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Hansson E, Jakobsson K, Glaser J, Wesseling C, Chavarria D, Lucas RAI, Prince H, Wegman DH. Impact of heat and a rest-shade-hydration intervention program on productivity of piece-paid industrial agricultural workers at risk of chronic kidney disease of nontraditional origin. Ann Work Expo Health 2024; 68:366-375. [PMID: 38367206 PMCID: PMC11033565 DOI: 10.1093/annweh/wxae007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Assess the impact of environmental heat and a rest-shade-hydration (RSH) intervention against heat stress on productivity of piece-paid Mesoamerican sugarcane cutters. These workers are at a high risk of chronic kidney disease of non-traditional origin (CKDnt), from the severe heat stress they experience due to heavy work under hot conditions. RSH interventions in these populations improve kidney health outcomes, but their impact on productivity has yet to be examined. METHODS We accessed routine productivity data from seed (SC, N = 749) and burned (BCC, N = 535) sugarcane cutters observed over five harvest seasons with increasing RSH intervention at a large Nicaraguan sugarcane mill. Hourly field-site wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) was recorded by mill staff and summarized as a daily mean. Mixed linear regression was used to model daily productivity, adjusting for age (18-29, 30-44, and >45 years), sex, WBGT (<28, 28-29, 29-30, 30-31, and >31 °C) on the same and preceding day, harvest season (2017-18 to 2021-22), month, and acclimatization status (<1, 1-2, and >2 weeks). RESULTS There was an inverse dose-response relationship between SC productivity and WBGT on the same and preceding days, decreasing by approximately 3%/°C WBGT. Productivity increased during the study period, i.e. coinciding with RSH scale-up, by approximately 19% in SC and 9% in BCC. CONCLUSION Agricultural worker productivity was expected lower on hotter days, strengthening the interest in all stakeholders to mitigate increasing global temperatures and their impact. Despite decreasing the total time allocated for work each day, an RSH intervention appears to result in increased productivity and no apparent loss in productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik Hansson
- La Isla Network, 2219 California NW Unit 52, 20008 Washington, District of Columbia, United States
- Occupational and Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Box 414, 413 90 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Kristina Jakobsson
- La Isla Network, 2219 California NW Unit 52, 20008 Washington, District of Columbia, United States
- Occupational and Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Box 414, 413 90 Gothenburg, Sweden
- Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Box 414, 413 90 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jason Glaser
- La Isla Network, 2219 California NW Unit 52, 20008 Washington, District of Columbia, United States
| | - Catharina Wesseling
- La Isla Network, 2219 California NW Unit 52, 20008 Washington, District of Columbia, United States
- Unit of Occupational Medicine, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Box 210, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Denis Chavarria
- Occupational Health Management, Ingenio San Antonio/Nicaragua Sugar Estates Limited, Km. 119 Carretera León-Chinandega, Chichigalpa, Nicaragua
| | - Rebekah A I Lucas
- La Isla Network, 2219 California NW Unit 52, 20008 Washington, District of Columbia, United States
- School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Heath Prince
- La Isla Network, 2219 California NW Unit 52, 20008 Washington, District of Columbia, United States
- LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin, 2315 Red River St, Austin, TX 78712,United States
| | - David H Wegman
- La Isla Network, 2219 California NW Unit 52, 20008 Washington, District of Columbia, United States
- University of Massachusetts Lowell, 1 University Avenue, Lowell, 01854 MA, United States
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