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Marginalisation, discrimination and the health of L atino immigrant day labourers in a central N orth C arolina community
Author(s) -
Fleming Paul J.,
VillaTorres Laura,
Taboada Arianna,
Richards Chelly,
Barrington Clare
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
health and social care in the community
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.984
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1365-2524
pISSN - 0966-0410
DOI - 10.1111/hsc.12338
Subject(s) - photovoice , focus group , immigration , thematic analysis , health equity , health care , participatory action research , economic growth , gerontology , political science , sociology , medicine , qualitative research , public health , nursing , law , economics , social science , anthropology
The morbidity and mortality of Latino immigrants in the United States ( US ) stem from a complex mix of policy, culture, discrimination and economics. Immigrants working as day labourers may be particularly vulnerable to the negative influences of these social factors due to limited access to social, financial and legal resources. We aimed to understand how the health of male Latino day labourers in North Carolina, US is influenced by their experiences interacting with their community and perceptions of their social environment. To respond to our research questions, we conducted three focus groups ( n = 9, n = 10, n = 10) and a photovoice project ( n = 5) with Latino male immigrants between October 2013 and March 2014. We conducted a thematic analysis of transcripts from the discussions in the focus groups and the group discussions with Photovoice participants. We found that men's health and well‐being were primarily shaped by their experiences and feelings of discrimination and marginalisation. We identified three main links between discrimination/marginalisation and poor health: (i) dangerous work resulted in workplace injuries or illnesses; (ii) unsteady employment caused stress, anxiety and insufficient funds for healthcare; and (iii) exclusionary policies and treatment resulted in limited healthcare accessibility. Health promotion with L atino immigrant men in new settlement areas could benefit from community‐building activities, addressing discrimination, augmenting the reach of formal healthcare and building upon the informal mechanisms that immigrants rely on to meet their health needs. Reforms to immigration and labour policies are also essential to addressing these structural barriers to health for these men.