Socioeconomic and Health Profile of Haitian Immigrants in a Brazilian Amazon State

Food Insecurity Among Haitian Migrants Living In Brazil

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the situation of food insecurity among Haitians living in Midwest of Brazil, based on questions of the Brazilian Scale of Food Insecurity (BSFI).

METHODS

A survey was carried out with a probabilistic sampling proportional to sex of Haitians aged over 18 years who lived in Cuiabá and Várzea Grande, Mato Grosso. Haitian migrants were interviewed by bilingual (Haitian Creole/Portuguese) individuals, and for the analysis of the BSFI questions. Because the BSFI is not validated for Haitians, the first eight questions of the scale were assessed separately, according to sex, debts incurred for the migration project and time of residence in Brazil. Chi-square was calculated to test the differences between groups.

RESULTS

A total of 404 Haitians were evaluated, 81.9% male individuals, 60.9% aged between 18 and 36 years. Among the respondents, 64.4% were worried about running out of food before having money to buy more food, and 62.6% answered that they ran out of food before having money to buy it. Higher proportions of positive answers were observed for women and those who reported having debts to finance the migration costs to Brazil.

CONCLUSION

The high proportion of positive answers to the BSFS questions by Haitians seems to indicate a situation of social vulnerability and food insecurity, especially among Haitian women, as well as among those who had debts to migrate to Brazil and those who have lived in the country for more than a year.

[Nutritional status of children of Haitian descent and their demographic, socioeconomic and health characteristics in Cuiabá, State of Mato Grosso (MT), Brazil]

The scope of this study was to analyze the distribution of anthropometric variables according to demographic, socioeconomic, and health characteristics among children of Haitian descent between 0 and 5 years of age living in Cuiabá-MT. It consists of a cross-sectional and census-based study with data collected between August 2016 and February 2017. The dependent variables were body mass index (BMI) and height-for-age z-score, using Student's t-Test and ANOVA in the statistical analysis. A total of 67 children, 73.2% to 24 months of age and 34.3% being male, were evaluated. There was a significant proportion of families with per capita income of less than 1/4 of the minimum wage (65.6%), with no home monitoring for the family health strategy (88.1%), and long working hours for mothers (43.3%). The onset of prenatal care until the third month of pregnancy and female sex were associated with higher BMI averages. For height-for-age, an association with lower mean values was found for households with more than one resident per room, higher age range of the child, and child-care in daycare centers. Thus, although few factors have an association with the anthropometric indications evaluated, it is necessary to consider the precarious socioeconomic conditions in which these children find themselves.

[The health of Haitian immigrant workers in Mato Grosso, Brazil: vulnerabilities and risks]

The relationships among immigration, health, work and environment are explored with the aim of analyzing the insertion of Haitian immigrants in the productive processes of Mato Grosso, highlighting health risks and socioenvironmental vulnerabilities. An action research study was carried out in conjunction with the Haitian community, social organizations and State institutions. In 2014 and 2015, a questionnaire was applied among the Haitian population of the city of Cuiabá (capital state of Mato Grosso) to characterize living and working conditions. In addition, data from different institutions and the registry of employers that submitted workers to conditions of modern-day slavery were analyzed. The results include 2,151 Haitian workers involved in the formal labor market in 2014, distributed in 27 municipalities of Mato Grosso. Two economic sectors in particular absorbed Haitian workers: transformative industries (especially meat processing plants) and civil construction. Among the 452 Haitians interviewed, 52.7% were working and 26.5% reported a workweek longer than 48 hours. The study shows the fragility of the social insertion of this population, expressed through the presence of Haitians in areas and productive processes of high social risk.