Two Sides of Every Story: A Collaborative Model to Decrease Occupational Illnesses in Connecticut Tobacco Farmworkers

The University of Connecticut (UCONN) Health Center used a participatory research model to decrease occupational illnesses in Connecticut tobacco farmworkers. The goals of the research, funded by Northeast Center for Agricultural Medicine (NEC), were to develop health and safety interventions and sustain a dialogue between growers and workers. Through focus groups, the stakeholders identified skin and eye irritation as the most important occupational health problems. A chart review of farmworker clinic patients confirmed these findings. After the initial summer, we implemented a modification of the clinical encounter form in the clinics to include the physician's opinion on the work-relatedness of the diagnoses. Interventions for reducing skin and eye irritation were defined by workers and growers. Observations by outreach staff and reports of workers showed that most farms did not have soap and towels available in the fields. Growers reported that they always supplied water, soap, and towels. Education of the two groups was intensified to address these different perspectives. As a result, two interventions were implemented: the workers were invited to attend hygiene trainings and the growers were encouraged to place more hand washing facilities with soap and towels in the fields. Data from the UCONN Migrant Farmworkers Clinic over the past 4 years will be presented. Our results show that 1) modification of the clinic encounter forms increased identification of occupational illnesses and 2) participatory research resulting in workers' and growers' support of the proposed interventions can reduce the burden of occupational illness in this population.