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The Intersection of Workplace and Environmental Exposure on Health in Latinx Farm Working Communities in Rural Inland Southern California

Author

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  • Ann Marie Cheney

    (Department of Social Medicine Population and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA)

  • Tatiana Barrera

    (School of Medicine Undergraduate Medical Education, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA)

  • Katheryn Rodriguez

    (Department of Anthropology, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA)

  • Ana María Jaramillo López

    (Estudios de Población, El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, Tijuana 22560, Baja California, Mexico
    Comisión de Salud Fronteriza México—Estados Unidos, Tijuana 22010, Baja California, Mexico)

Abstract

Workplace and environmental exposures pose health risks for racial/ethnic minorities in rural agricultural communities, placing them at a disadvantage in accessing needed health care. Over three fourths (76%) of the 2.4 million farmworkers in the United States are immigrants, mostly from Mexico. However, little is known of the community health concerns and barriers to care of Latinx farmworkers in inland southern California. This qualitative study used a community-based participatory research approach, conducting nine in-home meetings to obtain meaningful community input on health concerns and barriers to access healthcare services among rural residents of the Eastern Coachella Valley, who are also located near the desert-bound Salton Sea of inland southern California. All interviews were audio-recorded and analyzed via listening to the audio recordings and summarizing data in templates and matrices. Participants discussed health concerns related to agricultural labor, including heat-related illness, musculoskeletal ailments and injuries, skin disorders, respiratory illness, and trauma. Participants raised concerns about environmental exposures related to agriculture and the nearby Salton Sea, a highly saline lakebed, and proposed solutions to improve the health of their communities. The findings from this study suggest farmworkers are aware of the health risks posed by living and working in rural farmlands but lack resources and information to act upon and advocate for improved public health.

Suggested Citation

  • Ann Marie Cheney & Tatiana Barrera & Katheryn Rodriguez & Ana María Jaramillo López, 2022. "The Intersection of Workplace and Environmental Exposure on Health in Latinx Farm Working Communities in Rural Inland Southern California," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-16, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:19:p:12940-:d:937643
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Ann Marie Cheney & Gabriela Ortiz & Ashley Trinidad & Sophia Rodriguez & Ashley Moran & Andrea Gonzalez & Jaír Chavez & María Pozar, 2023. "Latinx and Indigenous Mexican Caregivers’ Perspectives of the Salton Sea Environment on Children’s Asthma, Respiratory Health, and Co-Presenting Health Conditions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(11), pages 1-15, June.
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    3. Ortiz, Gabriela & Rodriguez, Sophia & Pozar, María & Moran, Ashley & Cheney, Ann, 2024. "Seeking care across the US-Mexico border: The experiences of Latinx and Indigenous Mexican caregivers of children with asthma or respiratory distress," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 347(C).

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