Respiratory Health and Suspected Asthma among Hired Latinx Child Farmworkers in Rural North Carolina

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate respiratory health problems, including suspected asthma, and healthcare provider utilization among a sample of Latinx hired child farmworkers in rural North Carolina (n = 140). In 2018, a respiratory health questionnaire and breathing tests were collected from Latinx child (11–19 years) farmworkers (35.0% girls and 65.0% boys). Overall, 21.4% of children reported having been told by a medical provider that they had asthma, yet based on a combination of responses to respiratory survey questions, 36.4% or 15% more were identified as having suspected asthma. While 56.4% reported having a regular medical doctor, 38% had not had a medical exam in the past year. Respiratory dysfunction, including suspected, or uncontrolled asthma was prevalent among this group. Latinx children working in agriculture are vulnerable to occupational hazards and exposures and require assurances that they will receive access to high quality healthcare services that include routine respiratory health screenings.

Musculoskeletal injury symptoms among hired Latinx child farmworkers in North Carolina

“…Musculoskeletal injuries are only one risk for these children. Other risks such as pesticide exposure, heat stress, and unintentional injuries incurred using equipment have both short and long term consequences 13,15,30–32 …”

Pesticide exposure among Latinx child farmworkers in North Carolina

“…This analysis uses interview data collected each year from 2017 through 2019 and pesticide exposure data collected with silicone wristbands in 2018 and 2019. The 2017 questionnaire addressed personal and work characteristics; results from this questionnaire have been published in several papers 41,55,60,62–64 . The questionnaires for 2018 and 2019 included items to measure current year work activities.…”

Child Labor in Family Tobacco Farms in Southern Brazil: Occupational Exposure and Related Health Problems

“…There are only a few studies evaluating the respiratory health of children working in agriculture; among them, a study in North Carolina found that 56.4% of the children had at least one respiratory problem [21]. Within the overall scope of the present study, analyses of adult workers indicate that 21.2% reported chest pain [12] and 7.4% reported cervical spine pain [11].…”

“…In general, it is done inside the barn so that workers are exposed to organic dust that increases the risk of respiratory problems [48]. A North American study [21] with children who worked in agriculture found that 16.4% had wheezing at some time in their lives, 14.3% had a persistent cough for more than ten days, and one-third had two or more respiratory problems. The prevalence of coughing without having a cold in the present study was higher than in the North American study [21] and, considering the difference in recall, 6.1% prevalence of wheezing in the last year was considerable.…”

“…In addition to the above, tobacco growing also includes exposure to nicotine [17,18]. These forms of exposure have been associated with mental health, respiratory and musculoskeletal problems, pesticide poisoning, and green tobacco sickness (GTS) [11][12][13][14]16,[19][20][21].…”