The Complementary and Alternative Medicine Beliefs Inventory (CAMBI) was developed to provide a comprehensive measure of beliefs believed to differentiate complementary therapy (CT) users from nonusers. The initial evaluation of the CAMBI was based on a relatively homogeneous sample of CT users, which raises questions about its applicability in more generalized samples. This study uses data from a community-based sample of older adults (N=200) to evaluate the utility of the CAMBI in more diverse samples. Results indicated substantial variation in responses to items with each of a-priori belief domains (i.e., perceived value of natural treatments, preference for participation in treatments, and orientation toward holistic health) and modest inter-correlation among items within each belief domain. Confirmatory factor analysis results indicated the a-priori measurement structure provided a poor fit to obtained data. Post-hoc analyses indicated that African Americans and those with less education had less consistent responses to items within each belief domain. Revision and additional development of the CAMBI is needed to enable its use in more diverse research samples.

Objective

To determine the prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in Latino poultry processing workers.

Methods

Symptoms and nerve conduction studies were used to prospectively assess 287 Latino poultry processing workers and 226 Latinos in other manual labor occupations.

Results

The prevalence of CTS was higher in poultry processing (8.7%) compared to non-poultry manual workers (4.0%, p < 0.0001). The adjusted odds ratio for the prevalence of CTS in poultry workers was 2.51 (95% CI of 1.80 to 3.50) compared to non-poultry workers. Within the poultry workers, those who performed packing, sanitation, and chilling had a trend toward less CTS than those who performed tasks requiring more repetitive and strenuous hand movements.

Discussion

Latino poultry processing workers have a high prevalence of CTS, which likely results from the repetitive and strenuous nature of the work.

Objectives

This analysis described Latino migrant farmworkers' work safety climate and its association with musculoskeletal discomfort, working while injured or ill, and depressive symptoms.

Methods

Data were from a cross-sectional survey of 300 farmworkers conducted in North Carolina in 2009. Generalized estimating equations models were used to investigate the association of work safety climate with health and safety outcomes.

Result

Farmworkers perceived their work safety climate to be poor. About 40% had elevated musculoskeletal discomfort, 5.0% had worked at least 1 day while injured or ill, and 27.9% had elevated depressive symptoms. The odds of elevated musculoskeletal discomfort were 12% lower and the odds of working while injured or ill were 15% lower with each 1-unit increase in the work safety climate. Work safety climate was not associated with depressive symptoms.

Conclusions

Work safety climate was important for agricultural workers. Poor work safety climate was associated with health outcomes (musculoskeletal discomfort) and safety (working while injured or ill). Interventions to improve work safety climate in agriculture are needed, with these interventions being directed to employers and workers.

This study categorizes older adults living in rural areas by denture status, assesses the frequency of wearing dentures during meals, and determines whether denture status or use is associated with dietary quality or the number of foods avoided. A multi-ethnic population-based sample of adults ≥60 years (N=635) in the rural US was interviewed. Survey included denture use, removing dentures before eating, and foods avoided due to oral health problems. Dietary intakes were converted into Healthy Eating Index-2005 scores. Sixty percent wore removable dentures of some type; 55% never, 27% sometimes, and 18% always removed dentures when eating. More frequent removal was associated with lower dietary quality and more foods avoided. Those with severe tooth loss had the lowest dietary quality and avoided the most foods. Many rural older adults wear dentures. Learning how they adapt to denture use will offer insight into their nutritional self-management and help explain differences in dietary quality.

Objectives

This analysis delineates the predisposing, need, and enabling factors that are significantly associated with regular and recent dental care in a multi-ethnic sample of rural older adults.

Methods

A cross-sectional comprehensive oral health survey conducted with a random, multi-ethnic (African American, American Indian, white) sample of 635 community-dwelling adults aged 60 years and older was completed in two rural southern counties.

Results

Almost no edentulous rural older adults received dental care. Slightly more than one-quarter (27.1%) of dentate rural older adults received regular dental care and slightly more than one-third (36.7%) received recent dental care. Predisposing (education) and enabling (regular place for dental care) factors associated with receiving regular and recent dental care among dentate participants point to greater resources being the driving force in receiving dental care. Contrary to expectations of the Behavioral Model of Health Services, those with the least need (e.g., better self-rated oral health) received regular dental care; this has been referred to as the Paradox of Dental Need.

