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

该研究项目将通过检查位于华盛顿州下亚基马山谷的墨西哥移民农场工人社区中的这种关系，研究低剂量有机磷农药暴露与人体皮质醇水平之间的关系。目前还没有从生物学和文化角度研究农药暴露的调查。本项目将填补文献中的空白，并将在增加对美国农场工人农药暴露的理解方面发挥重要作用。本项目将利用人类学和环境健康两个主要领域的优势，调查文化信仰和实践、农药暴露和皮质醇水平之间的关系。本研究将在一个农业工人经常接触高水平和低水平有机磷农药的地区研究这种关联。 本研究的目的是：1。确定墨西哥移民农场工人使用开放式的，深入的采访中有机磷农药暴露相关的文化信仰和做法; 2。评估文化信仰和实践对有机磷农药保护行为的作用。使用防护装备）通过比较主题从深入访谈问卷调查的答复有关的个人防护行为.通过比较深度访谈的主题与尿液中有机磷农药代谢产物的测量结果，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代谢产物与喷雾和非喷雾季节唾液皮质醇水平的测量值，评估有机磷农药暴露与皮质醇水平之间的关联。识别和测量墨西哥移民农场工人的心理压力水平，通过使用文化上适当的，开发工具检查墨西哥移民农场工人的压力。 该量表将控制心理压力对皮质醇水平的影响，并已在下亚基马谷community.This研究将有助于更大的科学界通过增加参与人数不足的群体，包括少数民族作为参与者和调查者的参与。这项研究还将增加对健康和医学科学中的文化行为、观念和做法的研究，这将增加对文化和行为如何影响健康的全面了解。

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.