文章基本信息

标题：“Pesticides Protect the Fruit, but Not the People”: Using Community-Based Ethnography to Understand Farmworker Pesticide-Exposure Risks
本地全文：下载
作者：Shedra Amy Snipes ; Beti Thompson ; Kathleen O'Connor 等
期刊名称：American journal of public health
印刷版ISSN：0090-0036
出版年度：2009
卷号：99
期号：Suppl 3
页码：S616-S621
DOI：10.2105/AJPH.2008.148973
语种：English
出版社：American Public Health Association
摘要：Objectives . We used community-based ethnography and public health risk assessment to assess beliefs about pesticide exposure risks among farmworkers in the Lower Yakima Valley of Washington State. Methods . We used unstructured and semistructured interviews, work-site observation, and detailed field notes to gather data on pesticide exposure risks from 99 farmworkers. Results . Farmworkers' pesticide-relevant beliefs and attitudes could be grouped into 5 major themes: (1) dry pesticides are often perceived as a virtually harmless powder, (2) farmworkers who identify themselves as allergic to pesticides are more acutely affected by exposure, (3) the effect of pesticide exposure is more severe for those perceived as physically weak, (4) protective equipment is used selectively in response to financial pressure to work rapidly, and (5) some farmworkers delay decontamination until they find water deemed an appropriate temperature for handwashing. Conclusions . We elucidated farmworkers' pesticide-relevant beliefs regarding perceived danger and susceptibility to pesticides, the need to put safety second to financial considerations, and reasons for delaying decontamination. Researchers and policymakers should incorporate these data in study designs and legislation concerned with farmworker exposure to pesticides. Farmworkers are routinely exposed to a variety of health hazards in the course of their work. Some of those hazards may be explained by farmworkers' own beliefs about hazards and risks. Qualitative research on exposure to pesticides indicates that hazard is associated with perception of harm and shows that some farmworkers do not perceive exposure to pesticides as a cause for concern for themselves, other farmworkers, or their living or unborn children.^{1 – 4} Additional qualitative research indicates that farmworkers associate pesticide exposure with sensory detection. For example, if workers do not feel, taste, see, or smell a chemical, they do not feel that they have been exposed.⁵ Some reports even reveal that farmworkers in rural Mexico taste pesticides to measure dilution, and some farmworkers believe that those who do not fall ill as a result of conducting these taste tests are strong and healthy.⁶ Researchers have used qualitative methods to learn more about pesticide risks, but information remains limited. Here, we will provide more information on pesticide-related beliefs, behaviors, and risk perceptions among farmworkers. Our research questions were guided by a review of scientific literature, as well as standard principles of the Health Belief Model (perceived susceptibility to hazard, perceived severity of risk, perceived barriers to reducing the risk, and modifying factors such as sociocultural beliefs and practices). We combined Health Belief Model principles and ethnographic research methodology to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy for assessing the perceptions of risk associated with pesticide exposure, enabling us to learn about the contexts of vulnerability, differential susceptibility, and perceived risk among farmworkers. Our exploratory research questions were the following: What belief systems influence farmworkers' perceived risk of pesticide exposure? What are farmworkers' perceptions regarding differential severity of or vulnerability to pesticide exposure? What observed work-related and sociocultural factors modify pesticide exposure risks?