Faculty mentor/PI email address
venkatar@rowan.edu, milani@rowan.edu
Keywords
Heat-Related Illness (HRI), Migrant farmworkers, Agricultural worker health, Occupational heat exposure, Heat safety training, Heat illness prevention, Rural health
Date of Presentation
5-6-2026 12:00 AM
Poster Abstract
Background: Heat‑Related Illness (HRI) is a major occupational hazard for migrant farmworkers, who are 35 times more likely to die from HRI than workers in other industries. Although HRI training aims to improve prevention knowledge, its effect on actual HRI outcomes is unclear.
Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science identified studies evaluating HRI training and reporting HRI prevalence or related symptoms. Fifteen studies met inclusion criteria.
Results: HRI training did not reduce HRI prevalence or provide protective effects. Training increased reporting of workplace injuries and concern about HRI. Despite high training uptake—over 90% in some cohorts—knowledge retention remained low; in one study, only 14.2% of trained workers identified key heat‑safety practices. Dehydration and other symptoms often worsened during shifts.
Conclusion: Training alone increases awareness but is insufficient without structural support. Improving HRI outcomes requires holistic interventions, including provider‑led outreach, administrative reforms, and engineering controls that make heat‑safe behaviors feasible.
Disciplines
Disorders of Environmental Origin | Medicine and Health Sciences | Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene | Population Health
Included in
Disorders of Environmental Origin Commons, Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene Commons, Population Health Commons
Training vs. Reality: The Challenges of Preventing Heat-Related Illness in Migrant Farmworkers
Background: Heat‑Related Illness (HRI) is a major occupational hazard for migrant farmworkers, who are 35 times more likely to die from HRI than workers in other industries. Although HRI training aims to improve prevention knowledge, its effect on actual HRI outcomes is unclear.
Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science identified studies evaluating HRI training and reporting HRI prevalence or related symptoms. Fifteen studies met inclusion criteria.
Results: HRI training did not reduce HRI prevalence or provide protective effects. Training increased reporting of workplace injuries and concern about HRI. Despite high training uptake—over 90% in some cohorts—knowledge retention remained low; in one study, only 14.2% of trained workers identified key heat‑safety practices. Dehydration and other symptoms often worsened during shifts.
Conclusion: Training alone increases awareness but is insufficient without structural support. Improving HRI outcomes requires holistic interventions, including provider‑led outreach, administrative reforms, and engineering controls that make heat‑safe behaviors feasible.