Dermatologist-diagnosed skin diseases among immigrant Latino poultry processors and other manual workers in North Carolina, USA

Details

• Personal Author:
  Arcury TA ; Blocker JN ; Chen H ; Feldman SR ; Grzywacz JG ; Mora DC ; Muñoz-Ali D ; Pichardo-Geisinger R ; Quandt SA ; Schulz MR
• Description:
  BACKGROUND: Immigrant Latino workers represent an expanding workforce in rural areas of the USA, where their employment is concentrated in occupations such as poultry processing that entail chemical, infectious, and mechanical skin exposures. Occupation-related skin illnesses in this vulnerable population are not well characterized. OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to describe the prevalences of skin diseases among immigrant Latino poultry processors and other manual workers in North Carolina. METHODS: Community-based sampling was used to recruit 742 immigrant Latino workers, 518 of whom underwent a physical examination supervised by a board-certified dermatologist. The presence or absence of skin disease on the face, neck, arms, hands, and feet was recorded. RESULTS: Workers ranged in age from 18 years to 68 years. Slightly over half of the sample were male (52.6%). Poultry workers represented 55.8% of the study sample. Infectious skin diseases were the most common diagnosis, present in 52.3% of workers. Inflammatory skin diseases were present in 28.2% and pigmentary disorders in 21.8% of workers. The most common skin conditions were tinea pedis (37.6%), onychomycosis (31.9%), scars (13.7%), acne (11.8%), and melasma (9.3%). Age, sex, first language, and work as a poultry processor accounted in part for the prevalence of these diseases. CONCLUSIONS: Several skin diseases are highly prevalent in immigrant Latino workers and may relate to work environment. These may impair the quality of life of these workers and predispose them to further illness. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Age Factors Animals Case Reports Cumulative Trauma Disorders Demography Food-Processing Industry Food Industry Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Musculoskeletal System Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Particulate Matter Race Factors Safety Sex Characteristics Skin Skin Diseases

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• Keywords:
  Age-factors Case-studies Cumulative-trauma Cumulative-trauma-disorders Demographic-characteristics Dermatology Employee-exposure Extremities Fibrous-bodies Food-processing-workers Hand-injuries Manual-materials-handling Materials-handling Poultry-industry Poultry-workers Racial-factors Repetitive-work Sex-factors Skin-disorders Skin-exposure Statistical-analysis

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• ISSN:
  0011-9059
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  North Carolina ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  52
• Issue:
  11
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20044974
• Citation:
  Int J Dermatol 2013 Nov; 52(11):1342-1348
• Contact Point Address:
  Sara A. Quandt, PhD, Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
• Email:
  squandt@wakehealth.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• NORA Priority Area:
  Manufacturing
• Performing Organization:
  Wake Forest University Health Sciences - Winston-Salem, North Carolina
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20080930
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Dermatology
• End Date:
  20140929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8815c3a5f5d0aa93b8556bc433f501f443821a76b5e9c761e5ef3f559dc99c9f32415adfcec95a8e7b0daf1e571211589608dc7fbabd0119f336bae4f138423d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/200548/cdc_200548_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 93.51 KB ]