Lifetime Health History

Agricultural workers who reported having at least one doctor– or nurse-diagnosed health condition during their lifetime increased by ten percentage points between 1999-2000 and 2013-2014, from 12 percent to 22 percent. High blood pressure was consistently the most commonly-reported health condition, and the share of workers that reported having been diagnosed with this condition doubled over the 15-year period. The share of agricultural workers who reported being diagnosed with diabetes also increased during this time, from one percent in 1999-2000 to four percent in 2013-2014. The number of agricultural workers who had been treated in the U.S. sometime in the previous 12 months for at least one doctor- or nurse-diagnosed condition increased steadily between 2001-2002 and 2013-2014, from 57 percent to 72 percent. It is not clear whether increased rates of diagnosed disease result from increased prevalence in the population or from more members of the population visiting the doctor and receiving diagnoses, or both.

Reported at least one physician- or nurse-diagnosed health problem

To view current and trend data from the NAWS select from the links below:

Attention A T users. Data is presented in three formats, a bar chart, a textual data table, and a line chart. The data is best reviewed though the data table when using A T.
Bar Chart Data Table Trend Lines

Bar Chart — Reported at least one physician- or nurse-diagnosed health problem

Data Table — Reported at least one physician- or nurse-diagnosed health problem

Category 99-00 01-02 03-04 05-06 07-08 09-10 11-12 13-14
# % # % # % # % # % # % # % # %
Reported at least one physician- or nurse-diagnosed health problem84912%93313%1,19318%74518%66218%73420%64420%88222%
High blood pressure2443%3285%4336%2967%2848%2958%2307%3157%
Other2053%2163%2804%1504%1133%1525%1776%2106%
Asthma1202%1162%1393%842%823%842%682%902%
Diabetes991%991%1201%882%952%1082%963%1614%
Urinary tract infection612%a661%1182%681%462%412%362%613%
Tuberculosis431%451%381%16b8<1%a11<1%a17<1%a20<1%a
Heart disease561%41<1%651%431%341%431%201%25<1%
Thyroid disease121<1%a22<1%------------

1 Question was asked in 1999 through 2002 only, as part of a NIOSH-sponsored supplement on occupational health. A dash (“-“) indicates that the question was not asked during the corresponding time period.

2 Question was added to the questionnaire in 2001; it was not asked in 1999 or 2000.

3 Question was asked in 2002 and 2003 only, as part of a NIOSH-sponsored supplement on dust (see Table 22). The 01-02 column contains data for 2002 only and the 03-04 column contains data for 2003 only.

a Estimates with relative standard errors (RSEs) greater than 30 percent but no more than 50 percent are published but should be used with caution.

b Estimates based on fewer than four responses or with RSEs greater than 50 percent are considered statistically unreliable and are suppressed.

Trend Lines — Reported at least one physician- or nurse-diagnosed health problem

Recent treatment for diagnosed health condition