Conclusions

Regular and recent dental care are infrequent among rural older adults. Those not receiving dental care are those who most need care. Community access to dental care and the ability of older adults to pay for dental care must be addressed by public health policy to improve the health and quality of life of older adults in rural communities.

Migrant farmworkers in North Carolina (n=300) reported eye injuries, circumstances of injuries, and outcomes during lifetime US agriculture work. Seventeen injuries were reported by 15 farmworkers; five resulted in lost work time. Most reported injuries were penetrating or open wounds, often caused by branches or other foreign objects. Injuries were seldom reported to employers; and treatment at clinics, when received, was often delayed. The incidence rate of lost work-time injuries of 23.8/10,000 worker years (95% confidence interval 7.5, 55.9), exceeds the 2009 national incidence rate (6.9/10,000). Migrant farmworkers constitute a vulnerable population; better occupational safety protections should be considered.

In this study the authors estimated the prevalence of elevated daytime sleepiness, depressive symptoms, and musculoskeletal pain among Latino migrant farmworkers, and examined the relationship among these symptoms. Data are from a cross-sectional survey of migrant farmworkers (300) conducted in eastern North Carolina in 2009.

Results

Eleven percent of Latino farmworkers reported elevated levels of daytime sleepiness, 28% reported elevated levels of depressive symptoms, and 5% reported moderate to severe musculoskeletal pain on a daily or weekly basis. Depressive symptoms and daytime sleepiness were positively associated. Depression and daytime sleepiness may increase risk of injury; further research regarding sleep issues is warranted.

Objectives

To determine the degree to which rural older adults are able to complete a measure of dental anxiety and to assess the prevalence, as well as the demographic and oral health characteristics, of individuals reporting high dental anxiety.

Methods

A population-based sample of 635 African American, American Indian and white older adults (age ≥60 years) completed an in-home survey, and 362 dentate participants completed an oral examination. Dental anxiety was measured using the 4-item Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS). Gender, ethnicity, age, education and oral health outcomes were compared between those who completed all four DAS questions (completers) and those who did not (non-completers) as well as, among completers, those with high versus low DAS scores.

Results

There were 94 (14.8%) non-completers. Non-completion was associated with older age, lower education, being edentulous, and having gingival recession. 12.4% of DAS completers had high DAS scores, which was more common among those aged 60-70 years, women, and those with oral pain and sore or bleeding gums. In logistic regression analysis, only sore and bleeding gums had a significant association with a high DAS score (OR = 2.40, 95% CI 1.09-5.26).

Conclusions

About one in eight rural older adults have high dental anxiety, which is associated with poor oral health outcomes. Identifying new approaches to measure dental anxiety among a population with limited interaction with dental care providers is needed.

Migrant and seasonal farmworkers are essential to North Carolina agriculture, yet they experience major health risks. This commentary describes the characteristics of North Carolina farmworkers, important hazards they face, and the status of regulatory protections. Finally, it presents a summary of policy needed to protect the health of farmworkers.

Depression and sleepiness are both risk factors for occupational accidents and unintentional injury. Relatively little is known about the experiences of these risk factors in the immigrant Latino farmworker population. This analysis uses prospective panel data from a sample of Latino farmworkers in Eastern North Carolina that was collected at monthly intervals during the 2008 agricultural season to: describe depressive symptoms and daytime sleepiness among immigrant Latino farmworkers across the agricultural season; delineate associations of depressive symptoms with sleepiness across time; and determine whether depressive symptoms precede sleepiness, or if sleepiness precedes depressive symptoms. Results indicated that 45% of farmworkers experienced elevated depressive symptoms across the season, whereas 20% experienced elevated sleepiness. Elevated depressive symptoms were more common among farmworkers living in barracks, and less common among those living in trailers. Sleepiness was more common among women than men. There was no evidence that depressive symptoms contributed to sleepiness, or that sleepiness contributed to depressive symptoms. The pattern of results suggests that a substantial proportion of Latino farmworkers experience levels of depressive symptoms or sleepiness that places them at risk for occupational accident or unintentional injury. The results also suggest that depressive symptoms and sleepiness do not cause each; rather, the association of depressive symptoms with sleepiness hints at the possibility of a common physiologic mechanism such as circadian disruption.

