The association of skin conditions with housing conditions among North Carolina Latino migrant farm workers

Background Skin conditions are common among Latino migrant farm workers. Although many skin conditions are related to occupational exposures, poor housing conditions may also contribute to skin ailments in migrant farm workers. Objectives To evaluate the association between housing conditions and sk...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of dermatology 2014-09, Vol.53 (9), p.1091-1097
Main Authors: Gustafson, Cheryl J., Feldman, Steven R., Quandt, Sara A., Isom, Scott, Chen, Haiying, Spears, Chaya R., Arcury, Thomas A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Agriculture
Air Conditioning
Cross-Sectional Studies
Hispanic Americans
Hot Temperature
Housing
Humans
Humidity
Male
North Carolina - epidemiology
Skin Diseases - epidemiology
Transients and Migrants - statistics & numerical data
Young Adult
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Summary:Background Skin conditions are common among Latino migrant farm workers. Although many skin conditions are related to occupational exposures, poor housing conditions may also contribute to skin ailments in migrant farm workers. Objectives To evaluate the association between housing conditions and skin conditions among Latino migrant farm workers. Materials and methods A cross‐sectional study design using interview questionnaires, home inspections, and environmental sampling was implemented to document housing quality of farm worker camps/homes and the prevalence of self‐reported skin conditions in Latino migrant farm workers. Interviews were completed with 371 farm workers residing in 186 of the 226 camps (camp response rate 82.3%). Results Self‐reported pruritus (31%), rash (25%), scaling (12%), blisters (11%), and ingrown nails (10%) were common among the participants. Pruritus was more likely to be reported by farm workers living in dwellings without air‐conditioning (P 
ISSN:0011-9059
1365-4632
DOI:10.1111/j.1365-4632.2012.05833.x