Stress, Mental Health, and Coping Among Workers in the Northern California Cannabis Industry: A Qualitative Descriptive Analysis.

California is home to a multibillion-dollar cannabis (marijuana) industry, but little is known about the occupational health and safety hazards faced by cannabis workers and even less of the stress, mental health, and coping mechanisms among these workers. Previous research has been based on long-term workers at legal businesses, but most California cannabis is produced and sold unlawfully. There are many seasonal workers whose experiences have not been studied.

How Does Environmental Temperature Affect Farmworkers' Work Rates in the California Heat Illness Prevention Study?

Objective: Estimate the association between environmental temperature (wet bulb globe temperature [WBGT]) and work rate over the course of a workday.

Methods: Repeated-measures regression was used to identify characteristics impacting work rate in a cross-sectional study of Latino farmworkers. Minute-by-minute work rate (measured by accelerometer) and WBGT were averaged over 15-minute intervals.

Chronic disease burden among Latino farmworkers in California.

Farmworkers are an essential workforce to maintain California's extensive agricultural production. However, this mostly Latino, immigrant population is affected by high poverty rates and food insecurity, which increases their risk of chronic diseases. We analyzed clinical and interview data from three studies of Latino farmworkers in California: (1) the Mexican Immigration to California: Agricultural Safety and Acculturation (MICASA) study, (2) the PASOS SALUDABLES pilot intervention (PASOS Pilot), and (3) the PASOS Study, a cluster-randomized, controlled trial (PASOS RCT).

California cannabis cultivation and processing workers: A qualitative analysis of physiological exposures and health effects.

Introduction: Cannabis is a multi-billion-dollar California industry, but little is known about the occupational hazards or health experiences of cannabis cultivation workers. Respiratory and dermal exposures, musculoskeletal hazards, and other agricultural hazards have been identified in previous research. Even in a post-legalization framework, cannabis work is stigmatized and most cannabis is still produced illegally.

A Pilot Study of Respiratory and Dermal Symptoms in California Cannabis Cultivation Workers.

Cannabis (, marijuana) is the largest cash crop in California. While it is difficult to characterize the size of the industry, the total production is estimated at 15 to 16 million pounds per year, with total revenues exceeding $10 billion per year. Despite the huge size and rapid growth of the industry, there has been little research on the health and safety of cannabis workers.

Anemia, Weight Status, and Fatigue Among Farmworkers in California: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of anemia and overweight/obesity and assess the relationships between hematocrit (Hct) and body mass index (BMI), and between fatigue and Hct, among a sample of farmworkers in California.

Methods: We estimated the prevalence of anemia (using Hct), overweight/obesity (BMI ≥25 kg/m 2 ), and self-reported fatigue in 587 farmworkers. Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between Hct and BMI, and between fatigue and Hct.

Effectiveness of a worksite lifestyle intervention to reduce BMI among farmworkers in California: a cluster randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of , a culturally tailored lifestyle intervention to prevent obesity and diabetes among Latino farmworkers, when implemented at large scale in the worksite.

Design: This study was a two-arm parallel group, cluster randomised controlled trial, where participants received either a twelve-session lifestyle intervention (intervention) or six-session leadership training (control) at their worksite. The intervention was delivered by in Spanish.

Are Cal/OSHA Regulations Protecting Farmworkers in California From Heat-Related Illness?

Objective: Determine compliance with and effectiveness of California regulations in reducing farmworkers' heat-related illness (HRI) risk and identify main factors contributing to HRI.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study of Latino farmworkers, core body temperature (CBT), work rate, and environmental temperature (WBGT) were monitored over a work shift by individual ingestible thermistors, accelerometers, and weather stations, respectively. Multiple logistic modeling was used to identify risk factors for elevated CBT.

Migrant workers, essential work, and COVID-19.

Globally, migrant and immigrant workers have borne the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic as essential workers. They might be a Bulgarian worker at a meat processing plant in Germany, a Central American farmworker in the fields of California, or a Filipino worker at an aged-care facility in Australia. What they have in common is they are all essential workers who have worked throughout the coronavirus pandemic and have been infected with coronavirus at work.

Examining the Impact of Two Dimensions of Precarious Employment, Vulnerability and Insecurity on the Self-Reported Health of Men, Women and Migrants in Australia.

Precarious employment is increasing and adversely affects health. We aimed to investigate how perception of precariousness in current employment impacts gender and migrant workers in Australia. Using cross-sectional interviews of 1292 workers born in Australia, New Zealand, India and the Philippines, data were collected on self-reported health, employment conditions and sociodemographics.

Gender differences in respiratory health outcomes among farming cohorts around the globe: findings from the AGRICOH consortium.

: Respiratory hazards of farming have been identified for centuries, with little focus on gender differences. We used data from the AGRICOH consortium, a collective of prospective cohorts of agricultural workers, to assess respiratory disease prevalence among adults in 18 cohorts representing over 200,000 farmers, farm workers, and their spouses from six continents.: Cohorts collected data between 1992 and 2016 and ranged in size from 200 to >128,000 individuals; 44% of participants were female.

