Journal of Agromedicine
Volume 9, Issue 1, 2003, Pages 83-91

Tobacco use among mexican farmworkers working in tobacco: Implications for agromedicine (Article)

Spangler J.G.* , Arcury T.A. , Quandt S.A. , Preisser J.S.
  • a Departments of Family and Community Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, United States
  • b Departments of Family and Community Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, United States
  • c Departments of Family and Community Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, United States
  • d Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States

Abstract

This survey evaluated tobacco use of migrant tobacco workers in eastern North Carolina. Sixty-nine (38%) out of 181 mostly male, Mexican farmworkers were smokers. Compared to non-smokers, three times more smokers reported alcohol use in the past week (p = 0.002). More smokers compared to non-smokers reported poor to fair health, and fewer had worked previously in tobacco agriculture, but these differences were not statistically significant. Also not statistically significant, those smokers who were older and those who understood the most English smoked more cigarettes per day. Because farmworkers are exposed to many non-tobacco respiratory irritants, and because of the health risks of smoking, those who smoke should be urged to quit. © 2003 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

Author Keywords

Tobacco use Tobacco agriculture Cigarette smoking Hispanics Migrant farmworkers

Index Keywords

occupational disease human statistics North Carolina ethnology United States Humans Hispanic smoking male female risk factor Risk Factors Agricultural Workers' Diseases prevalence Article adult migration Transients and Migrants Mexican Americans
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-0642343950&doi=10.1300%2fJ096v09n01_08&partnerID=40&md5=cb61c6011f54edceddab6b63859f4144
DOI: 10.1300/J096v09n01_08
ISSN: 1059924X
Cited by: 3
Original Language: English