ABSTRACT

Purpose: Despite recent improvements in the quality and availability of educational materials to promote heat safety in agriculture, success in addressing the factors that inhibit the adoption of self-protective practices among farmworkers remains limited. Social marketing interventions can address gaps between safety knowledge and implementation by targeting segmented audiences with tailored behavioral products that compete with comfortable yet potentially harmful alternatives. The purpose of this study was to collect preliminary biological and survey data during a 5-day period in the spring of 2019 to identify hydration levels, perceptions, attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors associated with the prevention of heat-related illness (HRI) among 29 tomato harvesters in southwest Florida.

Methods: Urine samples were collected before and at the end of each workday. Survey data were collected at baseline and at the end of each workday. Reagent strips were used to assess urine specific gravity, a measurement of hydration status. Descriptive statistics, relative frequency distributions, and bivariate correlation analysis were used to summarize the data.

Results/Findings: Results showed that a majority of study participants were slightly or not at all concerned about becoming ill from the heat while working despite the wide prevalence of HRI symptoms. On average, participants were hypohydrated both at the start and end of each workday. Certain cooling practices, such as consumption of electrolyte drinks, tended to be implemented at the onset of HRI symptoms. More than 75% of the harvesters typically avoided taking any rest breaks. Yet all had received some form of heat safety training; knowledge test scores averaged 78%. Findings suggest safety behaviors had more to do with the amelioration of HRI symptoms than with training and knowledge.

Practical application: To effectively encourage heat safety among Florida tomato harvesters, social marketing efforts must shift current behaviors from a reactive to a preventive orientation.

摘要

目的：尽管最近为提高农业热安全性而提供的教学材料的质量和可用性已有改善，但解决阻碍农民工采用自我保护措施的因素的成功仍然有限。社交营销干预措施可以通过针对细分受众群体量身定制的行为产品来解决安全知识与实施之间的差距，这些行为产品可以与舒适却潜在有害的替代品竞争。这项研究的目的是在2019年春季的5天期间收集初步的生物学和调查数据，以识别与预防热相关疾病（HRI）相关的水合水平，知觉，态度，知识和行为。佛罗里达州西南部的29个番茄收割机。

Methods: Urine samples were collected before and at the end of each workday. Survey data were collected at baseline and at the end of each workday. Reagent strips were used to assess urine specific gravity, a measurement of hydration status. Descriptive statistics, relative frequency distributions, and bivariate correlation analysis were used to summarize the data.

Results/Findings: Results showed that a majority of study participants were slightly or not at all concerned about becoming ill from the heat while working despite the wide prevalence of HRI symptoms. On average, participants were hypohydrated both at the start and end of each workday. Certain cooling practices, such as consumption of electrolyte drinks, tended to be implemented at the onset of HRI symptoms. More than 75% of the harvesters typically avoided taking any rest breaks. Yet all had received some form of heat safety training; knowledge test scores averaged 78%. Findings suggest safety behaviors had more to do with the amelioration of HRI symptoms than with training and knowledge.

实际应用：为了有效地促进佛罗里达州番茄收割机的热安全，社会营销工作必须将当前的行为从反应型转变为预防型。