Impacts of weather, work rate, hydration, and clothing in heat-related illness in California farmworkers.

Background: The primary aim of this study was to investigate the effects of work rate, hydration status, and clothing on core body temperature (CBT) on California farmworkers.

Methods: Two hundred and eighty-seven farmworkers were recruited in Summer 2015, with 259 participants having sufficient data for analysis. We collected CBT, ambient temperature, work rate, body weight loss, and clothing worn by each participant throughout the work day and demographic data from a questionnaire.

Physical activity and common tasks of California farm workers: California Heat Illness Prevention Study (CHIPS).

Farm workers are at risk of heat related illness (HRI), but their work rates that contribute to HRI have not been objectively assessed. The CHIPS study collected accelerometer data and characterized the physical activity of major farm tasks. Demographic information, work characteristics, and accelerometer data were collected from 575 farm workers in California.

Protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial to study the effectiveness of an obesity and diabetes intervention (PASOS) in an immigrant farmworker population.

Background: Studies have shown that the prevalence of overweight, obesity and diabetes are higher in the largely Hispanic, immigrant farmworker population in California. Though to date, few interventional studies have focused on these issues in this at-risk population. The objective of this paper is to describe the study design of a cluster randomized controlled trial aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of an obesity and diabetes work place intervention in an immigrant farm worker population.

Exploring the Role of Depression as a Moderator of a Workplace Obesity Intervention for Latino Immigrant Farmworkers.

We explored if and how depression moderated the treatment effect of Pasos Saludables, a successful pilot workplace obesity intervention for Latino immigrant farmworkers. The original randomized controlled study assigned 254 participants 2:1 to a 10-session educational intervention versus control. We assessed the relationship between change in BMI (primary outcome) and interaction of treatment allocation and baseline risk for depression.

Personal exposure of dairy workers to dust, endotoxin, muramic acid, ergosterol, and ammonia on large-scale dairies in the high plains Western United States.

Dairy workers experience a high degree of bioaerosol exposure, composed of an array of biological and chemical constituents, which have been tied to adverse health effects. A better understanding of the variation in the magnitude and composition of exposures by task is needed to inform worker protection strategies. To characterize the levels and types of exposures, 115 dairy workers grouped into three task categories on nine farms in the high plains Western United States underwent personal monitoring for inhalable dust, endotoxin, 3-hydroxy fatty acids (3-OHFA), muramic acid, ergosterol, and ammonia through one work shift.

Recruitment, Methods, and Descriptive Results of a Physiologic Assessment of Latino Farmworkers: The California Heat Illness Prevention Study.

Objective: The California heat illness prevention study (CHIPS) devised methodology and collected physiological data to assess heat related illness (HRI) risk in Latino farmworkers.

Methods: Bilingual researchers monitored HRI across a workshift, recording core temperature, work rate (metabolic equivalents [METs]), and heart rate at minute intervals. Hydration status was assessed by changes in weight and blood osmolality.

Hired farmworkers in the US: Demographics, work organisation, and services.

Objective: Farm work is labor-intensive, physically demanding, and incurs a high risk of injury. The aim of this study was to identify characteristics of farmworkers at increased risk of adverse health outcomes to focus targeted interventions.

Methods: The National Agricultural Workers Survey for 2008-2012 was used to compare characteristics associated with adverse health and safety conditions among US-born and Mexican and Central American-born Latino and Indigenous, documented and undocumented farmworkers, separately for males and females.

Pasos Saludables: A Pilot Randomized Intervention Study to Reduce Obesity in an Immigrant Farmworker Population.

Objective: To evaluate a workplace-based diet and physical activity intervention to reduce obesity in a Latino farmworker population.

Methods: 254 Latino farmworkers were allocated in a 1:2 control:intervention ratio to parallel groups in this randomized controlled study, [Clinical Trial ID# NCT01855282]. Intervention participants attended 10 weekly educational sessions led by promotoras.

Occupational exposures and migration factors associated with respiratory health in California Latino farm workers: the MICASA study.

Objective: To evaluate associations of agricultural work and migration on self-reported respiratory symptoms in a Latino farm worker sample.

Methods: Work history and respiratory symptoms were assessed in 702 workers through interviews in a community-based cohort.

Results: Prevalence was 6% for asthma, 5% for chronic cough, 3% for chronic bronchitis, and 7% for persistent wheeze.

Particulate matter, endotoxin, and worker respiratory health on large Californian dairies.

Objective: To assess respiratory exposures and lung function in a cross-sectional study of California dairy workers.

Methods: Exposure of 205 dairy and 45 control (vegetable processing) workers to particulate matter and endotoxin was monitored. Pre- and postshift spirometry and interviews were conducted.

Agricultural work exposures and pulmonary function among hired farm workers in California (the MICASA study).

Despite California's dependence on hired farm labor, scarce research has been conducted on the respiratory health of hired farm workers. Agricultural exposures to inorganic and organic dusts can adversely affect an individual's respiratory health and differ by farm type and job task. The purpose of the present analysis was to examine associations between agricultural work exposures and pulmonary function among 450 California farm workers.