The goal of this analysis is to evaluate the effectiveness of a promotora program for teaching women in Latino farmworker families about pesticide safety and increasing pesticide safety behaviors. Volunteer promotoras delivered a pesticide safety curriculum (intervention) and nutrition curriculum (control) to farmworker women residing in western North Carolina and Virginia. Pre-and postintervention interviews assessed differences in delivery of the intervention, recognition of the intervention, pesticide knowledge, pesticide exposures behaviors, and integrated pest management behaviors. Participants in the intervention group reported significantly more receipt of pesticide education and greater recognition of the key messages. However, their knowledge, pesticide exposure behaviors, and integrated pest management behaviors did not change. A more structured program is needed to be sure that the dose of interventions is large enough to overcome educational and cultural characteristics of immigrant communities. Policy changes are needed to address circumstances outside of farmworkers' control that affect pesticide exposure.
Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
2.
Arcury, T.A., Quandt, S.A., Rao, P., Doran, A., Early, J., Lane, C., et al. (2004a). Programa la promotora: Nutrition education materials. Winston-Salem, NC: Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine .
3.
Arcury, T.A., Quandt, S.A., Rao, P., Doran, A., Early, J., Lane, C., et al. (2004b). Programa la promotora: Pesticide safety education materials. Winston-Salem, NC: Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
4.
Arcury, T.A., Quandt, S.A., Rao, P., Doran, A.M., Snively, B.M., Barr, D.B., et al. (2005). Organophosphate pesticide exposure in farmworker family members in western North Carolina and Virginia: Case comparisons. Human Organization, 64, 40-51.
5.
Balcázar, H., Alvarado, M., Hollen, M.L., Gonzalez-Cruz, Y., Hughes, O., Vazquez, E., et al. (2006). Salud Para Su Corazon-NCLR: A comprehensive Promotora outreach program to promote heart-healthy behaviors among Hispanics . Health Promotion Practice, 7, 68-77.
6.
Bradman, M.A., Harnly, M.E., Draper, W., Seidel, S., Teran, S., Wakeham, D., et al. (1997). Pesticide exposures to children from California's Central Valley: Results of a pilot study. Journal of Exposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology, 7, 217-234.
7.
Calvert, G.M., Plate, D.K., Das, R., Rosales, R., Shafey, O., Thomsen, C., et al. (2004). Acute occupational pesticide-related illness in the US, 1998-1999: Surveillance findings from the SENSOR-pesticides program . American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 45, 14-23.
8.
Carroll, D.J., Samardick, R., Bernard, S., Gabbard, S., & Hernandez, T. (2005). Findings from the National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS) 2001-2002: A demographic and employment profile of United States farm workers (Rep. No. 9). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy.
Early, J., Davis, S.W., Quandt, S.A., Rao, P., Snively, B.M., & Arcury, T.A. (2006). Housing characteristics of farmworker families in North Carolina. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health , 8, 173-184.
11.
Eng, E., Parker, E., & Harlan, C. (1997). Lay health advisor intervention strategies: a continuum from natural helping to paraprofessional helping. Health Education & Behavior, 24, 413-417.
12.
Hiott, A.E., Quandt, S.A., Early, J., Jackson, D.S., & Arcury, T.A. (2006). Review of pesticide educational materials for health care providers providing care to agricultural workers. Journal of Rural Health, 22, 17-25.
13.
Kegler, M.C., Stern, R., Whitecrow-Ollis, S., & Malcoe, L.H. (2003). Assessing lay health advisor activity in an intervention to prevent lead poisoning in NativeAmerican children. Health Promotion Practice, 4, 189-196.
14.
McCauley, L.A., Beltran, M., Phillips, J., Lasarev, M., & Sticker, D. (2001). The Oregon migrant farmworker community: an evolving model for participatory research. Environmental Health Perspectives , 109(Suppl. 3), 449-455.
15.
Quandt, S.A., Arcury, T.A., & Pell, A.I. (2001). Something for everyone? A community and academic partnership to address farmworker pesticide exposure in North Carolina. Environmental Health Perspectives, 109(Suppl. 3), 435-441.
16.
Quandt, S.A., Arcury, T.A., Rao, P., Mellen, B.G., Camann, D.E., Doran, A.M., et al. (2004). Agricultural and residential pesticides in wipe samples from farmworker family residences in North Carolina. Environmental Health Perspectives, 112, 382-387.
17.
Quandt, S.A., Hernández-Valero, M.A., Grzywacz, J.G., Hovey, J.D., Gonzales, M., & Arcury, T.A. (2006). Workplace, household, and personal predictors of pesticide exposure for farmworkers. Environmental Health Perspectives, 114, 943-952.
18.
Quandt, S.A., Preisser, J., & Arcury, T.A. (2002). Mobility patterns of migrant farmworkers in North Carolina: Implications for occupational health research and policy. Human Organization, 61, 21-29.
19.
Rao, P., Gentry, A.L., Quandt, S.A., Davis, S.W., Snively, B.M., & Arcury, T.A. (2006). Pesticide safety behaviors in Latino Farmworker family households. American Journal of Industrial Medicine , 49, 271-280.
20.
Rao, P., Quandt, S.A., Doran, A., Snively, B.M., & Arcury, T.A. (2007). Pesticides in the homes of farmworkers: Latino mother's perceptions of risk to their children's health. Health Education & Behavior, 34, 335-353.
21.
Reigart, J.R., & Roberts, J.R. (1999). Recognition and management of pesticide poisonings (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Pesticide Programs, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
22.
Thompson, B., Coronado, G., Chen, L., & Islas, I. (2006). Celebremos la salud! A community randomized trial of cancer prevention (United States). Cancer Causes Control , 17, 733-746.
23.
Thompson, B., Coronado, G.D., Puschel, K., & Allen, E. (2001). Identifying constituents to participate in a project to control pesticide exposure in children of farmworkers. Environmental Health Perspectives, 109(Suppl. 3), 443-448.
24.
United States Environmental Protection Agency. ( 1992). Worker protection standard (Federal Register Title 40 CFR, Part 70). Washington DC: Author .
25.
Vela Acosta, M.S., Chapman, P., Begelow, P.L., Kennedy, C., & Buchan, R.M. (2005). Measuring success in pesticide risk reduction program among migrant farmworkers in Colorado. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 47, 237-245.
26.
Weller, S.C. (1983). New data on intracultural variability: the hot-cold concept of medicine and illness. Human Organization, 42, 249-257.
