Anemia, Weight Status, and Fatigue Among Farmworkers in California: A Cross-Sectional Study

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Health
• Occupational Medicine
• Nutritional Epidemiology

Background:

• Farmworkers face unique occupational health challenges.
• Understanding nutritional status, including anemia and obesity, is crucial for this population.
• Fatigue is a common complaint that may be linked to underlying health issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of anemia and overweight/obesity among California farmworkers.
• To investigate the relationships between hematocrit (Hct) and body mass index (BMI).
• To assess the association between self-reported fatigue and Hct levels.

Main Methods:

• Prevalence of anemia (Hct), overweight/obesity (BMI ≥25 kg/m²), and fatigue were estimated in 587 farmworkers.
• Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were employed to analyze associations.
• Statistical models examined relationships between Hct and BMI, and between fatigue and Hct.

Main Results:

• Anemia prevalence was 3.1%, while overweight/obesity prevalence was high at 80.7%.
• A significant majority (78%) of farmworkers reported experiencing fatigue at work.
• No statistically significant associations were found between Hct and BMI, or between Hct and reported fatigue.

Conclusions:

• Most farmworkers in this sample were overweight/obese, but anemia was not prevalent.
• Further research is recommended to explore anemia in more vulnerable subgroups of farmworkers.
• Gender differences were observed, with women more likely to have lower Hct and higher BMI.