Children were selected for participation in this cohort study with the objective of enrolling an approximately balanced distribution of those who lived with a flower plantation worker, and those who did not live with agricultural workers and had no known direct pesticide exposures. We examined 313 children of ages 4-9 years in 2008 who lived in Pedro Moncayo County, Ecuador.
In 2016 (follow-up year [FUY] 8) we conducted two more study visits: April and July-October. In April 2016, we conducted an abbreviated second examination of study participants, 145 of whom were from the original visit and an additional 185 newly recruited participants. In the third examination, July-October, 2016 we examined 535 participants of whom 404 had been seen at a previous study visit and 131 of whom were newly recruited participants.
10 additional follow-up examinations have been conducted between 2022-2024 (FUY-14a to FUY16d)
| Participant Characteristics | Follow-up year (FUY) | ||||
| Baseline (2008, Jul-Aug) | FUY-8a (2016, April) | FUY-8b (2016, Jul-Oct) | FUY 14a (2022, Jul-Sep) | FUY14b, 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d, 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d | |
| N | 313 | 330 | 535 | 505 | |
| Age, Years | 6.6 (1.6) | 14.3 (1.9) | 14.5 (1.8) | ||
| Male | 51% | 51% | 50% | ||
| Female | 49% | 49% | 50% | ||
| Indigenous | 21% | 24% | 22% | ||
| Mixed | 77% | 76% | 78% | ||
| Other Race | 2% | 1% | 0% | ||
| BMI-for-age Z-Score, SD | 16.1 (1.4) | 20.8 (3.0) | 20.9 (3.0) | ||
| Height-for-age Z-Score, SD | 112.1 (10.3) | 148.9 (9.7) | 150.6 (9.4) | ||
| Lives with agriculture worker | 57% | 68% | 67% | ||
| Doesn’t live with agricultural worker | 43% | 32% | 33% | ||
| Distance from house to nearest flower plantation, m | 346 (178-600) | 311 (112-655) | 311 (111-659) |
Exam 1 = Summer, 2008, Exam 2 = April, 2016, Exam 3 = Summer, 2016.
