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Abstract
OBJECTIVE Farmers in rural areas face unique lifestyle stressors which may cause physical and behavioral health issues. Because of external stressors, and often an internal drive to succeed, farmers in rural areas have high rates of prescription drug use, excessive alcohol use, depression, and suicide. These methods of coping may increase prevalence of distress and mental illness in farmers leading to poor health outcomes. Social norms within rural farming populations are influenced by culture, family, friends, and community beliefs which make it difficult to conduct research about substance use and mental health. The purpose of this study is to identify stressors in rural farmers and positive and negative coping strategies for stress in the farming population. METHODS In-depth interviews (35 minutes-1 hour) were conducted with full-time rural farmers (n = 15) in ten counties throughout Georgia. Using qualitative analysis, inductive coding was used to identify themes and patterns among transcribed interview recordings. RESULTS Stressors reported by farmers included: financial, work-life balance, physical health and disconnect from non-farming populations. Farmers described feeling misperceived by those outside of their community and feeling a distinct lack of control due to external factors. All the farmers identified alcohol use as a primary coping strategy to deal with stressors. CONCLUSIONS This study identifies distinct stressors associated with a farming lifestyle and socio-cultural factors that are barriers to care for mental health and substance use in rural farmers. This study can provide information to health practitioners that may lead to a better understanding of the factors influencing farmer's health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Proctor
- Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, University of Georgia College of Public Health, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Noah Hopkins
- Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, University of Georgia College of Public Health, Athens, GA, USA
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McCallum DM, Reed DB, Claunch DT, Davis CM, Conaway MB. Farm Dinner Theater: Testing an innovative health and safety intervention among older farmers and their families. J Rural Health 2021; 38:433-441. [PMID: 34110638 DOI: 10.1111/jrh.12601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The effectiveness of a novel intervention for increasing health and safety behaviors of older farmers was tested. Blending didactic and readers' theater techniques, Farm Dinner Theater (FDT) engages farmers in discussions of health and safety in a nonthreatening social atmosphere supportive of potential changes. METHODS Through community collaborations, farmers 45 years and older were recruited in 8 communities for the FDT. For each site, 3 scripts were prepared highlighting health and safety issues especially relevant for older farmers. The brief plays were performed in a dinner theater format, with group discussion following each play. Printed educational packets (EPs) addressing the same topics were mailed to comparison groups of participants in 9 communities. In telephone interviews conducted 2 weeks and 2 months later, 870 participants (553 FDT and 317 EP) reported health and safety-related changes they had made in their farm operations. FINDINGS FDT participants were more likely than EP participants to report having made any changes and reported making more changes on both the 2-week and 2-month follow-up assessments. This outcome occurred when analyzing all farms and when considering only farms with at least 1 participant who spent 10 or more hours per week farming. CONCLUSIONS FDT is a fun, relaxing intervention; it is acceptable to farming communities; and it is more effective in producing health and safety-related changes than the common approach of providing printed materials. FDT not only had a greater impact than EP, but it has the potential to reach larger audiences due to its greater appeal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debra M McCallum
- Institute for Social Science Research, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
| | - Deborah B Reed
- College of Nursing and College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Deborah T Claunch
- College of Nursing, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Cali M Davis
- Sorrell College of Business, Troy University, Troy, Alabama, USA
| | - Michael B Conaway
- Institute for Social Science Research, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
