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Iglesias-Rios L, Kort A, Handal AJ. Precarious Work and Housing for Michigan Farmworkers During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond. J Agromedicine 2024:1-19. [PMID: 38651537 DOI: 10.1080/1059924x.2024.2341803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Farmworkers in Michigan face precarious and exploitative labor conditions that affect their access to affordable, fair, and quality housing, which are key social determinants of health. We sought to assess the health, working conditions, and housing access, affordability, and quality of farmworkers living in and outside of employer-provided housing during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS We conducted a mixed methods cross-sectional study in collaboration with community partners from the Michigan Farmworker Project and the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. We assessed housing, labor conditions, and general health through in-depth phone interviews with seasonal, migrant, and H-2A farmworkers (n = 63) during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021) in Michigan. Descriptive analyses of these data included comparisons by type of farmworker and type of housing (employer-provided or other). RESULTS The majority of farmworkers interviewed were women and seasonal farmworkers and spoke primarily Spanish. A significant share of farmworker participants reported living in poverty (38.3%) and had low or very low food security (27.0%). Nearly half of farmworkers (47.6%) rated their health as "fair" or "poor" during the year prior to the interview, and more than a third reported 3 or more chronic conditions (39.6%) and lack of health insurance coverage (38.7%). Among the 43 workers tested, 25.6% reported testing positive for COVID-19. Farmworkers reported experiences of objectification and dehumanization. Three-quarters of workers reported feeling that they were treated as less than human by supervisors and one-third reported verbal abuse. Farmworkers also experienced challenges exacerbated by their social vulnerability that impeded them from finding affordable, quality housing. Regarding housing quality, the majority of workers (80.6%) reported one or more environmental hazards around their residence, and about a third reported not having air conditioning (33.%) and lacking a functioning washing machine (33.9%). Concerns about the quality of drinking water accessible to workers and exposure to chemicals were shared by participants. CONCLUSION This study adds valuable knowledge to the understanding of the systemic barriers to housing and work conditions for female and male seasonal, migrant, and H-2A farmworkers in Michigan. Shortcomings in the regulatory and policy environment result in precarious housing and work conditions, including exploitative labor practices. These conditions negate equality, fairness, and health equity, important tenants for public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisbeth Iglesias-Rios
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Alexa Kort
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Alexis J Handal
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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Gutfraind A, Yagci Sokat K, Muscioni G, Alahmadi S, Hudlow J, Hershow R, Norgeot B. Victims of human trafficking and exploitation in the healthcare system: a retrospective study using a large multi-state dataset and ICD-10 codes. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1243413. [PMID: 37841726 PMCID: PMC10568010 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1243413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Trafficking and exploitation for sex or labor affects millions of persons worldwide. To improve healthcare for these patients, in late 2018 new ICD-10 medical diagnosis codes were implemented in the US. These 13 codes include diagnosis of adult and child sexual exploitation, adult and child labor exploitation, and history of exploitation. Here we report on a database search of a large US health insurer that contained approximately 47.1 million patients and 0.9 million provider organizations, not limited to large medical systems. We reported on any diagnosis with the new codes between 2018-09-01 and 2022-09-01. The dataset was found to contain 5,262 instances of the ICD-10 codes. Regression analysis of the codes found a 5.8% increase in the uptake of these codes per year, representing a decline relative to 6.7% annual increase in the data. The codes were used by 1,810 different providers (0.19% of total) for 2,793 patients. Of the patients, 1,248 were recently trafficked, while the remainder had a personal history of exploitation. Of the recent cases, 86% experienced sexual exploitation, 14% labor exploitation and 0.8% both types. These patients were predominantly female (83%) with a median age of 20 (interquartile range: 15-35). The patients were characterized by persistently high prevalence of mental health conditions (including anxiety: 21%, post-traumatic stress disorder: 20%, major depression: 18%), sexually-transmitted infections, and high utilization of the emergency department (ED). The patients' first report of trafficking occurred most often outside of a hospital or emergency setting (55%), primarily during office and psychiatric visits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Gutfraind
- Carelon Inc., Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Department of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago School of Medicine, Maywood, IL, United States
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Illinois School of Public Health, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Kezban Yagci Sokat
- Marketing and Business Analytics, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, United States
| | | | - Sami Alahmadi
- Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States
| | | | - Ronald Hershow
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Illinois School of Public Health, Chicago, IL, United States
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Walby S, Capelas Barbosa E, McManus S. Costing the long-term health harms of trafficking: Why a gender-neutral approach discounts the future of women. Front Sociol 2022; 7:858337. [PMID: 36159162 PMCID: PMC9493044 DOI: 10.3389/fsoc.2022.858337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sylvia Walby
- Violence and Society Centre, City, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Sally McManus
