title: Women who quit maquiladora work on the U.S.-Mexico border: assessing health, occupation, and social dimensions in two transnational electronics plants.
abstract: This cohort study of 725 women examined the health, occupational, and social factors that contribute to quitting work in two transnational electronics maquiladoras (assembly plants) in Tijuana, Mexico. The estimated cumulative probabilities of quitting were 68% and 81% by 1 and 2 years of employment. After adjusting for other factors, women who had a history of smoking or surgery and those who returned to work after a paid leave due to illness were more likely to quit. In contrast, women with a history of chronic illness had lower quitting rates. The nationality of the company and the work shift also significantly influenced quitting rates, but demographic characteristics and health care visits did not have a significant effect. Women selectively leave maquiladora employment, often due to health-related events. The healthy worker effect is difficult to measure in a mobile population with high turnover.
authors.affiliation: Division of Health Policy and Administration and Maternal and Child Health Program, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley 94720-7360, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guendelman
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Samuels
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ramirez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004581:Electronics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008800:Mexico; D016272:Occupational Health; D010563:Personnel Turnover; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States