Interviews with 30 migrant seafood-processing workers and five migrant health volunteers described a sequential care pathway: self-treatment, trusted contacts, alternatives and eventually biomedical care. Income insecurity, unstable work and lost time delayed formal care, while volunteers bridged language, cultural and trust gaps.
Key findings
- Participants commonly began with self-care and trusted networks before formal services. Financial insecurity, working conditions, lost income, language and social concerns contributed to delay. Migrant health volunteers acted as critical bridges.
Why this matters globally
The findings resonate across global seafood supply chains, where worker health intersects with labour rights, food security and transnational corporate responsibility.
Thai researcher contribution
Thammasat University research brought migrant workers' reasoning into Thai public-health evidence and highlighted migrant health volunteers as an infrastructure worth supporting.
Limitations to consider
The purposive, sector-specific sample is not a prevalence estimate. Recruitment, language, translation and fear of employment consequences may shape disclosure. The abstract provides limited detail on employers, documentation status and gendered differences.