HIV and MSFws

January 7, 2002

,

I've checked the archived message and the message does not seem to have

been saved by the machine.

I did a search on www.google.com using the search string " HIV and

migrant farm workers " and got many good hits. One of which I include

below. There seem to be several more current studies on this topic.

http://hab.hrsa.gov/E/4web/snapshot.htm

stlennon@... wrote:

> Hello,

> I am conducting research into HIV/AIDS prevalence among migrant and

> seasonal farm workers.

>

> I've learned from the http://www.ncfh.org/aids.htm site that in 90--91,

> a study of New Jersey workers found that 3.2 percent of 554 workers

> tested were HIV-positive, a rate eight times the national seroprevalence

> of 0.4 percent, and also eight times the rate found in a 1988 study by

> the Centers for Disease Control -- but I can't seem to locate any later

> data.

>

> I am wondering if any one can point me in the direction of more current

> information. I have read some of the messages in the archives and

> thought that the Attachment " HIV and migrant farm workers.doc " appended

> to Message #550 might be just what I was looking for -- but I've

> downloaded it twice and it has come up blank each time.

>

> Thank you in advance for any assistance you can offer, and for raising

> my consciouness about the issues involved in even asking the question.

>

> Sincerely,

>

> T. Lennon, MSW, LCSW

>

January 7, 2002

Please be very careful of the HIV data that is out there.

Some of the studies that have been done show an increase, however they are

not random samples and they were done on a group from Florida.

Our CDC funded study in 1994 shows the rate about the same as the regular

population in the United States.

Ed Hendrikson PhD

Plan de Salud del Valle

-----Original Message-----

From: stlennon@... [mailto:stlennon@...]

Sent: Monday, January 07, 2002 11:41 AM

Subject: [ ] HIV and MSFWs

Hello,

I am conducting research into HIV/AIDS prevalence among migrant and seasonal

farm workers.

I've learned from the http://www.ncfh.org/aids.htm

<http://www.ncfh.org/aids.htm> site that in 90--91, a study of New Jersey

workers found that 3.2 percent of 554 workers tested were HIV-positive, a

rate eight times the national seroprevalence of 0.4 percent, and also eight

times the rate found in a 1988 study by the Centers for Disease Control --

but I can't seem to locate any later data.

I am wondering if any one can point me in the direction of more current

information. I have read some of the messages in the archives and thought

that the Attachment " HIV and migrant farm workers.doc " appended to Message

#550 might be just what I was looking for -- but I've downloaded it twice

and it has come up blank each time.

Thank you in advance for any assistance you can offer, and for raising my

consciouness about the issues involved in even asking the question.

Sincerely,

T. Lennon, MSW, LCSW

January 9, 2002

I would like to thank everyone who has written, both publicly and privately, for helping me to track down reliable information. I have been conducting this research to help a local non-profit apply for state funding so that they can continue to provide HIV Prevention Education Services to MSFWs here. This Listserv is a great resource and I anticipate that the agency will be joining soon. Thanks again for all your help!

T. Lennon, MSW, LCSW

Independent Consultant

January 10, 2002

Further info on HIV:

Those participants of the Cal. Ag. Workers Health Survey (CAWHS) at the

Firebaugh site (west side of the San Joaquin Valley) who completed physical

exams (165 Physical Exams--54 F, 111 M) also participated in an HIV

screening conducted by the Fresno County Dept. of Health. This random study

conducted in 1999 found no positives. I would also comment that the

socioeconomic situation for farmworkers in this community is among the best

in California, with a high proportion of settled families, green card

holders, single family dwellings, etc.

In short it is a very mature network or set of networks that can be regarded

as relatively low risk for HIV.

Regards,

Lighthall Ph.D.

Executive Director

California Institute for Rural Studies

P.O. Box 2143 (U.S. Mail)

221 G Street, Suite 204

, CA 95616

Tel: (530)756-6555

Fax: (530)756-7429

dlighthall@...

-----Original Message-----

From: Ismael Rangel [mailto:rangel@...]

Sent: Tuesday, January 08, 2002 10:42 AM

Subject: [ ] HIV and MSFWs

-----Original Message-----

From: Connolly, - CO 4th

Sent: Monday, January 07, 2002 3:15 PM

' '

Subject: RE: [ ] HIV and MSFWs

Dear and others interested,

Recently, I have been doing a fair amount of research in the area of

HIV in MSFW in preparation for a needs assessment in my state. One

" semi-recent " study that I have found which included seroprevalence

was done among migrant and seasonal farmworkers in northern

California in 1994. 0/173 cases were found, and this was not a

random sample. I would be interested in seeing the study that Ed

Hendrikson just referred to, or any others which are out there.

