Environmentalism Among Vulnerable Youth: An Examination of Self-Efficacy for Environmental Action Among Latinx Child Farmworkers.

Abstract

Background: Latinx child farmworkers, like all vulnerable youth living in rural communities, experience substantial environmental exposures. Eliminating these exposures and improving environmental justice will benefit from the involvement of these child farmworkers. The aims of this article are to document the environmental self-efficacy of Latinx child farmworkers and to delineate the factors associated with environmental self-efficacy.

Methods: A total of 169 North Carolina Latinx child farmworkers completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire in 2018 or 2019 that included the 5-point Self-Efficacy for Environmental Action Scale.

Results: Self-efficacy for environmental action was strong among the participants, with a mean score of 3.83 (standard deviation 0.48). Girls had a higher mean score than boys (3.95 vs. 3.77; p = 0.01); each year of educational attainment was associated with a 0.05 score increase (p = 0.03).

Discussion: These results indicate that Latinx child farmworker have a strong sense of environmental self-efficacy. Organizations supporting the development of Latinx youth should incorporate issues of environmental justice into their programs.