Villarejo D, Lighthall D, et al. Suffering in silence: a report on the health of California's agricultural workers.Woodland Hills, CA: The California Endowment and California Institute for Rural Studies; 2000.
This report-a collaboration between The California Endowment and the California Institute for Rural Studies-summarizes the initial results of a large, population-based study of the health status of California 's agricultural workers. Participants from randomly selected communities representing the state's major agricultural regions agreed to interviews at their residence and a comprehensive physical exam. According to this report, the survey population was made up primarily of young, married Mexican men with little formal education and very low annual incomes. About 96 percent say they are Mexican, Hispanic, or Latino, and 8 percent are indigenous people for whom Spanish, if spoken, is a second language.
Nearly one in five male agricultural workers surveyed had at least two of three risk factors-high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and obesity-for chronic diseases. The authors indicate that inadequate and unhealthful diets are major contributors to risk factors for chronic diseases among California 's agricultural workers. The survey found that many agricultural workers in California have poor access to medical care (32 percent of male participants had never been to a doctor or clinic in their lives), although gender differences suggest that programs emphasizing maternal and child health have been able to attract women agricultural workers' participation. Occupational hazards were also common. Around 19 percent of those surveyed reported having had a workplace injury at some point in their farmwork careers, and only 57 percent said they had received pesticide safety training. The authors highlight the need to address the health of agricultural workers, including efforts to address the lack of health insurance coverage and the shortage of providers and facilities in rural areas.
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