Health status of children of migrant farm workers: Farm Worker Family Health Program, Moultrie, Georgia.

Abstract

We evaluated the health status of migrant farmworkers' children served by the Farm Worker Family Health Program (FWFHP) in Moultrie, Georgia. We analyzed data from children aged 0 to 16 years examined through the FWFHP from 2003 to 2011 (n across years = 179-415). We compared their prevalence of overweight, obesity, elevated blood pressure, anemia, and stunting with that of children in the United States and Mexico. Across study years, prevalence of overweight, obesity, elevated blood pressure, anemia, and stunting ranged from 13.5% to 21.8%, 24.0% to 37.4%, 4.1% to 20.2%, 10.1% to 23.9%, and 1% to 6.4%, respectively. Children in the FWFHP had a higher prevalence of obesity than children in all comparison groups, and FWFHP children aged 6 to 12 years had a higher prevalence of elevated blood pressure than all comparison groups. Older FWFHP children had a higher prevalence of anemia than US children and Mexican children. Children in FWFHP had a higher prevalence of stunting than US and Mexican American children. We observed an elevated prevalence of obesity, anemia among older age groups, and stunting in this sample of children of migrant workers.