200278 Health Beliefs, Status, and Access amongst Adolescent Migrant Farmworkers

Monday, November 9, 2009

John Peoples, MD , General Pediatrics, Stanford School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA
Janine Bishop, MPH , General Pediatrics, Stanford School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA
Jonathan Dunlap , Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
Priscilla A. Gonzalez, BA , School of Public Health, UC Berkeley, Albany, CA
Lisa Chamberlain, MD, MPH , General Pediatrics, Stanford School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA
Background: Out of School Youth (OSY) are migrant youth ages 15-21 who come to the US to work in agriculture, low-skill jobs, and the service industry. Little is written about this isolated population; the literature describes migrant farmworkers as having poor healthcare access, substance abuse, pesticide exposure, heat exhaustion, and overcrowded living conditions.

Objective: To examine and describe the healthcare beliefs and needs of OSY

Methods: Focus groups performed in Spanish to evaluate twelve domains of health care status, beliefs, and access. Focus groups were transcribed into English and qualitative theme analysis was performed by a representative analysis team.

Results: Eleven focus groups with OSY were performed (N=29, ages 13-22). 18 males and 11 females participated. The following themes are representative of OSY perceptions of healthcare status and access.

• Theme 1: Health concerns are directly related to fear of missing work.

• Theme 2: Work environment is very demanding and stressful.

• Theme 3: Medical visits for health prevention are limited; health related emergencies are the main impetus for seeking medical care.

• Theme 4: Lack of knowledge regarding location and payment of medical services.

Conclusion: OSY have poor access to healthcare, difficult work conditions, and their concept of health is focused on how it affects their ability to work and support their family. Successful interventions must understand the central importance of work and the general lack of specific health care knowledge, combining care during evening hours with health education and outreach.

Learning Objectives:
• Describe the unique health and social needs of Out of School migrant youth in Gilroy, CA • Identify opportunities to provide relevant health and social service resources to this unique population • Evaluate a community academic partnership to address the health of this underserved population

Keywords: Migrant Health, Access to Health Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I helped perform this research, including outreach, focus groups, and writing and analysis.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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