Gender differences in respiratory health outcomes among farming cohorts around the globe: findings from the AGRICOH consortium
Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: Purpose: Respiratory hazards of farming have been identified for centuries, with little focus on gender differences. We used data from the AGRICOH consortium, a collective of prospective cohorts of agricultural workers, to assess respiratory disease prevalence among adults in 18 cohorts representing over 200,000 farmers, farm workers, and their spouses from six continents.Methods: Cohorts collected data between 1992 and 2016 and ranged in size from 200 to >128,000 individuals; 44% of participants were female. Farming practices varied from subsistence farming to large-scale industrial agriculture. All cohorts provided respiratory outcome information for their cohort based on their study definitions. The majority of outcomes were based on self-report using standard respiratory questionnaires; the greatest variability in assessment methods was associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Results: For all three respiratory symptoms (cough, phlegm, and wheeze), the median prevalence in men was higher than in women, with the greatest difference for phlegm (17% vs. 10%). For asthma, women had a higher prevalence (7.8% vs 6.5%), with the difference associated with allergic asthma. The relative proportion of allergic asthma varied among cohorts. In two of eight cohorts for women and two of seven cohorts for men, allergic asthma was more common than non-allergic asthma.Conclusions: These findings indicate that respiratory outcomes are common among farmers around the world despite differences in agricultural production. As women in the general population are at higher risk of asthma, exploring gender differences in occupational studies is critical for a deeper understanding of respiratory disease among agricultural workers.
Source: Journal of Agromedicine
Authors: Jonathan Fix, Isabella Annesi-Maesano, Isabelle Baldi, Mathilde Boulanger, Soo Cheng, Sandra Cortes, Jean- Charles Dalphin, Mohamed Aqiel Dalvie, Bruno Degano, Jeroen Douwes, Wijnand Eduard, Grethe Elholm, Catterina Ferreccio, Anne-Helen Harding, Mohamed Jeebhay, Kevin M Kelly, Hans Kromhout, Ewan MacFarlane, Cara Nichole Maesano, Diane Catherine Mitchell, Hussein Mwanga, Saloshni Naidoo, Beyene Negatu, Dorothy Ngajilo, Karl- Christian Nordby, Christine G Parks, Marc B Schenker, Aesun Shin, Torben Sigsgaard, Malcolm Sim, Thibaud Soumagne, Peter Thorne, Keun-Young Yoo, Jane A Hoppin
Institutions: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Inserm, Institut Pierre Louis d‘Épidémiologie et de Santé Publique, Université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie, Centre François Baclesse, Massey University, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Besançon, Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement, Université de Franche-Comté, University of Cape Town, National Institute of Occupational Health, Aarhus University, Health and Safety Executive, University of Iowa, Utrecht University, Monash University, University of California, Davis, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Government of Ethiopia, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Seoul National University, North Carolina State University
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: North Carolina State University, South African Medical Research Council, South Africa Netherlands research Programme on Alternatives in Development, National Institutes of Health, Medical Research Council, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Fondo de Financiamiento de Centros de Investigación en Áreas Prioritarias
OpenAlex ID: W3011184160