Challenges in community-based research with Latino migrant farmworker children and families

摘要

Migrant and seasonal farmworker labor supports the U.S. fruit and agricultural industry, with estimates of the workforce standing at 1 to 3 million (documented and undocumented) and 72% being foreign-born (68% with nativity in Mexico [National Center for Farmworker Health, 2012; U.S. Department of Agriculture; 2013D. Of these workers, 58% are married, 51% of those married are parents, and 69% have more than one child, with an average of two children per family (U.S. Department of Labor, 2010). The exact number of children who travel with their families is unknown, but enumeration studies conducted in Michigan and Oregon show that there are approximately 14,800 youth in migrant/seasonal farmworker families who are younger than 19 years in Michigan (66% age 12 years and younger) and 55,000 in Oregon (72% age 12 years and younger; Larson, 2013a, 2013b).