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BACKGROUND: Cultivation of tobacco raises concerns about detrimental health and social consequences for youth, but tobacco producing countries only highlight economic benefits. We compared sociodemographic and health-related characteristics of school-age youth who worked and did not work in tobacco farming and assessed the effects on smoking behavior and health at 1 year. METHODS: We used existing data collected in the province of Jujuy, Argentina where 3188 youth 13 to 17 years of age from a random middle school sample responded to longitudinal questionnaires in 2005 and 2006. Multivariate logistic regression models predicted association of tobacco farming work with health status and smoking behavior at 1 year. RESULTS: 22.8% of youth in the tobacco growing areas of the province were involved in tobacco farming. The mean age of initiation to tobacco farming was 12.6 years. Youth working in farming had higher rates of fair or poor versus good or excellent self-perceived health (30.3% vs. 19.0%), having a serious injury (48.5% vs. 38.5%), being injured accidentally by someone else (7.5% vs. 4.6%), being assaulted (5.5% vs. 2.6%), and being poisoned by exposure to chemicals (2.5% vs. 0.7%). Youth working in tobacco farming also had higher prevalence of ever (67.9% vs. 55.2%), current (48.0% vs. 32.6%) and established smoking (17.8% vs. 9.9%). In multivariate logistic regression models tobacco farming in 2005 was associated with significant increased reporting of serious injury (OR = 1.4; 95%CI 1.1-2.0), accidental injury by someone else (OR = 1.5; 95% 1.0-2.1), assault (OR = 2.2; 95% CI 1.3-3.8), and poisoning by exposure to chemicals (OR = 2.5; 95% CI 1.2-5.4). Tobacco farming in 2005 predicted established smoking 1 year later (OR = 1.5; 95% CI 1.1-2.0). CONCLUSION: Youth who work in tobacco faming face a challenging burden of adversities that increase their vulnerability. Risk assessments should guide public policies to protect underage youth working in tobacco farming. (298 words).

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INTRODUCTION: Exposure to pesticides has been associated with mental disorders, especially in occupationally exposed populations, such as farmers. This effect has been attributed to the neurotoxic and endocrine-disrupting activity of pesticides, as suggested by experimental studies. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of common mental disorders and self-reported depression, and analyze their association with the exposure to pesticides in a rural population resident in the municipality of Dom Feliciano, Rio Grande do Sul, where tobacco farming is the main economic activity. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study evaluating the prevalence of common mental disorders and self-reported depression in a sample of 869 adult individuals resident in Dom Feliciano, between October 2011 and March 2012 was performed. The evaluation of common mental disorders was performed using the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20), setting a cutoff point of 8 for both genders. A standardized questionnaire was used to obtain information on self-reported depression upon prior diagnosis by a health professional, and self-reported exposure to pesticide. In order to evaluate the association between exposure to pesticides and mental disorders, a non-conditional multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: The prevalence of common mental disorders and self-reported depression in the sample population were 23% and 21%, respectively. Among individuals who reported depression, an increase of 73% was observed in the odds of pesticide exposure at an age equal to or less than 15 years. There was a positive association between self-reported pesticide poisoning and common mental disorders (OR=2.63; 95% CI, 1.62-4.25) as well as self-reported depression (OR=2.62; 95% CI, 1.63-4.21). Individuals who reported depression had a greater odds of exposure to pyrethroids (OR=1.80; 95% CI, 1.01-3.21) and aliphatic alcohol (OR=1.99; 95% CI, 1.04-3.83). An SRQ-20≥8 was associated with an approximately seven times higher odds of exposure to aliphatic alcohol (95% CI, 1.73-27.53). Self-reported depression positively correlated with a greater period of exposure to dinitroaniline (OR=2.20; 95% CI, 1.03-4.70) and sulphonylurea (OR=4.95; 95% CI, 1.06-23.04). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that exposure to pesticides could be related mental disorders. However, other common risk factors in tobacco farming, the main local economic activity, cannot be excluded.

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BACKGROUND: Despite tobacco farming involving intensive manual labor, chronic low back pain (CLBP) prevalence and associated factors are unknown among this occupational group. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in southern Brazil. A random sample of tobacco farmers was interviewed. Socioeconomic and individual characteristics, occupational tasks, workloads, and comorbidities were investigated. Chronic low back pain prevalence was described in relation to independent variables, and associations were examined with Poisson regression. RESULTS: Chronic low back pain prevalence was 8·4%. Increasing age, rearing two or more species of livestock (PR 1·65), exposure to tasks that require heavy physical exertion (PR 2·00), working in awkward postures (PR 1·36), green tobacco sickness (GTS) (PR 1·63), pesticide poisoning (PR 2·37), and minor psychiatric disorders (PR 2·55) were associated with CLBP. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that CLBP is a relevant health problem among tobacco farmers and highlights understudied risk factors such as pesticide poisoning and GTS. Policies to minimize exposure to physiological and chemical workloads in tobacco planting to prevent CLBP are needed. Health professionals should be trained to diagnose and prevent acute low back pain episodes and thus prevent/minimize limitations and disabilities due to CLBP.

