2002 Annual Report
Research
Farm Safety-Related Decision Processes Within Hmong Families: A Research Model
John Shutske, Associate Professor
Michele Schermann, Research Fellow
Stacey Jenkins, Extension Educator
Ruth Rasmussen, Research Fellow
Mang Lor, Project Coordinator
Funding Source
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Objective
Objectives of this project include:
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Examine the extent and nature of child agricultural labor in farm families of Hmong origin in the Upper Midwest.
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Investigate culture-specific health behavior patterns and culturally-appropriate health promotion methods for farm families of Hmong origin.
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Evaluate the North American Guidelines for Children’s Agricultural Tasks for applicability and appropriateness for farm families of Hmong origin.
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Produce recommendations for adapting the guidelines to be culturally and linguistically appropriate to Hmong farm families.
- Design a health education vehicle that presents at least three child safety guidelines tailored specifically for Hmong audiences.
Project Description
Guidelines have been designed to help farm parents in the United States assign safe and appropriate jobs for their children. This project is designed to help Hmong farm families use these guidelines in a way that is appropriate and consistent with their farming practices, culture, and traditions. A significant part of this work involves developing a replicable methodology to help us adapt these guidelines for other ethnic communities in other areas of the U.S. or internationally. This work will have positive implications and can be used by other countries facing issues related to child labor in agriculture.
Results
Field observations began in the summer of 2001 and continued through the summer and fall market season of 2002. Thirteen families with young children have participated in field observations, and the work patterns and activities of 36 families have been investigated.
Individual semi-structured interviews have been conducted with Hmong parents. Focus groups have given the research team a better sense of the issues facing Hmong farmers and have led to individual interviews to probe deeper into these issues. The most significant finding to date is that concepts of childhood growth and development are unknown to Hmong parents.
Hmong children’s height and weight were collected at various community events and gatherings such as the Hmong soccer tournaments. Height and weight statistics have been collected from measurements of 734 children. These data, along with observation and interview data and scientific literature reviews, will help us adapt existing guidelines to Hmong children’s abilities and limitations, while also taking into consideration Hmong parents cultural and linguistic patterns related to risk assessment and decision making.
Two literature reviews have been completed for this project and submitted for peer review and publication. The first review compared the agricultural practices of the Hmong in the United States to the Hmong in Laos and to the dominant culture North American farming practices. Physical, cognitive, and psychosocial developmental characteristics of Hmong children as well as job tasks by gender were documented.
The second review investigated health beliefs and behaviors, cultural knowledge, and decision-making patterns of Hmong adults, learning styles of Hmong adults, and preferred methods of receiving health communications. These literature reviews have been used to further refine our research process and have contributed to the direction of the focus group and interview questions.