Prevalence of digestive signs and symptoms and associated factors among rural workers

Objective: To determine the prevalence of digestive signs and symptoms in rural workers and identify frequently associated factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 182 rural and horticultural farm workers aged 18 years or older. To assess internal data consistency, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used. To compare means between groups, student's t-test was used for independent samples. The Mann-Whitney test was used in cases of asymmetry. Results: The prevalence of digestive signs and symptoms was 31.9%. The signs and symptoms included epigastric pain (27.4%), regurgitation (18.1%), bloating (9.9%), nausea (9.9%), and vomiting (6.0%). Conclusion: The prevalence of digestive signs and symptoms reported by rural workers was high and was associated with being older than 60 years, using agricultural pesticides, and being of Italian descent.