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Introdução: o trabalho agrícola exige esforço físico e posturas inadequadas que são de risco para dor lombar e limitação no trabalho. A dor lombar, em especial a crônica, é responsável por grande número de afastamentos do trabalho. Objetivo: avaliou-se a prevalência de limitação no trabalho por dor lombar crônica (DLC), dor lombar no último mês (DLM) e dor lombar aguda (DLAguda), bem como as tarefas que os fumicultores deixaram de fazer devido a essas patologias. Métodos: estudo transversal realizado no ano de 2011 com uma amostra aleatória de 2469 fumicultores de São Lourenço do Sul/RS. A investigação de fatores associados à limitação por DLM foi realizada através da regressão de Poisson. Resultados: as prevalências de limitação no trabalho por DLC, DLM e DLAguda foram respectivamente, de 37,6%, 14,4,% e 7,8%. Carregar folhas, empilhar lenha e colher baixeiro foram as tarefas que os fumicultores mais deixaram de fazer. Na análise ajustada, foram associadas à limitação por DLM: idade, gastos com imposto sobre a propriedade de veículos automotores (IPVA), dificuldades para pagar dívidas e problemas psiquiátricos menores. Indivíduos com DLAguda deixam de fazer as mesmas tarefas daqueles com DLC, mas estes têm muito mais limitação no trabalho. .

Background: farming requires high physical effort and awkward postures, which are low back pain risk factors and restrain work. Low back pain, particularly chronic pain, causes a high number of sick leaves. Objective: to assess prevalence of work limitations due to chronic low back pain (CLBP), of low back pain in the last month (LBPLM) and of acute low back pain (ALBP), as well as the tasks farmers, owing to these injuries, are not able to cope with. Methods: cross-sectional study carried out in 2011 in a random sample of Brazilian tobacco farmers (2469) from São Lourenço do Sul/RS. Factors associated to limitation originated from LBPLM were evaluated via Poisson regression. Results: prevalence of work limitation due to CLBP, LBPLM and ALBP were respectively 37.6%, 14.4% and 7.8%. The tasks tobacco farmers most frequently had to give up were: carrying leaves, stacking firewood and harvesting bottom leaves. In the adjusted analysis, age, road tax expenses, difficulty in paying debts and minor psychiatric disorders were associated to work limitation due to LBPLM. ALBP individuals give up performing the same tasks as CLBP individuals, but CLBP individuals have higher work limitations. .

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BACKGROUND: Despite being the second largest tobacco producer in the world, Brazil does not have prevalence studies about green tobacco sickness (GTS). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out on a sample of Brazilian tobacco workers. The sample was described according to socio-demographic, behavioral, and occupational variables. Gender-stratified multivariate analyses examined variables associated with GTS. RESULTS: GTS prevalence among men in the previous month was 6.6%, while among women it was 11.9%. Among men, age, being a non-smoker, hanging tobacco sticks in the barn, harvesting wet leaves, and exposure to physical exertion were risk factors for GTS. Among women, tying hands of tobacco, transporting bales, harvesting wet leaves, having had contact with pesticides, and exposure to physical exertion were positively associated with GTS. CONCLUSION: Research is required to improve methods for GTS screening, as well as the ability to distinguish GTS from pesticide poisoning. Health professionals should be trained to diagnose and treat GTS.

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El objetivo principal de este trabajo es examinar el efecto de las Fiebres del Magdalena en las exportaciones de tabaco en la región de Ambalema (Colombia), entre 1856 y 1870. En éste se explora tanto el efecto del trabajo sobre la salud, como el de la salud sobre el trabajo en esta etapa del desarrollo exportador colombiano. En el desarrollo del texto se revisan la aparición de las epidemias conocidas como Fiebres del Magdalena, el comportamiento del volumen de exportaciones de tabaco desde la zona de producción de Ambalema y los precios internacionales del tabaco colombiano en la época. También se formula un modelo econométrico que permite establecer si las Fiebres del Magdalena fueron un factor relevante en el comportamiento de las exportaciones de tabaco desde Ambalema. El análisis de los datos empíricos arroja como resultado la disminución en la exportación de 72.000 pacas de tabaco al año en el período estudiado, a causa de las Fiebres del Magdalena en la región, y también un efecto negativo de la enfermedad sobre los precios del tabaco.

It is aimed at reviewing the effect reflected in the quality and quantity of tobacco exportation with the appearance of Magdalena Fevers in the Ambalema zone (Colombia), between 1856 and 1870. The research explores the effect of labor over health and the effect of health over labor in this stage of the Colombian export development. By formulating an econometric model it is possible to establish whether the epidemic outbreaks of fevers were a relevant factor in explaining the behavior of tobacco exports from Ambalema to the outside. The analysis of the empirical data shows that it is possible that a fall on the exports in about 72,000 tobacco sacks per year caused by the fevers in the studied region, as well as a negative effect of the disease on the tobacco prices.

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