Expanding Access to Health Care for Agricultural Workers
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Date
2024-04-02
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Authors
Glenn, Nicole
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Abstract
Purpose: This quality improvement project offered free hypertension screenings to agricultural workers in a single farm in rural North Carolina to gain insight into whether the participants felt that onsite screenings during working hours on the farm would improve their access to health care.
Sample: A convenience sample of 42 agricultural workers on a single farm in rural North Carolina.
Method: Over the course of 12 weeks, agricultural workers on a single rural farm were offered screenings for hypertension. Before conducting the screening, each participant completed a pre-screening survey and a post-screening survey. Demographic surveys were also completed after the screening and education had concluded. This project was deemed quality improvement via a self-assessment process; therefore, Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval was not required.
Findings: Most participants felt that onsite visits during working hours would improve their accessibility to health care.
Conclusion: Rural agricultural workers face a disadvantage in health care due to time constraints, affordability, and transportation. These social determinants contribute to a lack of health care access, which in turn affects long-term health and well-being. Providing onsite visits to agricultural workers can improve access to health care by closing the gap between these social determinants of health and accessibility.