Work-related stress and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in adult agricultural day laborers

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) represents a major global public health problem. Its rising prevalence calls for comprehensive approaches to identifying risk factors, particularly among vulnerable populations. Agricultural day laborers, who are exposed to demanding working conditions, long hours, and limited resources, may face significant levels of occupational stress. The objective was to describe work-related stress and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus among adult agricultural day laborers in Sinaloa, Mexico. This was a descriptive study involving 125 adult male and female agricultural day laborers from an indigenous community in the municipality of Ahome, Sinaloa, Mexico. The sample was selected through convenience sampling, and data were collected using two questionnaires: the Work-Related Stress Scale and the FINDRISC questionnaire. 62.1% of men and 66.7% of women reported low work-related stress; however, 31.6% of men and 30.0% of women showed moderate levels. Regarding the risk of T2DM, the male group had a higher frequency of slightly elevated risk (34.7%), while high risk predominated among women (50.0%). By occupational activity, those engaged in harvesting had the highest stress levels, while those responsible for crop care showed a higher proportion of high risk for T2DM (57.1%). The results show that, although the majority report low work-related stress, there are significant proportions with moderate and high levels, particularly among those working in harvesting. Additionally, greater metabolic vulnerability was identified in women. These findings suggest the need for occupational and community health interventions with a gender- and work-context-specific approach, aimed at reducing stress and preventing T2DM in the agricultural day laborer population.