Northern Minorities Farmers Who Used Pesticides Experience Different Health Symptoms and Quality of Life than Thai Farmers

Pesticides impact Thai and minority farmers' health and quality of life. This cross-sectional study examined pesticide-related health symptoms, Thai and minority farmers' quality of life (QoL), and factors determining QoL. Pesticide-exposed 406 farmers in Phayao province's highlands district were sampled. Multi-stage cluster sampling randomized it. Descriptive analysis, Mann-Witney U, Kruskal-Wallist, and Enter binary logistic regression were studied. The average age of the samples is 53.25 years, with 68.5% Thai farmers and 31.5% minority farmers (Mein 18.2%, Hmong 13.1%). Cholinergic, CNS, neuromuscular, and general health issues existed. Thai farmers and minorities had considerably varied health symptoms, including red skin and muscle clamps (p< 0.05). Overall, 53.2% QoL was good. When domain and overall QoL scores were classified, minority farmers had a higher mean QoL than Thai farmers. One social relation component showed significant differences between Thai and minority farmers (p<0.01). The five independent variables that significantly predict farmers' QoL were listed in order of strength: socioeconomic status, ethnic group, underlying condition, farm hour labor duration, and health symptoms (OR=2.028, 95% CI=1.302-3.159, OR=1.651, 95% CI=1.016-2.681). This research should be used by health agencies and the agricultural district to improve farmers' lives, especially Thai farmers.