Public spaces could promote health equity by providing a place for people to engage in physical activity. Whereas most studies show a positive association between public spaces and physical activity, there are still mixed results, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The objectives of this mixed-methods study were: (i) to assess the quantitative association between access to public spaces and physical activity; (ii) to assess the modification of the association by public spaces quality, area-level walkability, and social stratifiers; (iii) to explain the quantitative results using qualitative data. Quantitative data were obtained with a household survey in two arid-climate Mexican cities in 2017-2018. physical activity was measured with the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. Access to public spaces was measured in buffers centered on survey blocks, walkability with area-level indicators, and public spaces quality with the Physical Activity Resources Assessment. Qualitative data were obtained with semi-structured interviews and neighborhood observation. No quantitative association between access to public spaces and physical activity was found, as well as no interactions between access to public spaces and other variables. Walkability was positively associated with physical activity. Qualitative analysis showed that local public spaces were rarely used by adults because they were perceived as small, unequipped, unattractive, and unsafe. The results shed light on the relationship between public spaces and physical activity, highlighting the improvements in design and upkeep of public spaces that are necessary to achieve their potential health benefit.

Mexican migrant and seasonal farmworkers in the US-Mexico border region face health hazards and occupational risks and are becoming commonly known in the public health literature. According to several studies, farmworkers have high levels of chronic diseases such as diabetes and respiratory problems, are at risk for infectious diseases, and experience among the highest incidences of work-related injuries of any profession. The findings from two studies are considered and presented with the objective of contributing to an overall understanding of migrant farmworkers as a workforce moving across national boundaries and affected by the work environments and health stressors both shared and unique to each context. We propose a binational approach to comprehensively address the health problems and socioeconomic challenges faced by migrant and seasonal farmworkers. In this paper we present the results of two distinct but complementary studies of farmworker health on the Arizona-Sonora border.

El artículo busca delinear cómo se conforma el campo de la agroindustria de exportación en el noroeste de México, con el propósito de analizar las condiciones de vulnerabilidad de las jornaleras agrícolas, respecto al acceso a los servicios de salud y a la atención médica que reciben. Desde un enfoque cualitativo, se realizaron grupos focales con las jornaleras y entrevistas con expertos en el tema, tanto de la academia como del ámbito de la sociedad civil, cuyos relatos se analizan a partir del concepto de campo de Pierre Bourdieu. Los resultados muestran la falta de acceso a los servicios de salud y a la seguridad social, y describen a los principales agentes y sus posicionamientos frente a la vulnerabilidad de esta población.

Living conditions and health of migrant farmworkers could benefit from a health promotion model based on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Objective. To understand how Mexican agribusiness owners and general managers view and practice CSR. Methods. We interviewed 8 agribusiness owners/managers and 233 farmworkers using open-ended interviews, and gathered anthropometrical data of 133 children from farmworkers families. To guide our analysis and discussion we followed the two dimension-model of CSR proposed by Quazi and O’Brien. Results. According to interviewee responses, mean percentage of agreement with CSR concept was 77.4%, with a range of 54 to 85.7%. Main health related issues among farmworkers were infectious diseases, crowding, and access to health care services; there were acute cases of undernutrition among farmworkers’ children and diets were of poor quality. Discussion. Agribusiness owners and managers understand and practice CSR according to a wide and modern view, which contradicts with farmworkers living conditions and health. Quazi and O'Brien model should consider the social context in which it is analyzed, and the social manifestations of community development as a tool for further analysis on the perceptions and actions of entrepreneurs.

The aim of this study was to examine the nutritional status of children of Mexican migrant worker families under five years of age within the context of global food markets. The sample included 404 children less than five years old from farms and agricultural communities in northwest Mexico. Prevalence of stunting and underweight of children appeared very similar to that of indigenous children from the national sample survey (difference 0.9 and 1.6 percentage points, respectively). Compared to the national sample of Mexican children, stunting and underweight seemed higher in migrant children (difference 17.7 and 4.5 percentage points, respectively), but wasting, an indicator of both chronic and acute undernutrition, appeared to indicate a process of nutritional recuperation. Migrant children living in poverty and suffering from chronic undernutrition, poor performance and scarce education opportunities, can be expected to eventually become agricultural workers with low productivity and poor general health. Consumer’s demands on social and environmental standards of fresh food production in developed countries could be an opportunity to impact the lives of migrant agricultural workers, their families and communities.

This is a qualitative study that aims to describe and analyze the situation of community violence from the perspective of women laborers who live in neighborhoods and villages near agribusiness fields in Baja California, Sonora and Sinaloa, Mexico. The women interviewed speak of violent exchanges that take place in public spaces such as roads, streets, and parks, and describe varying types of aggressions against themselves and their families or neighbors. They also point out different structural problems: a) economic, due to low wages that force them to extend their working hours and reduce the time spent on childcare, b) urban, given the absence of parks where children can enjoy healthy play, c) impunity and police corruption, and d) a lack of adequate training, resources and institutions that address these issues. As recent migrants, they require new social support networks and the configuration of a space that's part of their identity. Social organization becomes key to defending human rights. Their discourse emphasizes the worsening of violence in general and violence against women in particular, with specific reference to the violence of organized crime, where women are payback for vendettas and their objectification is reinforced in the "settling of accounts".