Occupational Hazards and Access to Health Care among Latino, Immigrant Restaurant Workers in Philadelphia

Background

It has been researched that immigrants face higher rates of fatalities and injuries in the workplace, while having a lower rate of health care service utilization compared to their U.S. born counterparts.

 

Methods

This was a cross sectional study which surveyed Latino immigrnat restaurant workers. The survey was made up 30 close ended questions. Participants were recruited from pre-authorized sites, and the data was analyzed utilizing SPSS. 

Results

We surveyed 132  Latino immigrant restaurant workers at six different recruitment sites. Our participants were made up of 73% male and 24% female, 80% Mexican, with a mean age of 30 years old. 55% of participants reported having a barrier to a safe work place, and 59% reported at least one injury in the work place.  66% reported not having adequate access to health care services, and 94% did not have health insurance. Health services utilization was primarily emergency care and the usage of pharmaceuticals, eye care and dental care were needed services. Injury was more often reported by those working in the back of house, and females were more likely to have visited the emergency room in the past two years.

 Conclusion

Addressing safety and health in the workplace and barriers which limit access to health care services among immigrant populations is critical to the health of this population. Latino immigrant restaurant workers have higher rates of being untrained in comparison to restaurant workers of all backgrounds and are six times more likely to be uinsured compared to the general population.