Reason for visit: is migrant health care that different?

PURPOSE

The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the reasons for which migrant agricultural workers in Pennsylvania seek health care.

METHODS

Participants were individuals 14 years of age and over, actively involved in agricultural labor and presenting for medical care at 6 migrant health care centers. Bilingual health care providers randomly selected and interviewed the participants.

FINDINGS

The most commonly reported reason for visiting the health care provider was for physical examination. The most frequent acute problems were related to the musculoskeletal and integumentary systems. Frequently cited problems in the medical history were hypertension, musculoskeletal/back pain, and gastrointestinal conditions. Most medications being taken were for cardiovascular or pain-related problems.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that migrant workers present with medical problems that are similar to those of the general primary care population. Many problems were recurrent and represented common chronic medical conditions.