Project summary
As part of a national COVID-19 outreach and vaccination project for farmworkers supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), NCFH is conducting a series of Farmworker COVID-19 Community Assessments (FCCA). The key objective of the FCCAs was to assess farmworkers’ attitudes, knowledge and practices concerning COVID-19 prevention, disease incidence, and vaccination uptake. However, the questionnaire and interview guides were adapted after each Phase to better understand the current landscape.
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Phase 1 (August – December 2021): Conducted in five communities in collaboration with local partners and included 1,094 surveys with farmworkers and 52 qualitative interviews with farmworkers, employers, and organizational staff.
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Phase 2 (March – August 2022): Conducted in five communities in collaboration with local partners and included 1,384 surveys with farmworkers and 44 qualitative interviews with farmworkers, employers, and organizations.
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Phase 3 (March – August 2023): Conducted in five communities in collaboration with local partners and included 1,638 surveys with farmworkers and 18 interviews with organizational staff.
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Southern California Farmworker Health Assessment Project (November 2023): Conducted in two communities in Southern California using the same methodologies as the FCCA, in collaboration and with funding from the California Public Health Department. This project, in partnership with local organizations, included 682 surveys with farmworkers and 8 qualitative interviews with organizational staff.
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Phase 4 (August 2024): This phase had the most significant change in data collection instruments, with the primary focus to assess emerging infectious disease vaccine uptake status among H-2A workers as well as the preparedness and understanding of emergencies and emergency response among H-2A workers and farmworker serving organization staff. Conducted in collaboration with local organizations, it included 307 surveys with H-2A workers and 7 qualitative interviews with organizational staff.
If you have any questions about this project, including questions about results please email Nicandro Mandujano Acevedo at nmandujano@ncfh.org.
Lessons Learned
Community engagement is crucial for the success of this project; community includes partners from federal, state, county, and community organizations as well as farmworkers and their families.
Site sampling combination ensures diversity.
Adaptability – not every community is the same and requires changes based on the makeup of the community.
Importance of “Unofficial” leaders and experts, farmworkers and community leaders who serve the area.
