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. 2019 Feb;62(2):156-167.
doi: 10.1002/ajim.22938. Epub 2018 Dec 28.

Latinx child farmworkers in North Carolina: Study design and participant baseline characteristics

Thomas A Arcury  1 , Taylor J Arnold  1 , Joanne C Sandberg  1 , Sara A Quandt  2 , Jennifer W Talton  3 , Andreina Malki  4 , Gregory D Kearney  5 , Haiying Chen  3 , Melinda F Wiggins  4 , Stephanie S Daniel  1
Affiliations

Latinx child farmworkers in North Carolina: Study design and participant baseline characteristics

Thomas A Arcury et al. Am J Ind Med. 2019 Feb.

Abstract

Background: Although children as young as 10 years can work in agriculture, little research has addressed their occupational health. This paper describes a large, multicomponent study of hired Latinx child farmworkers, and the characteristics of children participating in this study.

Methods: Survey interviews were conducted in 2017 with 202 Latinx children aged 10-17 years employed in agriculture across North Carolina (NC).

Results: Most (81.2%) participants were born in the United States, 37.6% were female, and 21.3% were aged 10-13 years. Most (95.1%) were currently enrolled in school. Thirty-six (17.8%) were migrant workers. 34.7% had worked in agriculture for 1 year; 18.3% had worked 4+ years. 33.7% worked piece rate. 57.4% worked in tobacco. Participants in western NC differed in personal and occupational characteristics from those in eastern NC.

Conclusions: This study has enrolled a large and diverse child farmworker sample. This overview indicates several important issues for further analysis.

Keywords: agricultural safety; child labor; minority health; occupational health; vulnerable populations.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Disclosure: The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Map of North Carolina showing location of Wake Forest School of Medicine (star), East counties in which participants were interviewed (light gray), and West counties in which participants were interviewed (dark gray).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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