The poor health of farm workers

The poor health of farm workers Rates of obesity, hypertension, and high cholesterol levels are high, but most have no health insurance California's agricultural workers have little access to health care and high rates of obesity, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia.There is an obvious irony in the fact that this group of workers is responsible for growing and gathering much of our food supply, but their own diets and health status are poor.Much of what we know about farm workers' health comes from the California Agricultural Workers Health Survey, conducted by the California Institute for Rural Studies. 1 Eighty percent of workers surveyed had no health insurance whatsoever.Perhaps we should not be surprised, given the predominantly seasonal, part-time nature of their employment and the extremely competitive and cost-conscious pressures within the food industry.In addition, 34% of workers said that they were undocumented immigrants, which makes them ineligible for Medi-Cal (California's Medicaid) or other forms of publicly supported health insurance.The survey found that farm workers often do not see health care providers even when they are in need of medi-cal attention.More than a third of the state's male agricultural workers have never seen a physician or been to a health clinic.In the latest analysis from the Institute, more than 41% of workers reported some form of musculoskeletal pain lasting a week or more during the previous year.2 When asked what kind of treatment was sought, 71% of men and 69% of women reported receiving no treatment, not even over-the-counter medication.There is an alarmingly high prevalence of obesity among farm workers-81% of male workers and 76% of female workers are either overweight or obese (the latter defined as a body mass index greater than 30). 1 These high rates of obesity reflect the high rates found across the entire low-income minority population of the United States.3 About half of all farm workers have 1 or more of the following conditions: obesity, high blood pressure, and hypercholesterolemia, each of which puts them at risk for coronary artery disease and other chronic diseases, particularly diabetes mellitus.1,4 Perhaps the work demands, leading to lack of time to obtain and cook nutritious food, ...........