Community-informed and community-based learning: Curriculum development using CBPR from and for female farm workers of Florida

Background/Purpose: EPA's Worker Protection Standard (WPS) for Agricultural Pesticides, a regulation aimed at reducing the risk of pesticide poisonings and injuries among agricultural workers, is for the most part the only health and safety training that agricultural workers will ever receive. However, agricultural workers face multiple occupational risks besides chemical exposure. A Community-Based Participatory Research Project between the Farmworker Association of Florida and the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University explored risk perceptions and intervention (?) strategies among female nursery and fernery workers in Florida. Methods: 5 focus groups, over 250 interviews, 100 biomarkers and two community advisory boards were used to guide the development of a comprehensive curriculum targeting female farmworkers of reproductive age. Ergonomics, heat stress, and pesticides are covered using an array of techniques to facilitate learning, empowerment, and diffusion of information. Four pilot trainings were evaluated using focus groups with participants and observations by academic partners, who debriefed after each training conducted. In addition, participants concluded each training with role play scenarios that were partially audio or videotaped. Results/Outcomes: Data showed that most women worked in the fields while pregnant, perception of risk did not match levels of contamination, other risks associated with pregnancies were unrecognized, significant differences exist between nursery and fernery workers, and that awareness of risks and solutions created a sense of solidarity and urgency to promote better practices and desire for dissemination of information to co-workers. Conclusions: Comprehensive training targeting female farmworkers can potentially reduce pregnancies risks.