Pena, Miedo y la Desidia: understanding US Latina farmworkers' perspectives on breast cancer and prevention services.

Through a community-based participatory approach, this study leveraged semistructured interviews to qualitatively assess Latina Farmworkers' perspectives on breast cancer and related-prevention services, specifically their knowledge and attitudes of breast cancer risk, as well as barriers and facilitators to breast cancer screening. Promotoras and research team members conducted 45-minute semistructured interviews in Imperial Valley (IV) from January 2024 to January 2025. A total of (n = 25) participants were interviewed-all identifying as female and Latina/Hispanic/Chicana. The majority of participants were aged 40-61 years (80%), and 44% reported being diagnosed with a chronic condition. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, and a thematic analysis approach was utilized to construct qualitative themes. Study findings yielded four overarching themes and two subthemes: (i) Lack of transparency of chemical use and frequent pesticide exposure in the workplace creates ongoing concern for breast cancer-related risks, (i.1) Employers' lack of transparency regarding chemical use, negligence of employees' health, and the absence of workplace safety education place Latina farmworkers at risk, (ii) Chest injuries sustained in the workplace are perceived as critical breast cancer-related risks and heighten apprehension about women's long-term health effects, (iii) Emotional and psychological stressors discourage mammogram screenings and delay preventative health care appointments, (iii.1) Cultural dominance suppresses access to breast cancer preventative care and influences women's overall quality of life, and (iv) Liaison between gynecologist and mammogram screenings encourages women's preventative health practices. Interacting themes revealed barriers related to agricultural workplace exposures that are perceived as critical breast cancer-related risks, as well as emotional, psychological, and cultural stressors that frequently discourage mammogram screenings. Findings also underscored a notable liaison between gynecologists and mammogram screenings that promote women's preventive health care practices. IV an understudied region, and findings from this study uniquely highlight the lived experiences of Latina farmworkers in this region, revealing how individual, community, and structural-level barriers not only prevent them from seeking and accessing breast cancer preventative care resources and screening services but also place them at greater risk for developing breast cancer, directly addressing the research gap existing in this area. It is imperative that culturally tailored programs and interventions, focused on education, social support, and community-clinical care coordination, are designed to overcome multilevel barriers to breast cancer care faced in this region.