Latino Farmworkers in the Eastern United States

Health, Safety, and Justice

Edited by Thomas A. Arcury and Sara A. Quandt, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA

They work at some of America's most hazardous jobs, have few protections, and receive some of the lowest wages. Latino Farmworkers in the Eastern United States describes this understudied and underserved population. Taking a social justice stance, this volume examines the health and living conditions of workers in agriculture, while advocating for equality. Contributors cover all major areas of illness and injury (including occupational, environmental, infections, and pesticides), while also focusing on systemic social conditions, from lax industry regulations to lack of basic services-problems that are exacerbated by workers' status as recent immigrants. Mental health burdens from the effects of discrimination to substance use, as well as the cumulative impact of workers' separation from families are discussed for a comprehensive, meticulously documented resource.

Keeping its findings grounded in agricultural, farm-labor, cultural, and geographic contexts, the book:

• Highlights the unique characteristics of the farmworker population in the eastern United States.

• Discusses occupational health problems among farmworkers, both general (e.g., musculoskeletal disorders) and job-specific (e.g., green tobacco sickness).

• Includes in-depth chapters on pesticide exposure, infectious diseases, and mental health.

• Reports on health issues specific to women and children.

• Reviews the current state of advocacy programs.

• Offers possible solutions for injuries related to specific types of jobs.

• Proposes a social justice agenda to improve occupational andenvironmental policy for farmworkers.

  Written to serve both the seasoned professional and the newcomer, Latino Farmworkers in the Eastern United States is a bedrock source of information for those providing health and social services in the community, for researchers investigating health and safety disparities, and for advocates and policymakers working to correct them.

  Autorentext

Thomas A. Arcury is a Professor and Research Director in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Sara A. Quandt is a Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Zusammenfassung

They work at some of America's most hazardous jobs, have few protections, and receive some of the lowest wages. Latino Farmworkers in the Eastern United States describes this understudied and underserved population. Taking a social justice stance, this volume examines the health and living conditions of workers in agriculture, while advocating for equality. Contributors cover all major areas of illness and injury (including occupational, environmental, infections, and pesticides), while also focusing on systemic social conditions, from lax industry regulations to lack of basic servicesproblems that are exacerbated by workers' status as recent immigrants. Mental health burdens from the effects of discrimination to substance use, as well as the cumulative impact of workers' separation from families are discussed for a comprehensive, meticulously documented resource.

Written to serve both the seasoned professional and the newcomer, Latino Farmworkers in the Eastern United States is a bedrock source of information for those providing health and social services in the community, for researchers investigating health and safety disparities, and for advocates and policymakers working to correct them.

Inhalt
The Health and Safety of Farmworkers in the Eastern United States: A Need to Focus on Social Justice.- Latino/Hispanic Farmworkers and Farm Work in the Eastern United States: The Context for Health, Safety, and Justice.- The Conditionof Farmworker Housing in the Eastern United States.- Occupational Injury and Illness in Farmworkers in the Eastern United States.- Pesticide Exposure Among Farmworkers and Their Families in the Eastern United States: Matters of Social and Environmental Justice.- Tuberculosis, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, HIV, and Other Infections Among Farmworkers in the Eastern United States.- Mental Health Among Farmworkers in the Eastern United States.- Health of Children and Women in the Farmworker Community in the Eastern United States.- Farm Labor and the Struggle for Justice in the Eastern United States.- Conclusions: An Agenda for Farmworker Social Justice in the Eastern United States.