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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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate respiratory behavior and respiratory indices of poultry workers on family-owned, poultry farms with 10 or less employees in North Carolina. A field study was conducted to collect data on participants (N = 24) using spirometry, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (Feno), and an interviewer-administered questionnaire. The majority of workers (76%) ranked respiratory protection as being important, yet 48% reported never or rarely wearing respiratory protection when working in dusty conditions. A large percent of workers reported eye (55%) and nasal (50%) irritation and dry cough (50%). On average, pulmonary lung function and Feno tests were normal among nonsmokers. In bivariate analysis, significant associations were identified between working 7 days on the farm (P =.01), with eye irritation, and working 5 or fewer years in poultry farming (P =.01). Poultry workers on family-owned farms spend a considerable amount of work time in poultry houses and report acute respiratory-related health symptoms. Administrative controls among small, family-owned poultry farms are necessary to improve and promote safety and health to its employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The respiratory health of 230 female and 1,734 male farming students (FS) and 407 male rural controls was analyzed. A significantly increased prevalence of cough (6.9%) was reported among the male FS compared to the controls (2.5%). Measured FEV1 and FVC did not differ between the male FS and the controls, as opposed to significantly higher values among the female FS compared to a random sample of urban females stratified for height. Skin prick test (SPT) to house dust and storage mites was significantly more prevalent among the controls (18.7%) compared to the male FS (12.8%) and the female FS (11.9%). The size of the house dust mite weal and the number of positive skin prick reactions were significantly associated with bronchial hyperreactivity. The difference in lung function among the female FS and the lower prevalence of skin reaction among the male FS and female FS probably reflects a healthy workers selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]