US Farmworkers' Barriers to Preventing Heat-Related Illness: An Integrative Review

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Agricultural Safety
• Public Health

Background:

• Occupational heat-related illness (HRI) poses a significant risk in the United States.
• Farmworkers experience disproportionately high rates of HRI compared to other occupational groups.
• Understanding barriers to HRI prevention for farmworkers is critical for reducing illness and fatalities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct an integrative review to identify and understand the barriers US farmworkers encounter in preventing occupational heat-related illness.
• To synthesize existing research on farmworker HRI prevention challenges.

Main Methods:

• An integrative review was conducted following Whittemore and Knafl guidelines.
• Literature searches were performed on PubMed, Medline, and Agricola databases.
• Nine relevant articles were selected after applying inclusion/exclusion criteria and removing duplicates.

Main Results:

• Key barriers identified include limited access to prevention resources, inadequate education and training on HRI prevention, challenging work culture, and compensation structures.
• Farmworkers often lack access to essential prevention tools and knowledge.
• Work culture and compensation issues, such as feeling unable to speak up or forgoing breaks due to pay, hinder prevention efforts.

Conclusions:

• Further research is needed to comprehensively understand farmworker barriers to HRI prevention.
• Effective HRI prevention strategies must consider and address the identified obstacles.
• Focusing on barriers within farmworkers' control may yield significant impacts, especially given the lack of oversight in prevention measures.