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Migrant Health

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Handbook of Immigrant Health

Abstract

The migrant labor force in the United States is composed predominately of agricultural workers. Although some of the workforce in the entertainment, tourism, and other employment sectors is seasonal or migratory, these numbers are inconsequential when compared with the numbers of migrant and seasonal agricultural workers. Migrant farmworkers perform physically demanding and hazardous work, experience poor living conditions, and have inadequate access to medical and social services. The majority of migrant farmworkers are immigrants and they endure racial discrimination, disruption of cultural traditions and practices, language barriers, and an often unpredictable and stressful lifestyle. Consequently, migrant farmworkers and their families have different and more complex health problems than those of the general population. Although we recognize the significance of the health problems among migrant families and their children, this chapter focuses primarily on the migrant and seasonal farmworker.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Primary Care, School of Nursing, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, Oregon, 97201, USA

    Marie Napolitano

  2. School of Medicine, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, Oregon, 97201, USA

    Bruce W. Goldberg

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  1. Marie Napolitano
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, 44106-4945, USA

    Sana Loue

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Napolitano, M., Goldberg, B.W. (1998). Migrant Health. In: Loue, S. (eds) Handbook of Immigrant Health. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1936-6_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1936-6_14

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