(P25-041-25) Seasonal Farm Labor Pattern Negatively Impacts Insulin Sensitivity in Migrant Farmworkers in California Central Coast

Objectives: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is particularly prevalent in certain populations in part due to their genetic background while risk is further exacerbated by lifestyle and socioeconomic factors. Agriculture is a significant sector of economy in California (CA), while farmworkers, typically of Hispanic origin, constitute an underserved, and understudied population. The background of farmworkers in CA, in association with an idiosyncratic lifestyle and work schedule deems this population at high risk for T2DM. In this pilot study, we aimed to assess the efficacy of a tailored lifestyle education intervention on the improvement of certain T2DM risk parameters.

Methods: Migrant farmworkers from Mexico (n=15, aged 19-58yrs), with fasting plasma glucose > 90 mg/dl were recruited at a farm operation in CA Central Coast. T2DM risk parameters including fasting plasma insulin, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), HbA1c, BMI, % fat, waist circumference (WC) were assessed at baseline, and after the six-month intervention. During the intervention, culturally-appropriate tailored lifestyle education modules were administered over a combination of in person visits and remote check-ins.

Results: During the six-month intervention, participants demonstrated marginal, no significant change as per the parameters assessed, although there was a trend of worsening outcomes especially for insulin, which increased by approximately 30%; FPG (96.3 vs. 99.0 mg/dl), HbA1c (5.27 vs. 5.28), BMI (29.2 vs. 29.4), % fat (26.8 vs. 26. 7 %), WC (98.6 vs. 95.7 cm), fasting plasma insulin (10.1 vs. 13.0 mU/L).

Conclusions: Summer weather conditions requiring farm-labor shift to overnight leading in turn to circadian misalignment, minimized the effect of nutritional education exacerbating fasting plasma insulin/insulin sensitivity measures, thus increasing risk for T2DM risk.

Funding Sources: USDA-NIFA