Occupational and Environmental Stress in Latino Agricultural Workers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Huszar S ; Rohlman D ; Shaw M
• Description:
  The health of agricultural workers is impacted by many factors, including both workplace and lifestyle factors. Approximately thirty percent of all agricultural workers in the US are Mexican immigrants, although this number is significantly higher in some states. Agriculture is considered one of the most hazardous occupations, and agricultural workers are at increased risk for both fatal and non-fatal injuries. Migrant and seasonal farmworkers report high levels of stress related to mobility, language barriers, job security, financial concerns, and long work days. Due to the seasonal nature of agriculture, workers often experience periods of unemployment or job insecurity. Selfreports of poor physical health are associated with physical job demands requiring awkward postures; self-reports of better health are associated with increased job control. Latino agricultural workers (N=17) participated in open-ended interviews to identify psychosocial and occupational stressors which were used to develop a questionnaire. Questionnaire items included occupational experience, job stress, health status, childcare, socioeconomic variables and social support. The items were selected from standardized questionnaires, translated into Spanish and response options were adapted for this population. To examine the relationship between job demands, stress and health, Latino couples were interviewed at a low work demand time; follow up questionnaires were administered during harvest in the fall, a high work demand time. Thirty-one couples (N=62) were interviewed in May at the end of pruning, a low work demand time. In addition to the questionnaire data, biometric data (weight, BMI and blood pressure) were collected. The couples were contacted in September, during harvest, and 29 couples returned for interviews and collection of biometric data. There was an increase in perceived stress from low to high work demand times and increase in systolic BP from low to high work demand times, particularly in men. Older women had higher depression scores, showed greater work-to-family conflict and had greater stress associated with immigration. These results provide evidence of increased stress associated with work demands. This project allows us to characterize risk factors and basic health parameters in agricultural families and to examine changes in these due to workplace activities. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Emigration And Immigration Farmers Men Mortality Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Race Factors Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Surveys And Questionnaires Women

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• Keywords:
  Agricultural Workers Farm Workers Fatalities Hazards Humans Immigrant Workers Injuries Language Barrier Migrant Workers Physical Stress Physiological Stress Posture Psychological Stress Questionnaires Racial Factors Risk Factors Seasonal Workers Socioeconomics Sociological Factors Stress Traumatic Injuries Workers

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• Publisher:
  Canadian Centre for Health and Safety in Agriculture
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Iowa ; Oregon ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 7
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  65-66
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20052795
• Citation:
  Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium: Safety & Health in Agricultural & Rural Populations: Global Perspectives (SHARP), October 19-22, 2014, Saskatoon, SK, Canada. Saskatoon, SK, Canada: Canadian Centre for Health and Safety in Agriculture, 2014 Oct; :65-66
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Iowa, Iowa City
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium: Safety & Health in Agricultural & Rural Populations: Global Perspectives (SHARP), October 19-22, 2014, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
• End Date:
  20270929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2a2e524aa2ca9b5c351fcc0abbb994b37f89333913be975316a54c54ce014dce6e0bc4afc1ce29a3cc91141f3b1f40c0232068c6b5ca145edc5399bb8dca5700
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/212268/cdc_212268_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.51 MB ]