Inadequate Housing Risks for Immigrant Farmworkers
Author Information
Author(s): Early J, Davis SW, Quandt SA, Rao P, Snively BM, Arcury TA
Primary Institution: Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Hypothesis
Inadequate housing conditions contribute to health risks for immigrant farmworker families.
Conclusion
The health of immigrant farmworker families in North Carolina may be at risk due to inadequate housing conditions.
Supporting Evidence
- 54–70% of the immigrants surveyed lived in mobile homes.
- 36–46% lived in crowded conditions.
- Most homes had only one bathroom.
- Many respondents did not own a working vacuum cleaner.
- Over a third of respondents did not have a working clothes washer or dryer.
- Up to 44% lived adjacent to agricultural fields, increasing pesticide exposure risk.
Takeaway
Many immigrant farmworker families live in poor housing conditions that can make them sick.
Methodology
The researchers analyzed data from four surveys conducted in 2001 and 2003 with specially trained interviewers fluent in Spanish.
Limitations
The study may not represent all immigrant farmworker families across the U.S.
Participant Demographics
Most participants were immigrant Latino farmworkers from Mexico, with households including at least one adult farmworker and one child.
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