Objectives

To compare oral health status by ethnicity and socioeconomic status among African American (AA), American Indian (AI), and white dentate and edentulous community-dwelling older adults.

Design

Cross-sectional study; data from self-reports and oral examinations.

Participants

A multi-stage cluster sampling design was used to recruit 635 participants aged 60+ from rural North Carolina counties with substantial AA and AI populations.

Measurements

Participants completed in-home interviews and oral examinations. Self-reported data included socio-demographic indicators, self-rated oral health status, and presence/absence of periodontal disease, bleeding gums, oral pain, dry mouth, and fit of prostheses. Oral examination data included number of teeth and numbers of anterior and posterior functional occlusal units.

Results

Compared to whites, AAs and AIs had significantly lower incomes and educational attainment. Self-rated oral health was significantly higher in whites, compared to both AAs and AIs. Prevalence of self-reported periodontal disease and bleeding gums was lower in whites. Among dentate participants, AAs were significantly more likely than whites to have moderately reduced numbers of teeth (11–20 teeth) and posterior occlusal contacts. Oral health deficits remained associated with ethnicity when adjusted for socioeconomic variables.

Conclusions

Oral health disparities in older adults in a multi-ethnic rural area are largely associated with ethnicity and not socioeconomic status. Clinicians should be aware of these health disparities in oral health status and their possible role in disparities in chronic disease. Further research is necessary to understand whether these oral health disparities reflect current or lifetime access to care, diet, or attitudes toward oral health care.

Introduction

The NAFKAM International CAM Questionnaire (I-CAM-Q) was designed to facilitate cross-study comparisons of CAM usage. This research presents the first empirical study of the I-CAM-Q’s performance.

Materials and Methods

Data were collected in two studies in a multi-ethnic (African American, American Indian, and white) population of older adults in the US. In 2010, 564 adults 60+ years were recruited. The I-CAM-Q was interviewer-administered. Data were compared to those collected in 2002 from a random sample of 701 Medicare recipients 65+ years. The 2002 survey included an extensive inventory of specific CAM therapies derived from local ethnographic research. Comparisons of the responses for 14 CAM modalities common to the two studies used logistic regression adjusted for demographics.

Results

There were no significant differences between the 2002 and 2010 surveys in the proportions reporting 10 modalities, including use of chiropractors, homeopaths, acupuncturists, herbalists, spiritual healers, vitamins, minerals, homeopathic remedies, Qigong, visualization, and prayer for health. Significantly less use of physicians and more use of relaxation techniques were reported in 2010. Herb use and garlic, as a specific herb, were reported significantly less in 2010.

Conclusions

Overall, the I-CAM-Q obtained results similar to those produced by a population-specific questionnaire. Those differences observed appear to reflect differences in the studies’ inclusion criteria or secular trends in CAM. This study supports the intention of the I-CAM-Q to substitute for local and regional surveys in order to allow cross-study comparisons of CAM use. Further tests, preferably through contemporaneous data collection are needed in other populations.

Background

Several studies have documented poor housing conditions for farmworkers but none has focused on migrant farmworker housing, which is often provided as a condition of employment. Farmworker housing quality is regulated, but little documentation exists of compliance with regulations.

Methods

A 2007 survey of 43 randomly selected farmworker camps and a 2008 survey of 27 camps randomly selected from the 2007 sample documented housing conditions via interviewer administered questionnaire and housing checklist.

Results

Substandard conditions are common in migrant housing. All camps had at least one exterior housing problem; 93% had at least one interior problem. Housing conditions worsen across the agricultural season. Characteristics including no residents with H2A visa and 11 or more residents are associated with poorer conditions.

Conclusions

Housing standards are not adequately enforced. An increase in post-occupancy inspections and targeting camps with characteristics that place them at increased risk for substandard conditions are recommended.

