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Ascertainment of pesticide exposures of migrant and seasonal farmworker children: Findings from focus groups
Author(s) -
Cooper Sharon P.,
Darragh Amy R.,
Ver Sally W.,
Stallones Lorann,
MacNaughton Nancy,
Robison Tracy,
Hanis Craig,
Zahm Shelia Hoar
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.10009
Subject(s) - medicine , focus group , environmental health , pesticide , agronomy , business , marketing , biology
Background To design questionnaires for epidemiologic research among children of migrant farmworkers, researchers need to consider ways to best solicit information about pesticide exposures. Methods Bilingual facilitators conducted five focus groups with either migrant farmworker mothers or their children (age range 8–16 years) in southern Texas and northeastern Colorado. Guided questions were used to assess activities of migrant farmworker children and the ways to best elicit information about exposure to pesticides. Results Participants reported a large number of activities that may potentially expose children to pesticides through both direct and indirect routes. Prompting, indirect questions about chemical use, and use of local and trusted facilitators increased information elicited from focus group participants. Conclusions These focus groups helped to provide information for developing questionnaire items related to pesticide exposure among migrant farmworker children, and highlighted the importance of using bilingual community interviewers and including children as respondents. Am. J. Ind. Med. 40:531–537, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.