The NIOSH Agricultural Centers' YouTube Channel: Time Series Modeling of Viewership of Agricultural Health and Safety Videos

We sought to understand the mechanism underlying the growth trajectory in the United States Agricultural Safety and Health Centers YouTube channel. We also explored the benefits and limitations of using YouTube analytics to evaluate the impacts of public health interventions involving YouTube. Time series analysis of total views, total watch hours, average duration of watch time, and number of subscribers were assessed to determine the monthly patterns of non-seasonal and seasonal components in the data from 2013 to 2020. Health, safety, and animal handling video views were summarized descriptively across time and season. Lastly, time series regressions were used to determine the type of video that best predicted growth in the channel viewership metrics. The time series were not random but could be explained by autoregressive and moving average correlation structures. Health videos were the strongest predictors of future growth but were not the most watched type of video. Strong seasonality components indicated that videos were most watched during periods of high agricultural activity, but less so during the winter months. Generally, growth in YouTube viewership metrics was explained by past month viewership predicting future viewership. Outreach and media content may produce spikes of increased interest, but in order to sustainably grow the channel over time, Ag Centers and other agricultural stakeholders should continue to focus on the value of particular content to potential viewers, how and when content is released, and strategic promotion of the channel and its videos.

Bridging Safety Language Disparities in Orchards: A Pesticide Label Mobile App

Objectives: The goal of this project was to determine if a mobile application displaying pesticide label information in Spanish and English was a viable approach to addressing safety and health disparities for orchard workers. This study assessed pesticide label use patterns in orchards; application user experience; and the potential of modern information systems to deliver bilingual content.Methods: Pesticide handlers and orchard managers were asked to use a mobile application prototype for a period of one month in 2016. A convenience sample of ten participants completed a 36-question interview to share their experiences. The research team summarized interview responses with summary statistics and grouped content analysis.Results: Mean participant (n=10) age was 49. Eight were Latinx and spoke Spanish as their primary language. Six used the app frequently (15 times), one used it sometimes (6 - 10 times), and three used it rarely or occasionally (1 - 5 times). All participants viewed sections about product information and personal protective equipment. Most viewed information related to emergency and first aid, hazards, and storage and disposal. Overall user experience was positive, with an emphasis on the importance of access to label information in Spanish.Conclusion: The overwhelming majority of the Pacific Northwest agricultural workforce is Spanish-speaking, despite critical pesticide safety information being provided on lengthy product label documents in technical English. This project demonstrated that the mobile application seems to be a viable approach to reducing language disparities and improving Latinx orchard worker safety.