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Migmnt fmworkers cue an isolated curd hard to each populalion who cue at considerable risk for contmctingAIDS. Latins comprise the h gest segment of the migmnt fmworker population and account for eight percent of the totalpoplation in the United States. WhileHiipnia compise a r btiwly smallpetrentageof the totalpopulation, theyaccountforl5pe~entof the male cases of AIDS and 20pe~ent of thefemalecasesofAIDSinthis counby. These people are sequestered from mainsbvam A m e k a by distance, econ m i c status, Ianpage,anddhual factors. AIDS education flotis ttugeted to migmnt workers and theirfamilies must payspecialattentiontodtumlandspecia1 idiosyncrasies of Hispanic fmw&rs because they cue socially and culturally different from H i s p i c people in u&an mas of the United States. These prognvns also must take into account the fact that migmnt f m work dictates an itinemte lifestyle for the workers and their families. Educationalprognvnsinsuchanenvimnment occur only ewatically and infwquently in formal settings. This cuticle aplors the need for AIDS education for migmntfmworkers andsome of the cnticalcultumlandsocialis~thutmustbe considerd in their planning.Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop expressed concern that isolated populations are not getting the message about AIDS and that they are at considerable risk for contracting the disease. Migrant farmworkers are one of these hard to reachgroups. They are sequestered from mainstream America by distance, economicstatus, language, and cultural factors; therefore little is kll~OfllligraIlts'kllOWledg~attitudes, and sexual practices relative to AIDS. Information about these populations is necessary before appropriate educational strategies can be developed. Because of the scarcity of information and themigrants' socialisolation, there have been few organized efforts to develop materials that address specific educationalneedsinawaythatisculturally sensitive.
In the United States, 41 percent of the AIDS cases are found in ethnic minorities. While it is true that AIDS is disproportionately represented among minorities, not enough research has been directed at identifying risk factors peculiar to different ethnic groups. This study explored critical knowledge of AIDS, patterns of sexual behavior, and self-injection for therapeutic reasons among migrant workers. Data were collected through face to face interviews with 378 hispanic migrant workers. Respondents, seventy-nine (21.4 percent), reported self-injecting antibiotics and vitamins for medicinal reasons while only 2.6 percent self-injected recreational drugs. The likelihood of contracting AIDS escalates as the number of risk factors increase. Self-injection of therapeutic agents is a great risk when considered in concert with the other risk factors present in the migrant farmworker population. Exposure to additional factors such as sexual promiscuity, frequenting prostitutes, homosexual behavior and having vaginal or anal intercourse without a condom creates a potentially dangerous situation. Hence, each of the individual AIDS risk factors may be multiplied and broadcast through the needle risk. AIDS health education needs to deal with this cultural pattern of self-injection in its intervention programs.
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