I would echo Ed's note of caution about the prevalence data. I

clicked on the link with the NJ data that you included. I noticed

that the testing was done among people who had attended a one-hour

HIV prevention program. It is possible that some of those

people attended the course precisely because they considered

themselves to be at high risk. This would make the sample very

" unrandom, " if you'll pardon my poor English.

Also, when considering the comparability of a study in the

literature to your local area, I would keep in mind that the

West/Mountain region has mainly Mexican migrants, whereas the East

coast has a more diversified migrant labor pool. I believe that

some of the studies, which I can't remember the specifics of right

now (one in NC?), showed higher rates among East coast migrants,

perhaps due to more representation from Caribbean and American-born

persons in those studies.

I would appreciate any further information which you find out about

this topic. My e-mail is below.

Sincerely,

M. Connolly, M.A., M.P.H.

CDC Prevention Specialist

Idaho Department of Health and Welfare

STD/AIDS Program

450 W. State St., 4th Fl.

Boise, ID 83720

tel: 208 334-5624

connolla@... <mailto:connolla@...>

fax: 208 332-7346

-----Original Message-----

From: stlennon@... [mailto:stlennon@...]

Sent: Monday, January 07, 2002 11:41 AM

Subject: [ ] HIV and MSFWs

Hello,

I am conducting research into HIV/AIDS prevalence among migrant

and seasonal farm workers.

I've learned from the http://www.ncfh.org/aids.htm site that in

90--91, a study of New Jersey workers found that 3.2 percent of

554 workers tested were HIV-positive, a rate eight times the

national seroprevalence of 0.4 percent, and also eight times the

rate found in a 1988 study by the Centers for Disease Control --

but I can't seem to locate any later data.

I am wondering if any one can point me in the direction of more

current information. I have read some of the messages in the

archives and thought that the Attachment " HIV and migrant farm

workers.doc " appended to Message #550 might be just what I was

looking for -- but I've downloaded it twice and it has come up

blank each time.

Thank you in advance for any assistance you can offer, and for

raising my consciouness about the issues involved in even asking

the question.

Sincerely,

T. Lennon, MSW, LCSW

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January 10, 2002

Dear ,

I do not know if you are the same person but I believe we met a long time ago. My name is Abdon Ibarra and I used to work with the Texas Migrant Council back in the seventies. 1971-1980. I know these were exciting years and many involved and caring people were amongst those providing services in those days. If you are the same person I met long ago, I am happy to see you still involved, if not maybe I will meet you someday. Thanks, it was just a flash of memory lane.

Adios, Abdon

Abdon Ibarra, Jr., JD

Immigrant Services Cordinator

Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government

200 E. Main #328

Lexington, KY 40507

859-258-3807

859-494-1067 (cell)

January 10, 2002

Good, I am glad, say hello to Blas and good to meet you.

January 10, 2002

Abdon,

Hi...I read the message and could not help to notice that you worked for Texas Migrant Council....I work for that agency now and have been for the past four years. My Regional Director is Blas Reyes (he remembers you!).

Just wanted to introduce myself.

a A. Brewer

Family/Community Partnership Coordinator

Texas Migrant Council, Migrant Head Start

Laredo, TX 78041

1-888-838-5151

----- Original Message -----

From: Abdoni3@...

Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2002 6:31 AM

Subject: Re: [ ] HIV and MSFWs

Dear , I do not know if you are the same person but I believe we met a long time ago. My name is Abdon Ibarra and I used to work with the Texas Migrant Council back in the seventies. 1971-1980. I know these were exciting years and many involved and caring people were amongst those providing services in those days. If you are the same person I met long ago, I am happy to see you still involved, if not maybe I will meet you someday. Thanks, it was just a flash of memory lane. Adios, Abdon Abdon Ibarra, Jr., JD Immigrant Services Cordinator Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government 200 E. Main #328 Lexington, KY 40507 859-258-3807 859-494-1067 (cell) To Post a message, send it to: GroupsTo Unsubscribe, send a blank message to: -unsubscribe

January 11, 2002

Further comments on HIV and MSFws.

