title: Musculoskeletal injury, functional disability, and health-related quality of life in aging Mexican immigrant farmworkers.
abstract: Migrant and seasonal farmworkers are at high risk for musculoskeletal and other occupational injuries. Although persons aged 40-80 years account for 40 % of all US farmworkers and as many as 50 % in certain regions, little is known about their occupational health issues. The current study examined work-related persistent musculoskeletal injuries (PMIs) and their association with clinical and functional indicators of disability and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in 177 middle-aged and elderly US-Mexico border farmworkers. At interview, 68 % reported current PMI pain; 51 % had pain at multiple sites. PMI pain was associated with increased shoulder, knee, and lower extremity dysfunction and reduced HRQOL scores. However, fewer than 25 % of injured participants received any conventional medical treatment. The study results indicated that work-related PMIs, especially multiple PMIs, caused significant functional impairment, disability, and poorer HRQOL, adversely affecting the ability of the aging farmworkers to perform work, self-care, and other daily activities.
authors: Department of Public Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), El Paso, TX, 79968, USA, mmweigel@utep.edu.
authors: M M
authors: MM
authors: Weigel
authors: R X
authors: RX
authors: Armijos
authors: O
authors: O
authors: Beltran
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000383:Agriculture / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D059352:Musculoskeletal Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology