A Study of Neuromotor Function and Work Injury Risk Among Hispanic Adolescent Farmworkers: Pilot Test Findings

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bhattacharya, Amit ; Cox, Clinton ; Jiang L ; Maindale S ; McDonald T ; Shipp EM
• Description:
  Although they labor in one of the most hazardous industries in the United States, very little is known about injury among adolescent farmworkers. Further, the impact of chronic, low-level exposure to pesticides on the health status and injury risk of these vulnerable workers is not well understood. A current fiveyear combined cross-sectional/cohort study is designed to examine the contribution of potential pesticide exposure to neuromotor function and farm work injury risk. During the first year of this project, field procedures were pilot tested in a school-based setting. At the end of the 2012 migration season, researchers obtained a convenience sample of 34 high school students (19 farmworkers and 15 controls; 50% female; 100% Hispanic) from South Texas. They were assessed for demographics, work and injury experience, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) levels via fingerstick, and postural sway, an objective measure of gross motor function, using a portable system. Overall, field procedures were appropriate and valid pilot data were obtained. Although invasive, adolescent participants (>88%) were willing to submit a fingerstick blood sample for the AChE test. Mean AChE levels (U/mL) were lower among females (2.88) than males (3.77, p = 0.00) and those working non-food crops compared to others. Overall, adolescents described the postural sway assessment as interesting and 100% were willing to complete the series of test conditions. Sway parameters (i.e., area and length) under various test conditions (e.g., eyes closed standing on foam) supported the hypothesis that farm work may impact motor function and injury risk. Lessons learned during the pilot test of field procedures are guiding the current collection of data for the larger project. Findings from the larger study may be translated into practice by informing injury prevention research that targets both farmworkers and employers and leverages existing knowledge on the benefits of pesticide safety practices. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Adolescent Cohort Studies Emigration And Immigration Farmers Insecticides Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Adolescents Cohort Studies Cross Sectional Studies Farm Workers Injury Prevention Migrant Workers Pesticides And Agricultural Chemicals Safety Practices
• ISSN:
  1059-924X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Louisiana ; OSHA Region 6 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  239-240
• Volume:
  19
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20053168
• Citation:
  J Agromedicine 2014 Apr; 19(2):239-240
• Email:
  eshipp@srph.tamhsc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Texas Health Center at Tyler
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Agromedicine
• End Date:
  20270929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:dca4278a0a914fc46feac02b613e83099ad748abf45e257621b13d018fd68f57c607e2cb7bac7eedcf0f72b7bfcf1694d889c05900daa5cdcf659535530b003b
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/215980/cdc_215980_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 92.07 KB ]