Respiratory health is an important component of the ability to perform physically demanding work. We assessed the prevalence of self-reported respiratory symptoms among Latino farmworkers primarily engaged in crop production and investigated work activities as risk factors for respiratory symptoms. During June-September 2008, 122 farmworkers completed up to three interviewer-administered questionnaires. We estimated the associations between work activities and wheezing symptoms using alternating logistic regression, controlling for age and smoking. At the first data collection, 24% (n=29) of farmworkers reported ever wheezing and 8% reported wheezing within the past month. Though not statistically significant, the odds of wheezing were elevated for individuals who reported performing tobacco-related work in the last three days. The odds were decreased among individuals who reported harvesting activities (odds ratio: 0.3, 95% confidence interval: 0.1, 1.0). Among Latino farmworkers, respiratory symptoms may be associated with work activities.

Objective

Investigate the importance of viewing belief systems about health maintenance holistically.

Methods

Qualitative (N=74) and quantitative data (N=95) were obtained from multi-ethnic rural-dwelling older adults with diabetes to characterize their Common Sense Models (CSMs) of diabetes.

Results

There is a discrete number of CSMs held by older adults, each characterized by unique clusters of diabetes-related knowledge and beliefs. Individuals whose CSM was shaped by biomedical knowledge were better able to achieve glycemic control.

Conclusions

Viewing individuals’ health beliefs incrementally or in a piece-meal strategy may be less effective for health behavior change than focusing on beliefs holistically.

Abstract

Background

There are widespread assumptions that a large proportion of American adults use a variety of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies. The goal of this study is to explore the clustering or linkages among CAM categories in the general population. Linkset analysis and data from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) were used to address two specific aims. First, the dominant linkages of CAM categories used by the same individual were delineated, and population estimates were generated of the percentage of American adults using different linksets of CAM categories. Second, it was determined whether dominant linkages of CAM modalities differ by age, gender, ethnicity, and education.

Methods

Linkset analysis, a method of estimating co-occurrence beyond chance, was used on data from the 2002 NHIS (N = 29,862) to identify possible sets of CAM use.

Results

Most adults use CAM therapies from a single category. Approximately 20% of adults combined two CAM categories, with the combination of mind–body therapies and biologically based therapies estimated to be most common. Only 5% of adults use therapies representing three or more CAM categories. Combining therapies across multiple CAM categories was more common among those 46–64, women, whites, and those with a college education.

Conclusions

The results of this study allow researchers to refine descriptions of CAM use in the adult population. Most adults do not use a wide assortment of CAM; most use therapies within a single CAM category. Sets of CAM use were found to differ by age, gender, ethnicity, and education in ways consistent with previous research.

Objectives

To quantify: (1) prevalence of dry mouth; (2) association of dry mouth with beverage intake and dietary quality; and (3) association of dry mouth with self-reported dietary accommodations to oral health deficits.

Design

Cross-sectional study; data from self-reports.

Participants

A multi-stage cluster sampling design was used to recruit 622 participants aged 60+ from rural North Carolina counties with substantial African American and American Indian populations.

Measurements

Data included the 11-item Xerostomia Inventory (XI); higher scores connote greater impact from dry mouth; a food frequency questionnaire (converted into Health Eating Index-2005 scores); and survey items on foods modified before consumption or avoided due to oral health problems.

Results

Dry mouth was associated with being female, lower education, and income below the poverty level. Although overall beverage consumption did not vary with dry mouth, consumption of certain sugar-sweetened beverages was positively associated with dry mouth. Overall dietary quality did not differ with dry mouth, but more severe dry mouth was associated with lower intake of whole grains and higher intakes of total fruits. Dry mouth was strongly associated with self-reported modification and avoidance of foods. Those in the highest tertile of dry mouth were more likely to modify several foods compared to the lowest tertile, and were more likely to avoid three or more foods.

Conclusion

Older adults appear to modify foods or selectively avoid foods in response to perceived dry mouth. Despite these behaviors, dry mouth does not result in reduced dietary quality.

