Abstract
Farmworkers in North America work in an environment likely to produce skin injuries and illnesses that affect quality of life (QOL). We identified the dimensions of skin-related QOL that were most impaired and examined predictors in a cohort of North Carolina farmworkers. We conducted a longitudinal survey of 304 Latino farmworkers across a work season (1,048 interviews). We assessed skin-related QOL using the Dermatology Life Quality Index. Effects on QOL were reported in 38.7% of observations. The greatest impacts of skin impairments were seen in the Symptoms and Feelings and Work and School Subscales. In multivariate analysis, specific work tasks and high temperatures were associated with greater decrements in QOL. Skin disease among farmworkers is sufficiently severe to affect QOL. Future research should test the effectiveness of interventions on modifiable factors such as facilities for personal hygiene and field sanitation on skin-related QOL.
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