Physical activity and work activities in Florida agricultural workers

Abstract

Background: Laboring in hot and humid conditions is a risk factor for heat-related illnesses. Little is known about the amount of physical activity performed in the field setting by agricultural workers, a population that is among those at highest risk for heat-related mortality in the United States.

Methods: We measured accelerometer-based physical activity and work activities performed in 244 Florida agricultural workers, 18 to 54 years of age, employed in the fernery, nursery, and crop operations during the summer work seasons of 2015-2017. Environmental temperature data during the participant's workdays were collected from the Florida Automated Weather Network and used to calculate wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT). Generalized linear mixed model regression was used to examine the association between WBGT on physical activity, stratified by the agricultural sector.

Results: Fernery workers had the highest overall volume of physical activity, spending nearly 4 hours in moderate to vigorous activity per workday. Activity over the course of the workday also differed by the agricultural sector. A reduction on average physical activity with increasing environmental temperature was observed only among crop workers.

Conclusions: The quantity and patterns of physical activity varied by the agricultural sector, sex, and age, indicating that interventions that aim to reduce heat-related morbidity and mortality should be tailored to specific subpopulations. Some workers did not reduce overall physical activity under dangerously hot environmental conditions, which has implications for policies protecting worker health. Future research is needed to determine how physical activity and climatic conditions impact the development of heat-related disorders in this population.

Keywords: agricultural workers; heat exposure; heat illness; physical activity.