摘要：Objectives. We evaluated the health status of migrant farmworkers’ children served by the Farm Worker Family Health Program (FWFHP) in Moultrie, Georgia. Methods. We analyzed data from children aged 0 to 16 years examined through the FWFHP from 2003 to 2011 (n across years = 179–415). We compared their prevalence of overweight, obesity, elevated blood pressure, anemia, and stunting with that of children in the United States and Mexico. Results. Across study years, prevalence of overweight, obesity, elevated blood pressure, anemia, and stunting ranged from 13.5% to 21.8%, 24.0% to 37.4%, 4.1% to 20.2%, 10.1% to 23.9%, and 1% to 6.4%, respectively. Children in the FWFHP had a higher prevalence of obesity than children in all comparison groups, and FWFHP children aged 6 to 12 years had a higher prevalence of elevated blood pressure than all comparison groups. Older FWFHP children had a higher prevalence of anemia than US children and Mexican children. Children in FWFHP had a higher prevalence of stunting than US and Mexican American children. Conclusions. We observed an elevated prevalence of obesity, anemia among older age groups, and stunting in this sample of children of migrant workers. Of the 1.4-million hired crop workers in the United States, 26% (364 000) are migrant, and 75% of foreign-born farmworkers are from Mexico. 1–3 It is estimated that 61% of these migrant farmworkers have incomes below the poverty line. 4 Migrant farmworkers experience occupational hazards such as demanding physical labor, contact with poisonous plants and chemicals, and extreme weather conditions, and they are at increased risk of pesticide-related illness, respiratory illness, musculoskeletal disorders, and compromised reproductive and oral health. 4 Many migrant farmworkers and their families also experience food insecurity. 5 Children of migrant farmworkers also experience a variety of health risks and conditions. Primary care practitioners have rated Mexican American migrant children 2 to 3 times more likely to have poor or fair health as opposed to good or excellent health, compared with nonmigrant children. 6 Intestinal parasites, nutritional deficiencies, dental problems, diarrhea, exposure to pesticides, and continuous cycles of otitis media leading to hearing loss are common among migrant farmworkers’ children. 6 Not only do migrant farmworkers and their children experience increased health risks and food insecurity but they often also experience barriers to accessing health care. Among migrant families in North Carolina, 53% of the children had an unmet medical need; this was 24 times the proportion of US children overall and 15 times the proportion of Mexican American and Hispanic children. 7 This study also found that 80% of children had not had a wellness check in the past year and 53% had not had one in more than 3 years. 7 Limited transportation, lack of knowledge of where to go for care, lack of insurance, fear of wage deductions or job loss, language barriers, and scheduling conflicts with clinic hours contribute to limited access to health care. 4,7 In addition, fear of determination of employment ineligibility or deportation may cause migrant workers to be hesitant to seek social or health care services. 8 With recent stricter legislation regarding immigrants in the United States, these factors may be further amplified. There are approximately 400 federally authorized sites for migrant health care; however, these sites only serve 12% to 15% of the migrant population. 4 Programs such as Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing’s Farm Worker Family Health Program (FWFHP) in the 4-county area of Colquitt, Cook, Brooks, and Tift, in Georgia, have been developed to help increase access to health care for migrant populations. There is a lack of information on the health status of migrant farmworkers’ children in the United States. The purpose of this present study was to evaluate the health status of children of migrant farmworkers served by the FWFHP and to compare prevalence of overweight, obesity, elevated blood pressure, anemia, and stunting among FWFHP children to prevalence among all children in the United States, Mexican American children, and children in Mexico.
