User Perceptions of ¡Protéjase!: An Intervention Designed to Increase Protective Equipment Use Among Mexican Immigrant and Mexican American Farmworkers

The Receptivity to Safety-Related Mobile Apps Among Commercial Fishing Captains: Descriptive Exploratory Study

BACKGROUND

Mobile apps addressing a variety of workplace safety issues have proliferated over the last decade as mobile technology has advanced and smartphone ownership has increased. Workplace safety interventions are often designed for a specific work site. However, some of the most dangerous jobs are ones in which workers frequently change field locations, such as commercial fishing. Mobile apps may be particularly suitable for delivering safety interventions to these workers.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to gauge the potential for using mobile apps to deliver safety interventions to commercial fishing workers. The purpose of this paper is to describe how fishermen use their mobile devices during fishing operations and identify any mobile apps they already use for safety.

METHODS

Participants comprised commercial fishing captains who already owned an iOS or Android smartphone or tablet. They completed a questionnaire that asked about their current mobile device use and their use of safety-related mobile apps, in addition to questions about their fishing operations. We performed descriptive analyses of the data.

RESULTS

A total of 61 participants completed the questionnaire. The most common types of mobile devices participants reported owning were iPhones (n=36, 59%) and Android phones (n=24, 39%). Most participants (n=53, 87%) reported using their mobile device for both work and personal purposes, including while out at sea (n=52, 85%). Over half of the participants reported that they had either safety-related apps (n=17, 28%) or apps that help them with their work (n=35, 57%). The types of apps most frequently mentioned were apps for weather, wind, tides, and navigation.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study indicate that some commercial fishing captains who own a mobile device are receptive to using safety-related apps for work. Apps that help avoid hazards by monitoring environmental conditions and apps optimized for use on smartphones may be most likely to be adopted and used. Overall, these results suggest that mobile apps are a promising avenue for improving safety among workers in commercial fishing and similar occupations.

Assessment of pesticide safety knowledge and practices in Vietnam: A cross-sectional study of smallholder farmers in the Mekong Delta

Over the past three decades, the Vietnamese Mekong Delta has experienced a significant increase in agricultural productivity, partly achieved through increased agrochemical use. To abate negative effects on human and environmental health, several national programs were launched to enhance safer pesticide use. This study aimed to assess the patterns and relationships of official sustainable agriculture educational programs, pesticide safety knowledge, and practices of smallholder farmers in the Mekong Delta. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 400 smallholder farmers from three communes in Thoi Lai district (Can Tho province) from March to May 2020. Twenty-four questions on pesticide safety knowledge and practices were used to identify traits using latent class analysis. Adjusted generalized linear regression was used to assess determinants of pesticide safety knowledge and estimate associations of pesticide safety knowledge with pesticide practices. 96.2% of participants have used at least one WHO class II pesticide during the past year while the use of specific personal protective equipment was limited mainly due to unavailability (37.0%) or discomfort (83.0%). High education (Odds Ratio (OR), 95% Confidence Interval; 3.84, 1.70-9.45), exposure to official educational programs (1.87, 1.13-3.12), peer-to-peer knowledge exchange (3.58, 2.18-6.00), and learning from governmental extension services (2.31, 1.14-4.98) were positively associated with increased pesticide safety knowledge. Compared to poor practices, pesticide safety knowledge was increasingly positively associated with intermediate (1.65, 1.02-2.66) and good pesticide practices (8.96, 2.58-31.12). These findings highlight the importance of school education and educational programs, access to PPE, and addressing discomforts of PPE to improve the protection of farmers from pesticide exposures. Simultaneously, pesticide market authorization processes should be reconsidered to promote the authorization of less toxic products. Further in-depth studies on the nature of pesticides used, nonuse of personal protective equipment, and effectiveness of educational programs will further define leverage points for safer pesticide use.

Promoting Culturally Tailored mHealth: A Scoping Review of Mobile Health Interventions in Latinx Communities

This scoping review of mHealth research focuses on intervention studies that utilize mobile technologies to promote behavior change and improve health outcomes in U.S. Latinx communities. 342 mHealth articles were reviewed using PRIMSA protocols; most did not include a majority Latinx study population or did not report on an intervention. The final sample resulted in 23 articles published between 2012 and 2020. Reviewed interventions focused on conditions such as: diabetes, depression, substance abuse, obesity, hypertension, maternal health, and farmworker safety. About one-third of mHealth interventions included mobile applications, the rest were limited to texting programs. Text message reminders can help improve medication adherence and care access, especially when coupled with support from community health workers. Bi-directional text message interventions with feedback loops and personalized treatment options can build user agency. Additionally, multi-modal applications that combine texting with self-guided interactive content show promise for culturally tailored mHealth.

Providing Health Information to Latino Farmworkers: The Case of the Affordable Care Act

OBJECTIVE

Providing health program information to vulnerable communities, such as Latino farmworkers, is difficult. This analysis describes the manner in which farmworkers receive information about the Affordable Care Act, comparing farmworkers with other Latinos.

METHODS

Interviews were conducted with 100 Latino farmworkers and 100 urban Latino North Carolina residents in 2015.

RESULTS

Most farmworkers had received health information from a community organization. Trusted sources for health information were health care providers and community organizations. Sources that would influence decisions to enroll were Latino nurses and doctors, religious leaders, and family members. Traditional media, including oral presentation and printed material at the doctor's office, were preferred by the majority of farmworkers and non-farmworkers. Farmworkers used traditional electronic media: radio, television, and telephone. More non-farmworkers used current electronic media: e-mail and Internet.

CONCLUSIONS

Latino farmworkers and non-farmworkers prefer traditional media in the context of a health care setting. They are willing to try contemporary electronic media for this information.