Skin Disease Among Latino Farmworkers in North Carolina

Krejci‐Manwaring, Jennifer; Schulz, Mark R.; Feldman, Steven R.; Vallejos, Quirina M.; Quandt, Sara A.; Rapp, Stéphen R.; Arcury, Thomas A.

doi:10.13031/2013.20387

Cited by 26 publications

(27 citation statements)

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“…A questionnaire and a clinical assessment of more than 450 American migrant farm workers found that contact dermatitis, folliculitis and tinea infections were common skin issues in this population, occurring in more than 30% of workers. 11,14 Most conditions involving the skin or eye among migrant farm workers are likely caused by exposure to chemical agents (e.g., pesticides) 15 or irritant dusts, by physical hazards and by prolonged sun exposure inherent in their work. Migrant farm workers are particularly vulnerable to harm from exposure to pesticides because of insufficient access to and knowledge of protective measures, inadequate equipment and sanitation facilities, and poor communication with employers (Box 3).…”

Section: -18mentioning

confidence: 99%

Doctors within borders: meeting the health care needs of migrant farm workers in Canada

Pysklywec¹,

McLaughlin²,

Tew³

et al. 2011

CMAJ

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José, a migrant farm worker from Mexico, presents with a one-month history of low back pain. Through broken English and Spanish, he tells you that he has been in Canada for three months working on an asparagus farm. For the past six weeks, he has been spending 10 hours per day, six days per week, bent over cutting asparagus spears. José's boss has his health card. Because José is only in town every Friday night to shop for groceries, he is not available when the radiology clinic and laboratory are open. Recognizing that his condition is related to his work, you wonder about filing a claim with the Workers' Compensation Board. José has difficulty understanding what this means, but clearly does not want his employer to know that he has a sore back. He simply wants pills to help ease the pain. He is unsure of whether he has insurance coverage for medications and wants the least expensive medicine. You write out instructions for an over-the-counter antiinflammatory medication and direct him to a pharmacy. This patient's unique circumstances have raised a number of unanswered questions.

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Section: -18mentioning

confidence: 99%

Doctors within borders: meeting the health care needs of migrant farm workers in Canada

Pysklywec¹,

McLaughlin²,

Tew³

et al. 2011

CMAJ

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“…1, 2 Suspected etiologies of skin diseases include exposure to pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals; working long hours in hot climates; sensitivity to plants and animals; working with dangerous machinery; and contact with infectious agents. 3–5 Skin conditions common among farmworkers include contact dermatitis, infectious skin diseases (e.g., tinea pedis, onychomycosis, warts), inflammatory skin diseases (e.g., acne, folliculitis), and pigmentary disorders (e.g., melasma).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The association of skin conditions with housing conditions among North Carolina Latino migrant farm workers

et al. 2013

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Background Skin conditions are common among Latino migrant farmworkers. Although many skin conditions are related to occupational exposures, poor housing conditions may also contribute to skin ailments in migrant farmworkers. Objectives To evaluate the association between housing conditions and skin conditions among Latino migrant farmworkers. Methods A cross-sectional study design using interview questionnaires, home inspections, and environmental sampling was implemented to document housing quality of farmworker camps/homes, and the prevalence of self-reported skin conditions in Latino migrant farmworkers. Interviews were completed with 371 farmworkers residing in 186 of the 226 camps (camp response rate 82.3%). Results Self-reported pruritus (31%), rash (25%), scaling (12%), blisters (11%), and ingrown nails (10%) were commonly among the participants. Pruritus was more likely to be reported by farmworkers living in dwellings without air conditioning (p<0.05). Rash was associated with dwellings reported to have a low humidity (p<0.05). Scaling was more likely to be reported by farmworkers living in dwellings with indoor temperatures in the thermal discomfort range (p<0.05). No statistically significant associations were detected for indoor allergens and self-reported skin ailments among migrant farmworkers. Conclusions Skin conditions are common among migrant farmworkers in North Carolina. The quality of housing conditions, particularly hot, dry indoor thermal environment, demonstrated significant associations with pruritus, rash, and scaling. The impact of housing characteristics on pruritus and blisters was greatest in new migrant farmworkers. Further research is needed to delineate additional housing factors that could cause or exacerbate skin diseases in farmworkers.

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“…1,2,4,8,9 The visibility and impact of skin disease in the lives of farmworkers has led to widely shared self-care behaviors that include hygiene, use of home remedies, and the use of over-the-counter medicine. Medical care is also used, but farmworkers believe that structural factors limit their access.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[2][3][4][5][6][7] Although precise prevalence rates cannot be determined with available epidemiological data, substantial evidence indicates that the majority of farmworkers experience significant inflammatory and infectious skin diseases, including acne, irritant and contact dermatitis, lichenified hand dermatitis, tinea pedis and onychomycosis. 2,4,8,9 Causes of occupational skin disease among agricultural workers are diverse and include exposure to wind and sun, pesticides, fertilizer, petroleum products and plants at work, and to infectious agents due to substandard housing. 1,10,11 Greater knowledge of the ways farmworkers treat skin disease symptoms will provide a foundation for developing culturally appropriate patient care and health education, for improving the delivery of health services to this population, and for improving occupational health and housing policy for agricultural workers.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Treating Skin Disease

Arcury

Vallejos

Feldman

et al. 2006

Journal of Agromedicine

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Latino migrant and seasonal farmworkers experience high rates of skin disease that result from their working and living conditions. Knowledge of the ways farmworkers treat skin disease symptoms will provide a foundation for developing culturally appropriate health education, improving the delivery of health services, and improving occupational health policy for agricultural workers. The purpose of this paper is to describe skin disease self-management practices among Latino migrant and seasonal farmworkers in North Carolina. This analysis uses a qualitative design based on in-depth interviews with 30 Latino farmworkers (six females, 24 males). Computer assisted, systematic procedures are used to analyze the verbatim transcripts of these interviews. Participants shared a consistent set of health self-management actions in treating skin disease. These actions were within the domains of self-care and medical care. A model of skin disease self-management among Latino farmworkers includes the self-care actions of hygiene, use of home remedies and use of over-the-counter remedies, with farmworkers often combining different domains of self-care. While farmworkers acknowledge the benefits of medical care, they are also mindful of barriers to its use, including cost, transportation and language. The large percentage of farmworkers who experience skin problems indicates that health outreach workers who serve this population need to provide education on preventing and treating skin problems, and they need to recommend to farmworkers appropriate over-the-counter medicines for the treatment of these skin problems. Appropriate medical care for treating skin problems that are dangerous and reduce farmworkers' quality-of-life needs to be made available to this population.

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Skin Disease Among Latino Farmworkers in North Carolina

Cited by 26 publications

References 0 publications

Doctors within borders: meeting the health care needs of migrant farm workers in Canada

Doctors within borders: meeting the health care needs of migrant farm workers in Canada

The association of skin conditions with housing conditions among North Carolina Latino migrant farm workers

Treating Skin Disease

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