Dr. Carly Hyland, a post-doctoral researcher in Public Health and Population Science and a member of the Curl Agricultural Health Lab, has received funding from the Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center at the University of Washington to investigate pesticide exposure and risk perceptions among 60 male and female Latinx farmworkers in Idaho.
Latinx farmworkers represent over 80% of the agricultural workforce in the United States, yet most studies on this population focus exclusively on male farmworkers – despite the growing percentage of the United States agricultural workforce that is now female. The objective of this pilot study is to assess and compare exposure to a range of agricultural pesticides that are commonly used on crops grown in Idaho among male and female Latinx farmworkers, as well as other factors such as perceptions of pesticide risk, availability of properly fitting Personal Protective Equipment, and barriers to increasing protection from pesticides.
This mixed-methods study will involve a multi-disciplinary research team at Boise State University, including Dr. Lisa Meierotto (School of Public Service), Dr. Rebecca Som Castellano (Department of Sociology), and Dr. Carolina Viera (World Languages), as well as students Alejandra Hernandez, Lorely Lira, and Yasmín Estrella. The research team will also collaborate with community partners for recruitment, including the Idaho Organization of Resource Councils and the St. Luke’s mobile health clinics.
Recruitment of 30 male and 30 female farmworkers began in April 2022. In addition to completing surveys and interviews, study participants will provide two urine samples for pesticide exposure analysis.
Read a press article from KBTV about this study, as well as hear interviews from Dr. Hyland and Ms. Hernandez.