Work-Related Pain in Mexican American Custodial Workers

Abstract

Mexican American janitors and custodians are at risk for developing work-related musculoskeletal injuries. These injuries may render them physically disabled, unable to provide for themselves and their families, and dependent on an already strained public health care system. Despite this growing health crisis and the United States's growing Latino population, no research has been published examining musculoskeletal pain among Mexican American custodial workers. In this article, the authors examine the working and social conditions of Mexican American service workers, as well as the reasons why there is so little research on this population. The authors present results from a study they conducted and discuss the implications of their findings for future research with this population.