Seasonal and migrant farmworkers comprise a disadvantaged and medically undeserved population. In North Carolina, the site for this project, there are 44,000 migrant farmer workers of whom 92% are Hispanic, and 200,000 seasonal farmworkers who include African American and Hispanics workers. These workers are exposed to a range of significant environmental hazards. This project addresses the health effects of one set of these hazards, agricultural chemicals. Working collaboratively with seasonal and migrant farmworker communities in North Carolina, building on existing linkages with organizations that provide health care and other services to farmworkers and considering the perspectives of growers, this project will: conduct formative research among farmworkers, growers and service providers to identify knowledge attitudes, and behaviors associated with exposure to agricultural chemicals; use formative research to develop or adapt multiple culturally sensitive interventions designed to increase knowledge of, change behavior toward, and reduce exposure to agricultural chemicals in farmworkers; test the effectiveness of such interventions in achieving change in primary (knowledge and behavior) and secondary (biologically monitored exposure) endpoints, using a controlled experimental trial with randomization of interventions at the grower level; and model the effects of farmworker characteristics (including migrant status, ethnicity, and gender) the physical environment and the social environment in producing changes in risk factor endpoints.

R21ES008739

1996-09-30

2000-09-29