RESUMO
Objectives: This analysis documents the use of conventional health-care providers, traditional healers, and complementary therapies by Mexican farmworkers; identifies the purposes and perceived helpfulness of these modalities; and delineates variation in the use of traditional healers and complementary therapies. Methods: Two-hundred Mexican farmworkers in North Carolina completed interviews May-September, 2017. The International Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire (I-CAM-Q) elicited use of conventional health-care providers, traditional healers, and complementary therapies in the previous 12 months. Results: Most of the farmworkers had been treated by a conventional provider (63.0%). One-in-five had been treated by any traditional healer; 19.5% had been treated by a sobador, 4.5% by a curandero, 2.0% by an herbalist, and 2.0% by a spiritual healer. Conventional providers (69.8%) and sobadores (84.6%) most often treated acute conditions; 62.5% had used an herb, 46.0% a vitamin, 57.0% an over-the-counter medicine, and 13.5% a home remedy. Participants used various self-care practices, including music (36.5%), sleep (18.0%), prayer for health (15.0%), and social media (14.0%). Education was inversely associated with the use of a traditional healer and herbs; treatment by a conventional health-care provider was positively associated with using a traditional healer and vitamins. Conclusions: Mexican farmworkers use conventional health-care providers as well as traditional healers and complementary therapies. Research on how use of complementary therapies and a system of medical pluralism affects farmworker health is needed. Health-care providers need to recognize complementary therapy use and provide patient education about ineffective or harmful therapies.
Assuntos
Terapias Complementares/estatística & dados numéricos , Fazendeiros , Medicina Tradicional/estatística & dados numéricos , Adulto , Escolaridade , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , México/etnologia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Medicamentos sem Prescrição/uso terapêutico , North Carolina , Fitoterapia , Plantas Medicinais , Autocuidado/estatística & dados numéricos , Inquéritos e Questionários , Migrantes/estatística & dados numéricosRESUMO
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between working hours (WHs) and the likelihood of poor self-reported general health (SRGH) in the first data wave from a cohort of immigrant and native workers in Spain. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional analyses from a prospective cohort study. METHODS: Data were drawn from the first wave of the Platform of Longitudinal Studies on Immigrant Families. The selected sample was composed of 217 immigrant workers and 89 native-born workers. We explored differences by immigrant status and family structure, assessing prevalences and Poisson regression models; an additional analysis explored statistically optimized work hour cut points. RESULTS: Highest prevalence of poor SRGH (72.7%) was reported by immigrant, single-parent workers working >40 WH/week. Immigrant single-parent families were more likely to report poor SRGH for three WH categories: ≤20 WH/week (prevalence ratio [PR] = 3.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.6-7.2), >30-≤40 WH/week (PR = 2.8, 95% CI 1.3-6.4), and >40 WH/week (PR = 4.2, 95% CI 1.8-10.1). In two-parent families, immigrants working standard hours (i.e. >30-≤40) and native-born workers in the highest and lowest categories of WHs (i.e. ≤20 and >40) had similar PRs for poor SRGH compared with native-born workers working standard hours. Findings suggested that native-born workers residing in two-parent families were able to work more than 10 h longer per week than immigrant workers before reporting equivalent prevalences of poor SRGH. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in the association of WHs and poor SRGH among immigrants in Spain seem to be explained by family structure, which suggests that the influence of WHs on health differentially affects vulnerable groups, such as immigrant workers residing in single-parent families.
Assuntos
Emigrantes e Imigrantes/estatística & dados numéricos , Emprego/estatística & dados numéricos , Características da Família , Nível de Saúde , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso , Colômbia/etnologia , Estudos Transversais , Equador/etnologia , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Estudos Prospectivos , Espanha , Fatores de Tempo , Adulto JovemRESUMO
The occupational health and safety conditions of a sample of Brazilian housecleaners in Massachusetts are examined in this article. We administered a main survey to a convenience sample of 626 Brazilian immigrant workers of all trades and a supplemental survey to 163 Brazilian housecleaners in Massachusetts in 2005 and 2006. Survey questions addressed housecleaner demographics, socioeconomic status, working conditions, and hazards of housecleaning work. Housecleaners are exposed to a variety of ergonomic, chemical, and biological hazards. Professional housecleaners' work is fast-paced, requires awkward postures, and involves repetitive movements, use of force, and heavy lifting. The most common symptoms reported include back pain, and pain in the muscles, arms, legs, neck, shoulder, hands, fingers, and feet. To reduce exposures to occupational hazards, we propose the substitution of green cleaners for toxic chemical cleaning products, the use of ergonomic equipment, the use of personal protective equipment, and changes in work organization.