Farm Worker Family Health Cohort Study

描述(申请人提供)：受雇农场工人为加州劳动密集型农业部门提供了大部分劳动力，他们也承受着最大的健康负担。加州雇佣的农场工人面临着更高的发病率和死亡率，这些疾病包括呼吸系统疾病、肌肉骨骼问题、传染病、与压力相关的心理健康障碍以及肥胖等与生活方式相关的疾病。对于在这一人群中不成比例地发生的不良健康结果的病因学研究非常少。这一拟议项目的总体目标是继续对加州雇用农场工人家庭的队列进行纵向跟踪，该队列是通过NIOSH的补充资金建立的。我们建议对加利福尼亚州门多塔的Micasa研究队列进行两次后续评估，以评估该人群中疾病的发病率和流行率。这些后续评估将对我们在门多塔的农场工人队列中的400个家庭进行。在五年的研究期间，将对所有Micasa研究参与者(包括户主和配偶)进行两次访谈。我们还将在人口中进行两个时间段的肺功能测试、生命体征和人体测量。最后，暴露评估部分将收集关于这一人群中颗粒物暴露的定量数据。这项研究的具体目的是：1)衡量呼吸系统症状和农业损伤的发生率，并评估农业暴露和生活方式因素与呼吸系统症状、农业损伤和肌肉骨骼问题的独立相关性；2)检测特应性哮喘和哮喘症状的患病率及其决定因素；3)确定我国人口中农业工人经常从事的任务和作物中的颗粒物暴露水平；4)研究呼吸系统症状和肺功能随时间的变化，评估预测因素，如职业因素与事件症状和肺功能变化的关系。这种方法使我们能够解决影响健康的广泛因素，包括工作、家庭环境和个人健康行为。建立这一队列是为了提高对重大健康风险的认识，为设计有效的公共卫生和临床干预措施提供基础，并最终改善这一未得到充分服务的人群的健康。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Hired farm workers provide the majority of the workforce for California's labor-intensive agricultural sector, and they also suffer the greatest health burden. California's hired farm workers face increased risks of morbidity and mortality from respiratory disease, musculoskeletal problems, infectious diseases, stress- related mental health disorders and lifestyle-related diseases such as obesity. There has been very little research into the etiology of the poor health outcomes that occur disproportionately in this population. The overall goal of this proposed project is to continue with a longitudinal follow-up of a cohort of hired farm worker families in California that was established through supplemental funding from NIOSH. We propose to conduct two follow-up assessments of the MICASA study cohort in Mendota, California to assess the incidence and prevalence of diseases in this population. These follow-up assessments will be conducted on the 400 families comprising our farm worker cohort in Mendota. Interviews will be conducted with all MICASA study participants (both the head of household and spouse) twice during the five-year study period. We will also conduct pulmonary function testing, measure vital signs and take anthropometric measurements at two time periods in the population. Finally, the exposure assessment component will collect quantitative data on particulate exposure in this population. The specific aims of the study are to: 1) measure the incidence of respiratory symptoms and agricultural injuries and assess the independent association of agricultural exposures and lifestyle factors to respiratory symptoms, agricultural injuries, and musculoskeletal problems; 2) examine the prevalence and determinants of atopy, asthma and asthma symptoms; 3) determine levels of particulate matter exposure for tasks and crops commonly conducted by agricultural workers in our population; 4) examine incident respiratory symptoms and changes in pulmonary function over time and assess the relationship between predictors such as occupational factors with incident symptoms and changes in pulmonary function. This approach allows us to address a wide range of factors affecting health including work, home environment, and personal health behaviors. This cohort is being established to improve understanding of important health risks and to provide a basis for the design of effective public health and clinical interventions, and ultimately to improve the health of this underserved population.