New Solutions
Volume 25, Issue 3, 2015, Pages 263-286

Farmworker housing in the United States and its impact on health (Article)

Quandt S.A.* , Brooke C. , Fagan K. , Howe A. , Thornburg T.K. , McCurdy S.A.
  • a Wake Forest School of Medicine, Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, United States
  • b North Carolina Justice Center, Raleigh, NC, United States
  • c Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Washington, DC, United States
  • d Farmworker Legal Services, Kalamazoo, MI, United States
  • e Farmworker Legal Services, Kalamazoo, MI, United States
  • f School of Medicine, University of California, Department of Public Health Sciences, Davis, CA, United States

Abstract

Farmworkers in the United States occupy a range of housing, including both on- and off-farm family and communal dwellings. As the farmworker population is becoming more settled, housing needs are changing. Existing regulations designed originally for grower-supplied migrant housing may need to be expanded. Much of farmworker housing is in poor condition, and likely linked to negative mental and physical health outcomes of residents because of exposures to crowding; mold, mildew, and other allergens; pesticides; and structural deficiencies. The existing research literature, both on housing conditions and their associations with farmworker health, is sparse, and large areas of the country and significant domains of health are omitted. This paper reviews this literature and formulates research and policy recommendations for addressing these deficiencies. © The Author(s) 2015.

Author Keywords

Housing Environmental health Migrant labor

Index Keywords

agricultural worker human social isolation Agrochemicals health status housing Environment Farmers United States sanitation Humans psychology allergen Allergens occupational exposure safety standards migration agricultural chemical Transients and Migrants crowding (area) pest control Crowding water supply
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84985947576&doi=10.1177%2f1048291115601053&partnerID=40&md5=c8d3646fb86f380e22f5b4e0a12d79e7
DOI: 10.1177/1048291115601053
ISSN: 10482911
Cited by: 14
Original Language: English