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Haruyama K, Yokomichi H, Yamagata Z. Farm working experience could reduce late-life dependency duration among Japanese older adults: The Yamanashi Healthy-Active Life Expectancy cohort study based on the STROBE guidelines. Medicine (Baltimore) 2020; 99:e22248. [PMID: 32957372 PMCID: PMC7505340 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000022248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
With the advance of medical care, the duration of dependency on nursing care in later life has increased worldwide. There is a question of whether farm work could extend or shorten the dependency duration. We investigated the association between farm work experience and the duration of dependency on nursing support or care in late life.We randomly selected 600 adults aged ≥65 years, who were independent and not hospitalized, as part of the Yamanashi Healthy-Active Life Expectancy cohort and followed them for 13 years. We defined the duration of dependency as the time from reception of long-term care insurance benefits to death, and we adjusted for multiple covariates.We analyzed data from 225 adults (139 men and 86 women) who died during the follow-up period. Ninety four had received long-term care benefits. Mean age was 79.6 years (standard deviation [SD]: 6.3) in individuals with farm work experience and 80.1 years (SD: 7.2) in individuals without farm work experience. The estimated duration of dependency on long-term care was 1.3 years (standard error [SE]: 0.4) in individuals with farm work experience vs 2.1 years (SE: 0.5) in individuals without farm work experience (P = .01). The estimated duration of dependency in individuals with farm work experience and without farm work experience was 0.4 years (SE: 0.5) vs 1.3 years (SE: 0.6) in men respectively (P = .03) and 1.6 years (SE: 0.9) vs 2.4 years (SE: 0.9) in women, respectively (P = .16). The sensitivity analysis yielded an estimated duration of 1.2 years (SE: 0.5) in those with farm work experience and 2.3 years (SE: 0.5) in those without farm work experience (P = .004).Individuals with farm work experience required less long-term care prior to death, suggesting that agricultural and physical activities promote health. Policymakers focusing on preventing the need for nursing care in older populations could consider promoting farming or gardening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayo Haruyama
- Department of Occupational Therapy, Iryo Sosei University, 5-5-1 Chuodai Iino, Iwaki City, Fukushima
| | - Hiroshi Yokomichi
- Department of Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Shimokato, Chuo City, Yamanashi, Japan
| | - Zentaro Yamagata
- Department of Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Shimokato, Chuo City, Yamanashi, Japan
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Khan N, Kennedy A, Cotton J, Brumby S. A Pest to Mental Health? Exploring the Link between Exposure to Agrichemicals in Farmers and Mental Health. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:E1327. [PMID: 31013861 PMCID: PMC6517992 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16081327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2018] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The current literature acknowledges that occupational exposures can adversely affect mental health. This review seeks to elucidate the current understanding of the effect of agrichemical exposure on mental health in the agricultural sector, including low-dose, chronic pesticide exposure. This scoping review adopted a snowballing and saturation approach. The review highlights inconsistencies in linking poor mental health and pesticide use. While some studies specifically showed that both high- and low-dose pesticide exposure were associated with poor mental health, consistent and rigorous research methods are lacking. The review also proposes terms to delineate exposure types described in the literature. The review outcomes direct efforts to protect the health, wellbeing and safety of farming communities across the globe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nufail Khan
- School of Medicine, Deakin University, 75 Pigdons Road, Waurn Ponds, VIC 3216, Australia.
- National Centre for Farmer Health, Western District Health Service, Hamilton, VIC 3300, Australia.
| | - Alison Kennedy
- School of Medicine, Deakin University, 75 Pigdons Road, Waurn Ponds, VIC 3216, Australia.
- National Centre for Farmer Health, Western District Health Service, Hamilton, VIC 3300, Australia.
| | - Jacqueline Cotton
- School of Medicine, Deakin University, 75 Pigdons Road, Waurn Ponds, VIC 3216, Australia.
- National Centre for Farmer Health, Western District Health Service, Hamilton, VIC 3300, Australia.
| | - Susan Brumby
- School of Medicine, Deakin University, 75 Pigdons Road, Waurn Ponds, VIC 3216, Australia.
- National Centre for Farmer Health, Western District Health Service, Hamilton, VIC 3300, Australia.
