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. 2020 Aug;30(2):111-126.
doi: 10.1177/1048291120920571. Epub 2020 Apr 29.

Heat-Related Illness Among Latinx Child Farmworkers in North Carolina: A Mixed-Methods Study

Taylor J Arnold  1 , Thomas A Arcury  1 , Joanne C Sandberg  1 , Sara A Quandt  2 , Jennifer W Talton  3 , Dana C Mora  1 , Gregory D Kearney  4 , Haiying Chen  3 , Melinda F Wiggins  5 , Stephanie S Daniel  1
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Heat-Related Illness Among Latinx Child Farmworkers in North Carolina: A Mixed-Methods Study

Taylor J Arnold et al. New Solut. 2020 Aug.

Abstract

Children as young as ten are legally hired for farm work. In North Carolina, many of these hired children are Latinx; they often work long hours during hot and humid summer conditions. Heat-related illness occurs along a continuum of severity ranging from heat cramps and rashes to heat exhaustion and heat stroke, which can be fatal. The literature on the negative health effects of occupational heat exposure is growing; however, few studies have examined this exposure and health outcomes among child agricultural workers. To understand Latinx child farmworkers' experiences of working in heat, we conducted in-depth interviews (n = 30). To estimate the prevalence of heat-related illness symptoms and associated factors, we conducted survey interviews (n = 165). Heat-related illness is common among these child farmworkers. While children often understand the dangers of working in heat, work organization often prevents their taking precautions. Formal workplace protections to prevent heat-related illness are limited.

Keywords: Latino/Hispanic; agricultural health; child labor; health disparities; health equity; heat-related illness; migrant and seasonal farmworkers; occupational health.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Heat-related illness: Descriptions, symptoms, and severity.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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