Prevalence and clinical profile of COVID-19 among farmworkers from the interior of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Introduction: Farmworkers in Brazil face poor living conditions, limited healthcare access, and high prevalence of chronic diseases. These vulnerabilities may increase COVID-19 risk, complications, and persistent symptoms, underscoring the importance of characterizing the disease's impact in this population.

Objectives: To identify the prevalence and clinical profile of COVID-19 among farmworkers of cities that participate of the Conselho Regional de Desenvolvimento do Vale do Rio Pardo.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study that utilized a database from a research performed with rural workers of cities from Conselho Regional de Desenvolvimento do Vale do Rio Pardo. Hundred seven volunteers were included (54.01 ± 13.02 years) who answered the questionnaries of life style and COVID-19, in addition to having performed body composition assessment. Prevalence ratio was measured to verify association between risk factors and COVID-19 diagnosis.

Results: Twenty-five people (23.36%) were diagnosticated with COVID-19. The more described symptoms were fatigue (84%), fever (68%), cough (68%), loss of taste (68%), headache (68%), and sore throat (64%). None of the participants was hospitalized. Symptoms of long covid were observed in 52% participants, with fatigue (24%) and breathless (16%) being the most prevalent. The results showed positive association between COVID-19 diagnosis and hypertension (prevalence ratio 1.23), cancer (prevalence ratio 1.22) and obesity (prevalence ratio 1.76).

Conclusions: The results help to characterize the clinical profile of the disease in a population with less access to health services.