Comparative description of migrant farmworkers versus other students attending rural south Texas schools: substance use, work, and injuries

• Published in: The Journal of rural health Vol. 21; no. 4; pp. 361 - 366
• Main Authors: Cooper, S.P, Weller, N.F, Fox, E.E, Cooper, S.R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.10.2005; Blackwell Publishing
• Subjects: Accidents, Occupational - statistics & numerical data; Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior - psychology; Agricultural Workers' Diseases - epidemiology; animal injuries; Child Labor; Comparative Analysis; Confidence Intervals; Cross-Sectional Studies; employment; farm labor; Female; Health Education - standards; Health Status; High School Students; Humans; Injuries; Intervention; Labor Legislation; Male; Middle School Students; Migrant Education; Migrant Workers; occupational health and safety; Occupational Safety and Health; Odds Ratio; Prevention; Rural Areas; rural health care; Rural Population; Rural Population - statistics & numerical data; rural youth; Socioeconomic Factors; Students - statistics & numerical data; Substance Abuse; Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Texas; Texas - epidemiology; Transients and Migrants - education; Transients and Migrants - statistics & numerical data; Urban Population - statistics & numerical data; Texas
• ISSN: 0890-765X; 1748-0361
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-0361.2005.tb00108.x

Context: Little is known about substance use, work characteristics, and injuries of youth from migrant farmworker families. Some evidence suggests that migrant youth may be at greater risk for substance use and work-related injuries than nonmigrant youth. Purpose: The aim of this study is to compare substance use, employment, and injury data from migrant and nonmigrant youth residing in rural South Texas. Methods: Anonymous cross-sectional survey data were collected from 7,302 middle and 3,565 high school students during a regular class. Classification as a migrant student occurred if the student responded positively to: "Does your family move around the state or nation to pick fruits or vegetables for work?" Results: About 5% of South Texas middle and high school students reported belonging to a migrant family. Compared to nonmigrant students, migrant youth were more likely to report frequent substance use. Youth belonging to migrant families were less likely to work for pay on weekends but more likely to work for pay on weekday mornings before school. These youth were also more likely to have ever been injured while working than nonmigrant students. Conclusions: These results demonstrate a need for additional interventions in this most vulnerable rural population. Specifically, targeted educational programs to enhance the occupational safety and health of migrant youth, further research into effective substance abuse treatment and prevention programs in rural areas, and enhancement of child labor laws are recommended.