Practices and policy to promote the health of Latino and indigenous farmworkers in Oregon

A growing number of farmworkers in the United States are from indigenous communities in Mexico and Guatemala, speak languages other than Spanish {such as Triqui, Mixteco and others}, and hold distinct cultural traditions. Promoting the Occupational Health of Indigenous Farmworkers, funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, is a community-driven project that addresses the health needs of and builds leadership among indigenous farmworkers. Project partners include representatives and indigenous-language speaking staff from the Oregon Law Center, labor union advocates Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN), Salud Medical Center, Portland State University School of Community Health, and Farmworker Justice.

To better understand the needs of farmworkers, a baseline survey was co-created with input from all project partners and administered by multi-lingual indigenous outreach workers to assess occupational safety, discrimination, and health status. Results indicate that indigenous workers were significantly less likely than non-indigenous workers to express concern about their health, to worry about the effects of pesticide exposure, and to visit a health clinic. Indigenous workers were far more likely to report experiencing discrimination at work, and both groups of farmworkers reported low levels of influence at work and in their communities.

The survey results will be used to inform the development of a community health worker, or promotora, program to increase farmworkers' awareness of occupational hazards and their legal rights. We will also work with governmental regulators and health clinics to create appropriate training and policy.