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Background: Essential workers across multiple industries faced a disproportionate burden of morbidity and mortality during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The effects were especially severe for agricultural and food processing workers, many of whom are members of the structurally vulnerable Latine community. Under current U.S. federal laws, children under 12 years old can legally work in agriculture, one of the most hazardous U.S. industries. Many of these working youth are Latine and experience health and educational inequities. Methods: Using a community‐based participatory research approach and a qualitative design, we conducted semi‐structured in‐depth interviews in North Carolina in 2022, with service providers in health, education, and advocacy fields (n = 10) and Latine youth farmworkers aged 10–17 (n = 24). We used participatory qualitative analysis methods and a reflexive thematic analysis to understand and describe the work experiences of these youth during the first 2 years of the pandemic. Results: Amidst precarious economic and school situations exacerbated by the COVID‐19 pandemic, many youths described an increased need to work to support their families. While aware and sometimes fearful of the added occupational health risks of COVID‐19, youth and their families felt they had few other options. Service providers and youth described minimal employer‐provided safety protocols or equipment, yet some workers organized their own attempts at safety protocols. Youth narratives imply limited knowledge of basic workplace safety requirements. Conclusions: Study findings emphasize the urgent need to address structural vulnerabilities shaping workplace policies and norms to protect Latine youth farmworkers to support their healthy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although children as young as 10 years can work in agriculture, little research has addressed their occupational health. This paper describes a large, multicomponent study of hired Latinx child farmworkers, and the characteristics of children participating in this study. Methods: Survey interviews were conducted in 2017 with 202 Latinx children aged 10‐17 years employed in agriculture across North Carolina (NC). Results: Most (81.2%) participants were born in the United States, 37.6% were female, and 21.3% were aged 10‐13 years. Most (95.1%) were currently enrolled in school. Thirty‐six (17.8%) were migrant workers. 34.7% had worked in agriculture for 1 year; 18.3% had worked 4+ years. 33.7% worked piece rate. 57.4% worked in tobacco. Participants in western NC differed in personal and occupational characteristics from those in eastern NC. Conclusions: This study has enrolled a large and diverse child farmworker sample. This overview indicates several important issues for further analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]