Dissertation Research: Pesticides and Cortisol Increase Among Mexican Immigrant Farmworkers - A BioCultural Assessment

这项研究项目将通过对华盛顿州下亚基马山谷墨西哥移民农场工人社区的研究，研究低剂量有机磷农药暴露与人类皮质醇水平之间的关系。目前还没有从生物和文化的角度研究农药暴露的调查。这个项目将弥补文献中的这一空白，并将在增加对美国农场工人群体中农药暴露的了解方面发挥重要作用。该项目将利用人类学和环境卫生这两个主要领域的优势来调查文化信仰和实践、农药暴露和皮质醇水平之间的关系。这项研究将在一个农业工人经常暴露于高水平和低水平有机磷杀虫剂的地区检验这种联系。这项调查的目的是：1.通过开放式深入访谈，确定墨西哥移民农场工人中与有机磷农药暴露有关的文化信念和做法；2.评估文化信念和做法对有机磷农药保护行为的作用(例如。使用防护装备)，通过比较深入访谈的主题和关于个人防护行为的问卷调查的回答。通过将深度访谈的主题与尿液中测定的有机磷农药代谢物进行比较，评估文化信仰和实践对有机磷农药暴露的作用。通过比较尿液中有机磷农药的代谢物与喷雾和非喷雾季节唾液皮质醇水平，评估有机磷农药暴露与皮质醇水平之间的关系。通过使用一种文化上合适的、调查人员开发的检查墨西哥移民农场工人压力的工具，识别和测量墨西哥移民农场工人的心理压力水平。这一量表将控制心理压力对皮质醇水平的影响，并已被下亚基马山谷社区的调查者测试和验证。这项研究将通过增加少数族裔参与者和调查者的参与，为更大的科学社区做出贡献。这项研究还将增加对健康和医学领域中的文化行为、认知和实践的研究，这将增加对文化和行为如何影响健康的总体理解。

This research project will study the relationship between low-dose organophosphate pesticide exposure and cortisol levels in humans by examining this relationship in a Mexican immigrant farmworker community located in the Lower Yakima Valley of Washington State. No investigation has yet studied pesticide exposure from both a biological and cultural perspective. This project will address this gap in the literature, and will play an important role in the increased understanding of pesticide exposure in the US farmworker population.This project will use the strengths of two major fields - anthropology and environmental health - to investigate the relationship between cultural beliefs and practices, pesticide exposure, and cortisol levels. This study will examine this association in an area where agricultural workers are routinely exposed to high and low levels of organophosphate pesticides. The aims of this investigation are to: 1. Identify cultural beliefs and practices related to organophosphate pesticide exposure among Mexican immigrant farmworkers using open-ended, in-depth interviews; 2. Assess the role of cultural beliefs and practices on organophosphate pesticide protective behavior (ex. use of protective gear) by comparing themes from in-depth interviews to questionnaire survey responses about personal protective behavior.3. Assess the role of cultural beliefs and practices on organophosphate pesticide exposure by comparing themes from in-depth interviews to measured metabolites of organophosphate pesticides in urine.4. Assess the association between organophosphate pesticide exposure and cortisol levels by comparing metabolites of organophosphate pesticides in urine to measured salivary cortisol levels in spray and non-spray seasons.5. Identify and measure levels of psychological stress among Mexican immigrant farmworkers by using a culturally appropriate, investigator-developed instrument examining Mexican immigrant farmworker stress. This scale will control for the effect of psychological stress on cortisol levels, and has been tested and validated by the investigator in the Lower Yakima Valley community.This study will contribute to the larger scientific community by increasing participation of underrepresented groups involving ethnic minorities as both participant and investigator. This research will also increase the study of cultural behaviors, perceptions and practices in the health and medical sciences, which will increase overall understanding of how culture and behavior influence health.