Industrial Hog Operation Workers' Perspectives on Occupational Exposure to Zoonotic Pathogens: A Qualitative Pilot Study in North Carolina, USA.

Industrial hog operation (IHO) workers face a range of occupational hazards, including exposure to zoonotic pathogens such as livestock-associated antimicrobial-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and swine-origin influenza viruses with epidemic or pandemic potential. To better understand this population's occupational exposure to zoonotic pathogens, we conducted a community-driven qualitative research study in eastern North Carolina. We completed in-depth interviews with ten IHO workers and used thematic analysis to identify and analyze patterns of responses. Workers described direct and indirect occupational contact with hogs, with accompanying potential for dermal, ingestion, and inhalation exposures to zoonotic pathogens. Workers also described potential take-home pathways, wherein they could transfer livestock-associated pathogens and other contaminants from IHOs to their families and communities. Findings warrant future research, and suggest that more restrictive policies on antimicrobials, stronger health and safety regulations, and better policies and practices across all IHOs could afford greater protection against worker and take-home zoonotic pathogen exposures.

Data quality from a longitudinal study of adolescent health at schools near industrial livestock facilities.

PURPOSE: Longitudinal designs enable examination of temporal relationships between exposures and health outcomes, but extended participation can cause study fatigue. We present an approach for analyzing data quality and study fatigue in a participatory, longitudinal study of adolescents. METHODS: Participants (n = 340) in the Rural Air Pollutants and Children's Health study completed daily diaries for 3 to 5 weeks in 2009 while we monitored outdoor pollutant concentrations. We used regression models to examine established associations between disease, symptoms, anthropometrics, and lung function as indicators of internal consistency and external validity. We modeled temporal trends in data completeness, lung function, environmental odors, and symptoms to assess study fatigue. RESULTS: Of 5728 records, 94.2% were complete. Asthma and allergy status were associated with asthma-related symptoms at baseline and during follow-up, for example, prevalence ratio = 8.77 (95% confidence interval: 4.33-17.80) for awakening with wheeze among diagnosed asthmatics versus nonasthmatics. Sex, height, and age predicted mean lung function. Plots depicting outcome reporting over time and associated linear trends showed time-dependent declines for most outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: We achieved data completeness, internal consistency, and external validity, yet still observed study fatigue, despite efforts to maintain participant engagement. Future investigators should model time trends in reporting to monitor longitudinal data quality.