American Journal of Industrial Medicine
Volume 40, Issue 5, 2001, Pages 592-595

Ability to trace migrant farmworkers ten years after initial identification in a Northern State (Wisconsin) (Article)

Nordstrom D.L.* , Krauska M. , Destefano F. , Colt J.S. , Zahm S.H.
  • a Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Rockville, MD, United States
  • b Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Marshfield Medical Research and Education Foundation, A Division of Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield, WI, United States
  • c Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Marshfield Medical Research and Education Foundation, A Division of Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield, WI, United States
  • d Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Rockville, MD, United States
  • e Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Marshfield Medical Research and Education Foundation, A Division of Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield, WI, United States, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Rockville, MD, United States

Abstract

Background: Migrant farmworkers have rarely been included in epidemiologic studies. To assess the feasibility of following farmworkers over extended periods, a critical feature of many study designs, we attempted to trace a sample of Mexican-American farmworkers identified in a clinic in Wisconsin. Methods: We randomly chose 100 farmworkers from a migrant health center registration list for 1984-85. In 1995, we searched recent clinic records, made telephone calls, and visited migrant camps to find these farmworkers in Wisconsin during the growing season. We also attempted to find 46 farmworkers at their homes in southwest Texas over a two-week period in 1996 using the address listed in the clinic records, local phone books, and conversations with next-door neighbors. Results: Although 25 farmworkers had reregistered at the clinic in recent years, we found only 6 of them in Wisconsin in 1995. In southwest Texas, we either located or ascertained information about the vital status of 25 of the 46 farmworkers (54%). Conclusions: Tracing efforts must include extensive contacts in farmworkers' home states and must incorporate a variety of information sources. Tracing farmworkers in epidemiologic studies appears to be feasible but requires more intensive methods over longer periods of time than those used in this study. Am. J. Ind. Med. 40:592-595, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Author Keywords

Migrants data collection Tracing Cohort studies Mexican-Americans Texas Wisconsin Agriculture

Index Keywords

information processing Population Surveillance register agricultural worker human epidemiology follow up Longitudinal Studies middle aged medical research ethnic group Agriculture controlled study Time Factors Aged Feasibility Studies Hispanic Americans United States migrant worker Humans Adolescent male female medical record Article feasibility study Telephone Wisconsin Questionnaires adult human experiment cohort analysis normal human Transients and Migrants health center case finding Texas
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-0035172185&doi=10.1002%2fajim.10005&partnerID=40&md5=2815beca4d0bd1906b728d94246f68e0
DOI: 10.1002/ajim.10005
ISSN: 02713586
Cited by: 4
Original Language: English