Ascertainment of pesticide exposures of migrant and seasonal farmworker children: findings from focus groups.
BACKGROUND
To design questionnaires for epidemiologic research among children of migrant farmworkers, researchers need to consider ways to best solicit information about pesticide exposures.


METHODS
Bilingual facilitators conducted five focus groups with either migrant farmworker mothers or their children (age range 8-16 years) in southern Texas and northeastern Colorado. Guided questions were used to assess activities of migrant farmworker children and the ways to best elicit information about exposure to pesticides.


RESULTS
Participants reported a large number of activities that may potentially expose children to pesticides through both direct and indirect routes. Prompting, indirect questions about chemical use, and use of local and trusted facilitators increased information elicited from focus group participants.


CONCLUSIONS
These focus groups helped to provide information for developing questionnaire items related to pesticide exposure among migrant farmworker children, and highlighted the importance of using bilingual community interviewers and including children as respondents.
Cooper
S P
SP
The University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston, Texas 77225-0186, USA. scooper@sph.uth.tmc.edu
Darragh
A R
AR
Vernon
S W
SW
Stallones
L
L
MacNaughton
N
N
Robison
T
T
Hanis
C
C
Zahm
S H
SH
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000383:Agriculture / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D002654:Child Care; D003120:Colorado; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015340:Epidemiologic Research Design; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010575:Pesticides; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013781:Texas; D014171:Transients and Migrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D010575:Pesticides