Chronic Diseases among Agricultural Workers in a Rural Area of Puerto Rico

ABSTRACT

Occupational and environmental exposures in the agricultural industry have been associated with several illnesses and poor health outcomes. Information regarding the characteristics and health status of the labor force working in the agricultural sector in Puerto Rico is limited. The overall objective of this study was to increase the available information on agricultural workers health and needs by ascertaining the potential differences in characteristics and health status of farmworkers when compared to the general population in rural Puerto Rico This cross-sectional study used the collection and analysis of medical records of agricultural workers and non-agricultural workers in Hospital General Castañer, located in Lares, Puerto Rico. The research period was five years, from 2012 to 2016. This research described agricultural workers’ demographic and socioeconomic profile and evaluated relationships between one or more demographic variables and farmer’s health. Agricultural workers presented alower prevalence of hypertensive disease (69.4%) and ahigher prevalence of cerebrovascular disease (3.4%) when compared to non-agricultural workers. In other words, agricultural workers were 21% less likely to have hypertensive disease as compared to non-agricultural workers. Results for agricultural workers showed that 4.0% of the workers were diagnosed with arthritis, and 48.8% had suffered at least one type of dorsopathy. The results from this research provide useful information for developing an appropriate framework to address Puerto Rican agricultural worker’s health while promoting the agricultural industry development on the island. Finally, this study provided insight into the prevalence and demographic characteristics of agriculture workers in acentral region of Puerto Rico. Further efforts are needed to better define the agricultural workers and farming communities in Puerto Rico that may be exposed to related hazards.

KEYWORDS:

• Agricultural workers
• Puerto Rico
• chronic diseases
• occupational health

Acknowledgments

We thank Hospital General Castañer, Inc. for agreeing to provide access to the data and Guillermo Jimenez, Finances Director, Hospital General Castañer and Robin Russell, Associate Director, Hospital General Castañer for the assistance with electronic medical records that provided the information necessary to carry out the research.

Disclosure statement

There are no financial conflicts of interest to disclose.