Prevalence of Chronic Disease Risk Factors among Vineyard and Winery Workers in the North Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2004-2012

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of four chronic disease risk factors: elevated glucose levels (≥140 mg/dL), obesity (BMI ≥30), high systolic blood pressure (≥139 mg/dL), and raised total cholesterol levels (≥200 mg/dL) among Vineyard and Winery Workers in the North Willamette Valley, Oregon. In addition, we analyzed the association of health insurance status, years living in the USA, and number of wellness clinics, with the four risk factors. Participants included workers who attended in the Salud summer health screenings program during 2004 to 2012. Logistic regression models were fitted to estimate the effect of insurance status, number of years living in the US, and number of clinics attended for each chronic disease indicator. Prevalence of elevated glucose levels decreased from 9.7% in 2004 to 4.9% in 2012. Obesity prevalence increased from 12.4% in 2004 to 29.8% in 2012. Elevated systolic blood pressure increased from 4.4% in 2004 to 11.2% in 2012.  Prevalence of elevated cholesterol levels increased from 15.9% in 2004 to 28.1% in 2012. Multivariate analyses showed that workers attending more than six screening clinics were less likely to have elevated glucose levels; while those who attended more than six screening clinics were less likely to have elevated cholesterol levels. Workers living in the US more than 10 years were more likely to have elevated cholesterol levels and to be obese. This study showed the substantial increase in prevalence of chronic disease risk factors and related issues in a sample of agricultural workers.