Exploring Associations Between Postural Balance and Levels of Urinary Organophosphorus Pesticide Metabolites

Abstract

Objective Apply a data-driven approach to explore associations between postural balance and pesticide exposure among Latino farmworkers and non-farmworkers. Methods Lasso-regularized, generalized linear models were used to examine associations between postural control measures in four experimental conditions (2 visual × 2 cognitive difficulty) and dialkylphosphate (DAP) urinary metabolite levels. Results Obtained models generally performed poorly at explaining postural control measures. However, when both visual and cognitive conditions were altered – the most challenging balance condition – models for some postural balance measures contained several DAP metabolites and had relatively better fits. Conclusions The current results were equivocal regarding associations between postural control measures and DAP metabolite concentrations. However, farmworker status appears to be an important variable in understanding this association. Future work should use a posturally- and cognitively-challenging test condition to reveal any potential associations.