- Violence and Society Centre, City, University of London, London, United Kingdom
- National Centre for Social Research, London, United Kingdom
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Hainaut M, Thompson KJ, Ha CJ, Herzog HL, Roberts T, Ades V. Are Screening Tools for Identifying Human Trafficking Victims in Health Care Settings Validated? A Scoping Review. Public Health Rep 2022; 137:63S-72S. [PMID: 35775913 DOI: 10.1177/00333549211061774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Although many screening tools, resources, and programs for identifying victims of human trafficking exist, consensus is lacking on which tools are most useful, which have been validated, and whether they are effective. The objectives of this study were to determine what tools exist to identify or screen for victims of human trafficking in health care settings and whether these tools have been validated. METHOD We conducted a scoping review of the literature on human trafficking identification in health care settings following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) protocol for scoping reviews. We searched the MEDLINE, PsycInfo, Embase, and Scopus databases without language or date limitations. Two independent reviewers screened each citation. We included human research studies in English with populations of all ages, all genders, all geographic locations, and using quantitative and/or qualitative research methods. We excluded studies that were not conducted in a health care setting, review articles, and meta-analyses. We summarized additional screening tools available online and identified through hand-searching. RESULTS Database searches yielded 8730 studies, of which 4806 remained after removing duplicates. We excluded 4720 articles based on title/abstract review, we reviewed 85 full-text studies for eligibility, and we included 8 articles. Hand-searching revealed 9 additional screening tools not found in the literature. Through our search for validated screening tools, only 6 had been studied for validation in health care settings. CONCLUSIONS Few studies have evaluated screening tools for identifying victims of human trafficking in health care settings. The absence of a gold standard for human trafficking screening and lack of consensus on the definition of human trafficking make screening tool validation difficult. Further research is required for the development of safe, effective approaches to patient screening.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Caryn J Ha
- Graduate School of Arts and Science, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Hayley L Herzog
- School of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, NY, USA.,Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Timothy Roberts
- NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Health Sciences Library, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Veronica Ades
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jacobi Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women's Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
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Ahn S, Kang Y, Lee JW, Jeong SJ, Lee YJ, Lee S, Kim J, Koo JW, Kim JJ, Jung MW. A role of anterior cingulate cortex in the emergence of worker-parasite relationship. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2111145118. [PMID: 34815341 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2111145118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We studied the brain mechanisms underlying action selection in a social dilemma setting in which individuals' effortful gains are unfairly distributed among group members. A stable "worker-parasite" relationship developed when three individually operant-conditioned rats were placed together in a Skinner box equipped with response lever and food dispenser on opposite sides. Specifically, one rat, the "worker," engaged in lever-pressing while the other two "parasitic" rats profited from the worker's effort by crowding the feeder in anticipation of food. Anatomically, c-Fos expression in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) was significantly higher in worker rats than in parasite rats. Functionally, ACC inactivation suppressed the worker's lever-press behavior drastically under social, but only mildly under individual, settings. Transcriptionally, GABAA receptor- and potassium channel-related messenger RNA expressions were reliably lower in the worker's, relative to parasite's, ACC. These findings indicate the requirement of ACC activation for the expression of exploitable, effortful behavior, which could be mediated by molecular pathways involving GABAA receptor/potassium channel proteins.
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Mostajabian S, Santa Maria D, Wiemann C, Newlin E, Bocchini C. Identifying Sexual and Labor Exploitation among Sheltered Youth Experiencing Homelessness: A Comparison of Screening Methods. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019; 16:E363. [PMID: 30696049 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16030363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Human trafficking is a significant and growing public health concern. Subgroups of adolescents and young adults are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking, especially youth who are unstably housed or homeless. While youth experiencing trafficking come into contact with the healthcare system, they are often not identified during routine assessment due to lack of specific inquiry and low disclosure. Therefore, we utilized a mixed-methods study design to assess the differences in the identification of human trafficking among youth experiencing homelessness (n = 129) between a standard psychosocial assessment tool and a human trafficking specific assessment tool. Findings indicate that the tool developed to specifically assess for human trafficking was more likely to identify youth experiencing sexual and labor exploitation, as well as the risk factors for human trafficking. Secondly, youth reported that mistrust of the system, fear of involving the police if reported, not wanting to interact with the mental healthcare system, and stigma are barriers to disclosing human trafficking. In conclusion, healthcare providers caring for youth experiencing homelessness should adopt improved screening tools for human trafficking to reduce the risk of missed opportunities for prevention and treatment among this high-risk population of youth.
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