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Nilsson K. Interventions to reduce injuries among older workers in agriculture: A review of evaluated intervention projects. Work 2016; 55:471-480. [DOI: 10.3233/wor-162407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Kerstin Nilsson
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Department of Work Science, Business Economics and Environmental Psychology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden
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Brew B, Inder K, Allen J, Thomas M, Kelly B. The health and wellbeing of Australian farmers: a longitudinal cohort study. BMC Public Health 2016; 16:988. [PMID: 27634298 PMCID: PMC5025556 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-016-3664-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2016] [Accepted: 09/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Isolation, long work days, climate change and globalization are just some of the many pressures that make farming a vulnerable occupation for incurring mental health issues. The objective of this study was to determine whether farming in Australia is associated with poorer wellbeing, physical and mental health, and less health service use. Methods The Australian Rural Mental Health Study, a longitudinal cohort study was analysed over four time points comparing farmers with non-farming workers (n = 1184 at baseline). Participants were recruited from rural NSW, Australia. A number of physical, mental health, wellbeing, service use outcomes were assessed using generalised estimating equations including all waves in each model. Barriers to seeking help were also assessed. Results Farmers who lived remotely reported worse mental health (β −0.33, 95 % CI −0.53, −0.13) and wellbeing (β −0.21(95 % CI −0.35, −0.06) than remote non-farm workers regardless of financial hardship, rural specific factors eg drought worry, or recent adverse events. All farmers were no different to non-farming workers on physical health aspects except for chronic illnesses, where they reported fewer illnesses (OR 0.66, 95 % CI 0.44, 0.98). All farmers were half as likely to visit a general practitioner (GP) or a mental health professional in the last 12 months as compared to non-farm workers regardless of location (OR 0.59, 95 % CI 0.35, 0.97). Rural workers felt that they preferred to manage themselves rather than access help for physical health needs (50 %) or mental health needs (75 %) and there was little difference between farmers and non-farm workers in reasons for not seeking help. Conclusions Remoteness is a significant factor in the mental health and wellbeing of farmers, more so than financial stress, rural factors and recent adverse events. Creative programs and policies that improve access for farmers to GPs and mental health professionals should be supported. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3664-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bronwyn Brew
- Bathurst Rural Clinical School, Western Sydney University, Bathurst Base Hospital, Howick St, Bathurst, NSW, Australia. .,Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health, University of Newcastle, Forest Road, Orange, NSW, Australia. .,Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Department, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, SE-171 77, Sweden.
| | - Kerry Inder
- Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health, University of Newcastle, Forest Road, Orange, NSW, Australia.,School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Joanne Allen
- Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North, New Zealand.,Centre for Brain and Mental Health Research, and School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Matthew Thomas
- School of Psychology, Charles Sturt University, Panorama Drive, Bathurst, NSW, Australia
| | - Brian Kelly
- Centre for Brain and Mental Health Research, and School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
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Torske MO, Hilt B, Bjørngaard JH, Glasscock D, Krokstad S. Disability pension and symptoms of anxiety and depression: a prospective comparison of farmers and other occupational groups. The HUNT Study, Norway. BMJ Open 2015; 5:e009114. [PMID: 26525724 PMCID: PMC4636626 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2015-009114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Agriculture has undergone major changes, and farmers have been found to have a high prevalence of depression symptoms. We investigated the risk of work disability in Norwegian farmers compared with other occupational groups, as well as the associations between symptoms of anxiety and depression and future disability pension. METHODS We linked working participants of the HUNT2 Survey (1995-97) aged 20-61.9 years, of whom 3495 were farmers and 25,521 had other occupations, to national registry data on disability pension, with follow-up until 31 December 2010. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) of disability pension, and to investigate the associations between symptoms of anxiety and depression caseness at baseline (score on the anxiety or depression subscales of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) ≥8) and disability pension. RESULTS Farmers had a twofold increased risk of disability pension (age-adjusted and sex-adjusted HR 2.07, 95% CI 1.80 to 2.38) compared with higher grade professionals. Farmers with symptoms of depression caseness had a 53% increased risk of disability pension (HR 1.53, 95% CI 1.25 to 1.87) compared with farmers below the cut-off point of depression caseness symptoms, whereas farmers with symptoms of anxiety caseness had a 51% increased risk (HR 1.51, 95% CI 1.23 to 1.86). CONCLUSIONS Farmers have an increased risk of disability pension compared with higher grade professionals, but the risk is lower than in most other manual occupational groups. Farmers who report high levels of depression or anxiety symptoms are at substantially increased risk of future work disability, and the risk increase appears to be fairly similar across most occupational groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magnhild Oust Torske
- Hunt Research Centre, Department of Public Health and General Practice, Faculty of Medicine, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Levanger, Norway
| | - Bjørn Hilt
- Department of Public Health and General Practice, Faculty of Medicine, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- Department of Occupational Medicine, St. Olav's University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Johan Håkon Bjørngaard
- Department of Public Health and General Practice, Faculty of Medicine, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- Forensic Department and Research Centre, Bröset St. Olav's University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
| | - David Glasscock
- Danish Ramazzini Centre, Department of Occupational Medicine, Regional Hospital West Jutland, University Research Clinic, Herning, Denmark
| | - Steinar Krokstad
- Hunt Research Centre, Department of Public Health and General Practice, Faculty of Medicine, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Levanger, Norway
- Psychiatric Department, Levanger Hospital, Nord-Trøndelag Health Trust, Levanger, Norway
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