Farmworkers have the potential to receive wages that fail to meet minimum wage standards. This analysis describes wages and minimum wage violations among farmworkers, and it determines associations of wage violations with personal characteristics and pesticide safety regulation violations. Data are from a cross-sectional survey of 300 eastern North Carolina farmworkers conducted in June through August, 2009. Most farmworkers (90.0%) were paid by the hour, but 11.7 percent received piece-rate pay. Wage violations were prevalent among farmworkers: 18.3 percent of all farmworkers, 45.3 percent of farmworkers without H-2A visas, and 3.6 percent of farmworkers with H-2A visas experienced wage violations. Most farmworkers experienced numerous pesticide safety violations. Personal characteristics were not associated with wage violations among farmworkers without H-2A visas, but some pesticide safety violations were associated with wage violations. The association of violations indicates that some growers generally violate regulations. Greater enforcement of all regulations is needed.

Background

Symptoms of occupational heat illness provide an early warning that workers are in potentially life-threatening environmental conditions.

Purpose

This analysis was designed to assess the extent to which strategies to reduce the health impact of extreme heat were associated with the prevalence of heat illness among Latino farmworkers.

Methods

Between June and September 2009, 300 Latino men and women participated in a cross-sectional survey about farmworker health. Participants reported whether they were employed through the H-2A temporary agricultural worker program and whether they had ever worked in conditions of extreme heat during their work in the U.S. agricultural industry. Workers who had worked in extreme heat also responded to questions about selected activities and behaviors and whether they experienced symptoms of heat illness. Data analysis was conducted in 2009 to assess associations of altering work hours and activities, drinking more water, resting in shaded areas, and going to air-conditioned places during or after work, with the prevalence of symptoms of heat illness among H-2A and non–H-2A workers.

Results

Working in extreme heat was reported by 281 respondents (94%), among whom 112 (40%) reported symptoms of heat illness. Changes in work hours and activities during hot conditions were associated with a lower prevalence of heat illness among H-2A workers, but not among non–H-2A workers.

Conclusions

These findings suggest the need to improve the understanding of working conditions for farmworkers and to assess strategies to reduce agricultural workers’ environmental heat exposure.

Purpose of the Study: This study identified approaches to diabetes self-management that differentiate persons with well-controlled from poorly controlled diabetes. Previous research has focused largely on persons participating in self-management interventions. Design and Methods: In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 48 adults, drawn from a population-based sample aged 65 years or older with diabetes. The sample was stratified by sex and ethnic group (African American, American Indian, and White) from the low (A1C <6%) and high (A1C >8%) extremes of the glycemic control distribution. Case-based text analysis was guided by a model, including six self-management domains and four resource types (self-care, informal support, formal services, and medical care). Results: A “structured” approach to self-management differentiated respondents in good glycemic control from those in poor glycemic control. Those in good glycemic control were more likely to practice specific food behaviors to limit food consumption and practice regular blood glucose monitoring with specific target values. This approach was facilitated by a greater use of home aides to assist with diabetes care. Respondents in poor glycemic control demonstrated less structure, naming general food categories and checking blood glucose in reaction to symptoms. Implications: Results provide evidence that degree of structure differentiates self-management approaches of persons with good and poor glycemic control. Findings should provide a foundation for further research to develop effective self-management programs for older adults with diabetes.

Objectives

Guided by Leventhal’s Self-regulatory Model and Cockerham’s theory of health lifestyles, we explore 2 questions regarding physician consultation among elderly rural adults: What symptom characteristics prompt patient-initiated physician consultation? Do participants’ accounts of responses to symptoms, including the decision to consult a physician, incorporate descriptions of change over time?

Methods

We analyze data from semi-structured in-depth interviews with 62 older rural adults.

Results

Accounts of decisions to initiate contact with physicians support prior research. Some symptoms encouraged immediate consultation; others prompted periods of monitoring and lay management. Physicians were most often contacted if changes were new, unusually severe, persisted or worsened, or failed to respond to lay treatment.

