Research Project Summary

New Jersey is one of the top producers of blueberries nationally. Many blueberry farms can be found in South Jersey, including Atlantic County. To support this significant farming effort, a large number of agricultural workers migrate from outside the country to this area on H-2 visas to work the brief blueberry season, which runs locally from May to July. These thousands of migratory workers travel from countries such as Guatemala, Jamaica, Haiti, and Mexico; many workers also bring their families with them. This group often has few financial resources, limited English proficiency, and low levels of health literacy. Furthermore, housing is over-crowded and contingent on employment, transportation off the farms is limited, and medical care and medications are inaccessible. Medical problems may go either unmanaged or undiagnosed. This project will help to better characterize the health disparities in this unique patient population in an effort to mitigate them in the future. 

Research Project Goals

The goal of this project is to create and mobilize healthcare teams who will visit farms in Atlantic County during the blueberry growing season and screen the migrant farmworker population for the prevalence of obesity, hypertension, and dehydration.

Research Project Objectives

It will explore whether mobilized health care teams can improve access to health care services in this vulnerable population. In addition, it will allow for better characterization of the prevalence of hypertension in this cohort. Furthermore, it will support analysis of the demographic factors and social determinants of health which may influence the diagnosis and management of hypertension. As a community feasibility study, if the pilot proves successful, future grant support can allow mobile healthcare outreach efforts to be expanded to other growing seasons, other area farms, and target additional medical conditions.