Contributors to this discussion are correct in pointing out that HIV

research among farm workers has not been population-based. The oft-cited

percentages are " frequency ratios, " that is, they are the percentage of

HIV-positives among those who were sampled. Frequency ratios (e.g., NJ

study) should not be compared against rates (e.g., U.S. rates) that are

derived from population-based sampling.

By this time, there is a cumulative knowledge through the list-serve that

oft-cited studies from the scientific literature during the early phase of

HIV research on farmworkers included southern states (alphabetical): Frees

et al in MMWR 1992 (FL), Rodman et al in MMWR 1987 and JAMA 1988 (NC), and

et al in Southern Medical Journal 1991 (SC). The 1988 article in

Science was another agricultural community (not the FL town later studied

by Frees et al) with no distinction (in the article) between farmworkers

and non-farmworkers, hence no percent frequency among farmworkers. Research

by Maganya and r in CA (Journal of Sex Research 1991, and Social

Science and Medicine 1991) includes seroprevalence percentages from sample

of immigrant Latinos, hence no specific percentages on farmworkers. Later

articles on CA sometimes refer to one published (Maganya and r), plus

at least two unpublished studies in CA (for farmworkers, small samples)

where no seropositives were found. However, unpublished research as well

as local testing have found HIV-positive farmworkers places where

zero-prevalence was believed to be the case (among them, CA).

Migrant Health Clinical Supplement published abbreviated results from

1987, expanded results on multiple sites and multiple states from Rodman

1987, and results on NJ from Lyons 1992. Migrant Clinicians Network

Clinical Supplement published results on NY from Nolon and O'Barr 1993.

Findings that replicate those from a peer-reviewed journal were those from

; the others are one-time reports, although some were funded/supported

by CDC or other federal/state funds. We have been fortunate to have these

migrant-specific venues to present HIV findings.

The studies from the later phase of HIV research among farmworkers publish

findings specific to farmworkers in FL (Journal of Drug Issues, 1997;

Florida Journal of Public Health, 1995) and TX (report from La Frontera

Project available at the " snapshot " Website cited earlier in the list-serve).

All this having been said, there are other endeavors to test farmworkers

for HIV. Some are published. Some are not. Some are formally funded, and

some are locally funded. We may never know whether HIV among farmworkers

has leveled from an indeterminate point in the past, or whether it is

increasing, differentially, in some or all regions of the country. Based

on informal conversations I've had over several years with persons/places

that " test farmworkers, " there are NO instances of zero-prevalence among

farmworkers in any region across time: West, Midwest, East, upstream or

downstream. Farm workers in many places are at low risk for HIV, as far as

we know. Scenarios are mixed. There are locales where seropositives leave

(hence, zero-prevalence at start of the next season); there are locales

where HIV is an ever-present risk for farmworkers; and there are locales

where a few seropositives exist in the present that did not exist in the

past. I've noted no pattern in reports or publications: some unexpected

places have high percentages, and some long ago studies from the late 1980s

have higher percentages than more recent studies. However, I believe there

is more concrete evidence that magnitude of risk is increasing, given

changes in the structure of farm labor, growing prevalence of HIV in rural

areas, and shifts in geography among those farmworkers who are unaware they

are seroprevalent.

There are several responsive programs of variable dimensions that focus or

have focused on HIV risk reduction among farmworkers. This is the good

news. HIV among MSFws is not an area where materials and past experience

are non-existent.

I'm not sure how the archives for this list-serve are indexed, whether by

Date, Digest Number (we currently are in the low 370s), or Key Word.

Previous discussions related to HIV specific to the present concerns

appeared Oct 9, 10, 11 (2000), Jan 23, 24, 25, 30 (2001), Oct 1, 3, 6

(2001), Dec 10 (2001) and a few this month Jan (2002).

Thanks for providing the space for these belated comments. I apologize if I

missed some literature or missed some HIV discussion from the list-serve.

Much has been done, and more is being done. It should continue.

V Bletzer. Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Department of

Anthropology, Arizona State University.

January 12, 2002

Dear

Thank you for this excellent information. Myself and a colleague are in the

process of beginning a research study on knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of

Farmworkers in Southern Oregon. We will also be doing orasure testing. We will

share our findings with the listserve.

Thanks again Neander

>>> keith.bletzer@... 01/10/02 16:42 PM >>>