quandt, S. A., & Russell, G. B. (2002). Pesticide safety among farmworkers: Perceived risk and perceived control as factors reflecting environmental justice. Environmental Health Perspective, 110(2), 233-240.
5.
Bauer, H. M., Rodriguez, M. A., Quiroga, S. S., & Flores-Oritz, Y. G. (2000). Barriers to health care for abused Latina and Asian immigrant women. Journal of Health Care for th Poor & Underserved, 11, 33-44.
6.
Benoliel, J. (1984). Advancing nursing science: Qualitative approaches. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 7, 1-8.
7.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1977). Toward an experimental ecology in human development. American Psychology, 32, 513-531.
8.
Castillo, D. N., Davis, L., & Wegman, D. H. (1999). Youngworkers. Occupational Medicine, 14, 519-536.
9.
Committee on the Health and Safety Implications of Child Labor. (1998). Protecting youth at work. Health, safety and development of working children and adolescents in the United States. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Fleming, L. E., & Herzstein, J. A. (1997). Emerging issues in pesticide health studies. Occupational Medicine: State of the Art Reviews, 12(2), 387-397.
14.
Groff, J. Y., Mullen, P. D., Byrd, T., Shelton, A. J., Less, E., & Goode, J. (2000). Decision making, beliefs and attitudes toward hysterectomy: A focus group study with medically underserved women in Texas. Journal of Women’s Health and Gender-Based Medicine, 9, S39-S50.
15.
Hunt, L. M., Tinoco-Ojanaguren, R., Schwartz, N., & Halperin, D. (1999). Balancing risks and resources: Applying pesticides without using protective equipment in Southern Mexico. In R. A. Hahn & K. W. Harris (Eds.), Anthropology in public health: Bridging differences in culture and society (pp. 235-254). New York: Oxford University Press.
16.
Krueger, R. A. (1994). Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
17.
Lalonde, B., Rabinowitz, P., Sherfsky, M. L., & Washienko, K. (1997). La Esperanza del Valle: Alcohol prevention novelas for Hispanic youth and their families. Health Education & Behavior, 24, 587-602.
18.
Lantz, P. M., Dupuis, L., Reding, D., Krauska, M., & Lappe, K. (1994). Peer discussions of cancer among Hispanic migrant farm workers. Public Health Reports, 109, 512-520.
19.
Larson, A. C. (2000). An assessment of worker training under the Worker Protection Standard [Executive Summary]. (Prepared for the EPA Office of Pesticide Programs Certification and Worker Protection Branch [EPA Assistance Agreement #CR825080-01-0], Vashon Island, WA).
20.
Linnan, L. A., Sorenson, G., Colditz, G., Klar, D. N., & Emmons, K. M. (2001). Using theory to understand the multiple determinants of low participation in worksite health promotionprograms. Health Education and Behavior, 28(5), 591-607.
21.
Ludwig-Beymer, P., Blankemeier, J. R., Casas-Byots, C., & Suarez-Balcazar, Y. (1996). Community assessment in a suburban Hispanic community: A description of method. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 8(1), 19-27.
22.
Marshall, C., & Rossman, G. B. (1989). Designing qualitative research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
23.
Maynard-Tucker, G. (2000). Conducting focus groups in developing countries: Skill training for local bilingual facilitators. Qualitative Health Research, 10(3), 396-410.
24.
McCauley, L. A., Sticker, D., Bryan, C., Lasarev, M. R., & Scherer, J. A. (2002). Pesticide knowledge and risk perception among adolescent Latino farmworkers. Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health, 8(4), 397-409.
25.
Mines, R., Gabbard, S., & Stierman, A. (1997). A profile of U.S. farmworkers: Demographics, household composition, income and use of services. (Prepared for The Commission on Immigration Reform. U.S. Department of Labor Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Washington, DC).
26.
Morgan, D. L. (1998). Planning focus groups. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
27.
Napolitano, M., & Beltran, M. (1998, November). The dynamic process of focus groups with agricultural farmworkers: The Oregon experience. Paper presented at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting. Washington, DC.
28.
Napolitano, M., Lasarev, M., Beltran, M., Phillips, J., Bryan, C., & McCauley, L. (2002). Un lugar seguro para sus ninos: Development and evaluation of a pesticide education video. Journal of Immigrant Health, 4(1), 35-45.
29.
National Safety Council. (2002). The plain facts... about the agricultural industry. Agricultural Safety Fact Sheet. Retrieved April 17, 2003, from www.nsc.org/issues/agri/indus.htm
30.
Newes-Adeyi, G., Helitzer, D. L., Caulfield, L. E., & Bronner, Y. (2000). Theory and practice: Applying the ecological model to formative research for a WIC training program in New York State. Health Education and Research, 15(3), 283-291.
31.
Owen, S. (2001). The practical, methodological, and ethical dilemmas of conducting focus group with vulnerable clients. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 36, 652-658.
32.
Perilla, J. L., Wilson, A. H., Wold, J. L., & Spencer, L. (1998). Listening to migrantvoices: Focus group on health issues in south Georgia. Journal of Community Health Nursing, 15, 251-263.
33.
Quandt, S. A., Arcury, T. A., Austin, C. K., & Cabrera, L. F. (2001). Preventing occupational exposure to pesticides: Using participatory research with Latino farmworkers to develop an intervention. Journal of Immigrant Health, 3, 85-96.
34.
Richard, L., Potvin, L., Kishchuk, N., Prlic, H., & Green, L. W. (1996). Assessment of the integration of the ecological approach in health promotion programs. American Journal of Health Promotion, 10, 318-328.
35.
Shu, X. O., Gao, Y. T., Brinton, L. A., Linet, M. S., Tu, J. T., Zheng, W., et al. (1988). A populationbased case-control study of childhood leukemia in Shanghai. Cancer, 62, 635-644.
36.
U.S. Department of Labor. (1984). Child labor requirements in agriculture under the Fair Labor Standards Act (Child Labor Bulletin No. 102). Washington, DC: Author.
37.
U.S. General Accounting Office. (1998a). Child labor in agriculture: Changes needed to better protect health and educational opportunities (GAO/HEHS-98-193). Washington, DC: Author.
38.
U.S. General Accounting Office. (1998b). Child labor in agriculture: Characteristics and legality of work (GAO/HEHS-98-112R). Washington, DC: Author.
39.
U.S. General Accounting Office. (2000). Pesticides: Improvements needed to ensure the safetyof farmworkers and their children (GAO/RCED-00-40). Washington, DC: Author.
40.
Williams, G. A., Abbott, R. R., & Taylor, D. K. (1997). Using focus group methodologyto develop breast cancer screening programs that recruit African American women. Journal of Community Health, 22, 45-56.
41.
Wilson, A. H., Pittman, K., & Wold, J. L. (2000). Listening to the quiet voices of Hispanic migrant children about health. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 15, 137-147.
