The release of the Farmworker Health Study report is an important milestone for UC Merced, the Farmworker Health Study Community Advisory Board (CAB), and farmworker stakeholders. In 2020, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) sponsored the UC Merced Farmworker Health Study. In turn, researchers from UC Merced, including the Community and Labor Center, partnered with the Farmworker Health Study Community Advisory Board (CAB) to design, implement and carry out the study across a two-year period. This effort was done in partnership with UC Berkeley, Kaweah Delta Healthcare, and UC ANR, and overseen by an Advisory Committee. The Farmworker Health Study is the largest-ever academic study on the health and well-being of the nation's farmworkers. The study consisted of 1,242 interviews with farmworkers, between two and four hours in length and in six languages, across the state from August 2021 until January 2022. It is the first major study on the health of farmworkers in twenty years. The study examined critical issues affecting farmworkers, including working conditions, housing, environmental hazards, physical health, women’s and reproductive health, mental health, COVID-19, use of preventive health services, health insurance access and coverage, health behaviors, and barriers to utilization of rights and services. Through the public release of the Farmworker Health Study Report, we aim to create a greater understanding of the current state of farmworker health and its relationship with work. We hope to inform public policy discussions among key stakeholders.
