Migrant farmworker children: health status, barriers to care, and nursing innovations in health care delivery.

Migrant farmworkers are one of the most health care-impoverished populations in the United States. Mobility, hazardous occupations, cultural diversity, and low socioeconomic status place migrants, and particularly migrant children, at high risk for inadequate health care and preventable health problems. This article presents a synthesis of the existing research on migrant demographics, major health risks, and geographic, financial, and cultural barriers to health care access. Innovative nursing strategies to enhance access and improve the health of migrant children are explored. These include the use of lay community outreach workers, the creation of alternative health care delivery models, and the development of information tracking systems.