Working to Eat: Vulnerability, Food Insecurity, and Obesity Among Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Families

Details

• Personal Author:
  Borre K ; Ertle L ; Graff M
• Description:
  BACKGROUND: Food insecurity and obesity have potential health consequences for migrant and seasonal farm workers (MSFW). METHODS: Thirty-six Latino MSFW working in eastern North Carolina whose children attended Migrant Head Start completed interviews, focus groups and home visits. Content analysis, nutrient analysis, and non-parametric statistical analysis produced results. RESULTS: MSFW (63.8%) families were food insecure; of those, 34.7% experienced hunger. 32% of pre-school children were food insecure. Food secure families spent more money on food. Obesity was prevalent in adults and children but the relationship to food insecurity remains unclear. Strategies to reduce risk of foods insecurity were employed by MSFW, but employer and community assistance is needed to reduce their risk. CONCLUSIONS: Food insecurity is rooted in the cultural lifestyle of farmwork, poverty, and dependency. MSFW obesity and food insecurity require further study to determine the relationship with migration and working conditions. Networking and social support are important for MSFW families to improve food security. Policies and community/workplace interventions could reduce risk of food insecurity and improve the health of workers. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Demography Farmers Hazardous Substances Mental Health Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Staff Development Stress, Psychological Transportation

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• Keywords:
  Agricultural-industry Agricultural-machinery Agricultural-processes Agricultural-workers Author Keywords: Food Security Children Demographic-characteristics Farmworker Occupational Health-hazards Health-standards Health Risk Hunger Migrant Farmworkers Occupational-health Psychological-effects Psychological-processes Psychological-responses Psychological-stress Risk-analysis Risk-factors Statistical-analysis Tractors Training Weight-factors

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• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  North Carolina ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  443-462
• Volume:
  53
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20036733
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2010 Apr; 53(4):443-462
• Contact Point Address:
  Dr. Kristen Borre, Department of Anthropology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115
• Email:
  kristenborre@rocketmail.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• Performing Organization:
  East Carolina University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20080929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3c81b604d5e12b4c75804eb018d2860a1d155f370c4852857490cc391400774e7b2315b5076808eb725e2ffdba2139228025cf880ad4bd5bfaa67e5ee554a030
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/188037/cdc_188037_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 248.76 KB ]