Implementing an Intervention to Reduce Heat Stress and Chemical Exposures

Purpose

The investigators are studying the dangers that farmworkers face while working in the fields and at home. The investigators goals are: 1. Measure how much heat and chemicals farmworkers in Imperial County are exposed to. The investigators will ask the participants to wear a special belt under their clothes during work to measure heat. The investigators will also put two small temperature monitors in the participant's home for a day. The investigators will collect a urine sample to check hydration, and also measure the participants height, weight, blood pressure, and some blood markers for diseases using a simple finger-prick test. To measure chemicals, the investigators will give the participants a wristband to wear for a week and hang another in the participants home. The investigators will also collect dust from each participant's home with a vacuum. Then, the investigators will analyze everything at San Diego State University. After collecting samples, a trained community health worker will ask the participants a few questions about their work, lifestyle, health symptoms, and any hazards they face. The investigators will meet the participants twice at their homes to distribute the tools which will later be collected. Once the tools are collected, the investigators will have the chance to follow up with the participants if they have any questions. 2. Provide help to lower heat and chemical exposure with the help of community health workers. 3. Measure heat and chemicals again using the same methods to see if the project made a difference. 4. Talk to participants about what they liked and how the investigators can make future projects better.

Conditions

  • Dehydration
  • Heat Stress

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 18 Years
Eligible Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Inclusion Criteria

  • Currently living in Imperial County, California, USA - Currently work in agriculture - Plan on living in Imperial Valley for the next 6 months

Exclusion Criteria

  • Not currently living in Imperial County, California, USA - Not currently working in agriculture - Not planning to live in Imperial Valley for the next 6 months

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
N/A
Intervention Model
Single Group Assignment
Primary Purpose
Prevention
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Other
All participants
All participants will receive the intervention
  • Other: Education and resources provided by community health workers
    The intervention will consist of implementing existing tools provided by EPA's Design for the Environment program, CalOSHA and NIOSH sector-specific guidance for agricultural workers, the Imperial County Department of Public Health and materials from California Department of Toxics Substances Control. The investigators will utilize and adjust existing educational tools such as the Heat Illness Prevention plan developed by CalOSHA. In addition to the educational materials, the investigators will give each farmworker cooling working gear to be worn during their work-shift with (specialized clothes that has been used in other occupational settings). The investigators will provide all participants with a low-cost fan filter, known as Corsi-Rosenthal box built jointly by the community health/research team to reduce chemicals at home, and a small A/C unit to reduce heat stress.

Recruiting Locations

Lideres Campesinas Imperial
El Centro 5345609, California 5332921 92243
Contact:
Brandon Toji

More Details

NCT ID
NCT06442969
Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
San Diego State University

Study Contact

Nicolas I Lopez-Galvez, PhD
858-292-1416
nilopez@sdsu.edu