Table 2. Selected occupational exposures and associations with coccidioidomycosis among 203 Hispanic farm workers, Kern County, California, USA, 2016–2018.
| Characteristic | Cases, no. (%), n = 110 | Controls, no. (%), n = 93 | Adjusted odds ratio (95% CI)* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-reported dust exposure for most recent job | |||
| Never or sometimes | 32 (29) | 41 (44) | Reference |
| Half time or more | 78 (71) | 52 (56) | 1.9 (1.0–3.5) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work in crop category in past year†‡ | |||
| Root and bulb vegetable crops†‡ | 23 (21) | 8 (9) | 3.0 (1.2–7.1) |
| Near-ground crops†§ | 76 (69) | 76 (81) | 0.5 (0.3– 1.0) |
| Tree crops†¶ |
60 (55) |
41 (44) |
1.4 (0.8–2.5) |
| Work with specified crop in past year†# | |||
| Grapes | 64 (58) | 67 (72) | 0.6 (0.3–1.0) |
| Almonds | 24 (22) | 17 (18) | 1.1 (0.5– 2.3) |
| Mandarin oranges | 23 (21) | 19 (20) | 1.1 (0.5– 2.1) |
| Carrots |
14 (13) |
5 (5) |
2.9 (1.0. 8.6) |
| Tasks performed in past year†** | |||
| Harvest | 82 (75) | 68 (73) | 1.3 (0.7– 2.5) |
| Pruning | 40 (36) | 39 (42) | 0.7 (0.4– 1.3) |
| Packing (outdoor) | 39 (35) | 33 (35) | 1.2 (0.6– 2.1) |
| Leaf removal | 25 (23) | 37 (40) | 0.4 (0.2– 0.8) |
| Weeding | 14 (13) | 10 (11) | 1.3 (0.5– 3.1) |
| Irrigation |
15 (14) |
7 (8) |
1.6 (0.6– 4.2) |
| Mask use for most recent job | |||
| Never or sometimes | 58 (53) | 40 (43) | Reference |
| Half the time or more |
51 (47) |
53 (57) |
0.9 (0.5– 1.7) |
| Soil wetting in dusty conditions for most recent job | |||
| Never or sometimes | 63 (58) | 48 (52) | Reference |
| Half the time or more | 46 (42) | 45 (48) | 0.8 (0.4– 1.3) |
*Adjusted for age and sex. †Categories are not mutually exclusive; reference group is all participants not working in specified category. ‡Root and bulb vegetables growing underground: beets, carrots, garlic, onions, radishes, sweet potatoes. §Near-ground crops: cotton and fruits and vegetables growing above ground and near the surface, including blueberries, chili peppers, grapes, kale, lettuce, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes, watermelon. ¶Tree crops: almonds, apples, apricots, cherries, kiwi, oranges and Mandarin oranges, pomegranates, pistachios. #Limited to crops reported by >9% of participants; crops are not mutually exclusive. **Limited to tasks reported by >9% of participants; tasks are not mutually exclusive.