Airway Obstruction Among Latino Poultry Processing Workers in North Carolina

Maria C. MirabelliDivision of Public Health Sciences, Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USACorrespondence[email protected]

Arjun B. ChatterjeeSection on Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy, and Immunologic Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

Dana C. MoraDivision of Public Health Sciences, Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

Thomas A. ArcuryDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

Jill N. BlockerDivision of Public Health Sciences, Department of Biostatistical Sciences, School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

Haiying ChenDivision of Public Health Sciences, Department of Biostatistical Sciences, School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

Joseph G. GrzywaczDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

Antonio J. MarínDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

Mark R. SchulzDepartment of Public Health Education, University of North Carolina–Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA

Sara A. QuandtDivision of Public Health Sciences, Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

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Abstract

This analysis was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of airway obstruction among Latino poultry processing workers. Data were collected from 279 poultry processing workers and 222 other manual laborers via spirometry and interviewer-administered questionnaires. Participants employed in poultry processing reported the activities they perform at work. Participants with forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁) or FEV₁/forced expiratory volume (FVC) below the lower limits of normal were categorized as having airway obstruction. Airway obstruction was identified in 13% of poultry processing workers and 12% of the comparison population. Among poultry processing workers, the highest prevalence of airway obstruction (21%) occurred among workers deboning chickens (prevalence ratio: 1.75; 95% confidence interval: 0.97, 3.15). These findings identify variations in the prevalence of airway obstruction across categories of work activities.

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Airway Obstruction Among Latino Poultry Processing Workers in North Carolina

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Airway Obstruction Among Latino Poultry Processing Workers in North Carolina

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