Discussion

We characterize participants’ responses to symptoms as bricolages to highlight their construction from available materials. Incorporating the integrating concept of bricolage and Cockerham’s emphasis on both general dispositions and symptom-specific responses represents an important extension of Leventhal’s conceptualization of illness behavior, including patient-initiated physician consultation.

Immigrant Latino farmworkers confront multiple challenges that threaten their mental health. Previous farmworker mental health research has relied primarily on cross-sectional study designs, leaving little opportunity to describe how farmworker mental health changes or to identify factors that may contribute to these changes. This study used prospective data obtained at monthly intervals across one four-month agricultural season from a large sample of Latino farmworkers in NC (N=288) to document variation in depressive symptoms across the agricultural season and delineate structural and situational factors associated with mental health trajectories across time. Depressive symptoms generally followed a U-shaped distribution across the season, but there was substantial variation in this pattern. Structural stressors like marital status and situational stressors like the pace of work, crowded living conditions, and concerns about documentation predicted depressive symptoms. The pattern of results suggests that strategies to address mental health problems in this vulnerable population will require coordinated action at the individual and social level.

The goal of this study was to understand the potential threat of job stressors to farmworker health. To accomplish this goal we studied pesticide exposure, an issue with immediate and long-term health consequences, and predictions from the demands-control model of occupational stress. Longitudinal, self-report data and urine samples were collected at monthly intervals from a cohort of Latino farmworkers (N=287) during the 2007 agricultural season. The primary hypothesis was that greater exposure to psychological demands, physical exertion, and hazardous work conditions are associated with greater odds of detecting DAP urinary pesticide metabolites, biomarkers indicating exposure to pesticides. Contrary to this hypothesis, results indicated that none of the elements of the Demands-Control model were independently associated with detection of DAP urinary pesticide metabolites. However, analyses produced several interaction effects, including evidence that high levels of control may buffer the effects of physical job demands on detection of DAP urinary pesticide metabolites.

Abstract

Objectives

The study objectives were to identify types of complementary therapy that are most predictive of health outcomes, including functional status, physical health–related quality of life (HRQoL), and mental HRQoL among older adults.

Design

This was a prospective study.

Settings/location

The study comprised computer-assisted interviews conducted in participants' homes.

Subjects

Subjects included 1683 adults aged 55 and older who participated in the 2002 National Health Interview Survey and the 2003 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.

Intervention

None.

Outcome measures

Functional status, physical HRQoL, and mental HRQoL at 1-year follow-up.

Results

The use of biologically based therapies predicted better functional status, such that users reported less functional impairment than nonusers (p < 0.01), adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, health insurance, household income, and comorbid conditions. Users of manipulative and body-based methods reported less functional impairment (p < 0.05). They also reported better physical and mental health–related quality of life, though these relationships were marginally significant. Other groups of therapies, alternative medical systems, mind–body therapies, and prayer were not predictive of either functional status or HRQoL.

Conclusions

Favorable effects were observed among users of biologically based therapies and users of manipulative and body-based methods. Other types of complementary therapy had no effects on health status over a 1-year follow-up period.

PURPOSE

Document risk factors for depressive symptoms during the postpartum period among working mothers, and determine longitudinal effects of depressive symptoms on maternal health-related quality of life and infant health and development.

METHODS

Mother-infant dyads from a community-based cohort study of working mothers were recruited when infants were four months old and interviewed every four months until infants were 16 months. Depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and the Short Form-12 Health Survey, respectively. Infant development and health-related quality of life were measured with the Ages and Stages Questionnaire and the Infant-Toddler Quality of Life Questionnaire, respectively.

RESULTS

Depressive symptoms were elevated among mothers who were younger, less educated, African American, unmarried, and impoverished. Mothers with significant depressive symptoms had significantly poorer physical and mental health-related quality of life, reported greater pain for their infant, and had more health-related concerns about their child. Maternal depressive symptoms at four months predicted infant poorer health-related quality of life at 8, 12 and 16 months..

CONCLUSIONS

Several characteristics including age, education level, race, marital status, and poverty can help primary care physicians identify working mothers at risk for depressive symptoms. Identification of these symptoms is important; they are correlated with poorer maternal health-related quality of life and they predict poorer children’s health-related quality of life.