Pregnancy Health Among Florida Farmworkers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Economos E ; Flocks J ; Kelley M ; McCauley LA ; Tovar A
• Description:
  Agriculture consistently ranks as one of the three most hazardous occupations in the United States, yet few studies have been conducted that examine the specific risks to pregnant women in the workforce. Exposure to agricultural chemicals is a major occupational and reproductive hazard and other factors such as long periods of standing, exposure to heat and dehydration also have the potential to impact the health of pregnant women and their unborn children. In this exploratory study investigators from Emory University, and the University of Florida partnered with the Farmworker Association of Florida and the Farmworker Health and Safety Institute to examine how female farmworkers in nursery and fernery operations assess the risks of certain environmental and occupational hazards to pregnancy. Focus groups with farmworker women revealed a common belief that they are exposed to pesticides at work and that pesticides can affect women of childbearing age and their partners, including infertility, miscarriages, and birth defects. Workers were less aware of the hazards of heat exposure, and had varying perceptions about the impact of heat on a developing fetus. Workers described the work conditions that exist that prevent them from taking action, such as lack of personal protective equipment, insufficient rest, water and bathroom breaks, and lack of training of both workers and supervisors. Interviews with health providers revealed a reluctance to talk about work exposures with their patients and often not recording occupational information on the health record. Health provider knowledge of occupational exposures was limited. A survey of 260 farmworker women showed that most worked during their most recent pregnancy, with 40-50% working the entire time. Heat related symptoms and access to clean drinking water and bathrooms differed in the two work settings studied. Pesticide urinary biomarkers differed across settings. Although nursery workers had the least concern about pesticide exposure, their biomarker levels revealed higher exposures. Ninety-seven percent of women in our study reported receiving prenatal care, most seeking care in the first trimester. Pregnancy outcomes were similar between fernery and nursery workers, but fernery workers were much more likely to report that their children had been diagnosed with respiratory disease. Community workers were successfully trained on the delivery of the reproductive occupational health curriculum using popular education techniques, a web-based interactive visual presentation, and video vignettes featuring local community members. Our results showed a good level of content assimilation, but suggestions were given on how to improve the delivery of the training. Training materials for health providers are also needed. The results of this study are being disseminated among scientific, health professional, and community groups. Future studies will focus on a closer examination of the association between work characteristics and physiological response to heat and examining the relationship between environmental exposure, inflammation, oxidative stress, and pregnancy health among female farmworkers. Both of these future studies will use a CBPR format and will also expand the work to other agricultural communities in which the FWAF has a strong community presence. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Biomarkers Farmers Hot Temperature Insecticides Occupational Health Pregnancy Safety Women
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Workers Farm Workers Heat Exposure Pesticides And Agricultural Chemicals Prenatal Exposure
• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  Florida ; Georgia ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-22
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20056501
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2019-101395
• Citation:
  Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, R21-OH-009830, 2014 Mar; :1-22
• Contact Point Address:
  Linda A. McCauley, Emory University, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, 1520 Clifton Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30322
• Email:
  linda.mccauley@emory.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• Performing Organization:
  Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20090901
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20131231
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0066305b5a5b2e19b306cc700ae7dae202e8a9a457961536af3c1cc04edbed17a72ceb955ab45bd05ae27da69b652f041936705a4edc7ecf4307062ab9819b7f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/218897/cdc_218897_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.65 MB ]