Protecting Ourselves from Harm: Voices of Aging Farmers.

Senior farmers suffer the highest fatality risk of any age group in agriculture. The purpose of this exploratory study was to develop a "voice" for senior farmers by examining aging farmers' and their families' perspectives of farm work, associated injury risks, and methods to decrease those risks. Focus groups and personal interviews were used to collect data from 81 participants across seven U.S. states. The findings reflect the collective and verified voice of the study group. The Health Belief Model was applied and revealed differences between farmers and their family members; however, the need and desire to continue self-directed work was ubiquitous. Seniors reported external risks, while family members were more likely to name risks associated with the health of the senior farmer. Both groups cited stress as an injury risk. Posing risk to others was the trigger point for senior farmers to make behavior changes. Family members reported uneasiness in initiating safety conversations. Adaptation of existing interventions for self-assessment of risk was rejected. Use of the popular farm press and respected local resources were desired as avenues for safety education. Humor and stories were highly regarded. Interventions should be tailored for the target audience. These new insights into the risk perceptions of senior farmers and their families may result in more appropriate actions by health professionals, extension staff social workers, vocational rehabilitation specialists, and others who work with farm populations.

FS4JK farm safety day camps: who learns the most?

Farm Safety 4 Just Kids uses daylong community-based farm safety day camps as a primary method to instruct children about the hazards in farm environments. This article describes children's knowledge about farm safety before and after a day camp experience and assesses differences in knowledge gain by farm residency status and by gender as a result of their attendance at the camps. Data collection focused on three high-risk farm exposures: tractors, powered equipment, and large animals. A 32-item pre- and post-camp survey developed by the research team measured children's knowledge scores in these three focal areas. The sample consisted of 1,233 children, ranging from 8 to 12 years of age. Mixed models were used to test for changes in knowledge over time and for differences by gender and by farm/nonfarm status of the child. The results were encouraging: both farm and nonfarm children increased their knowledge about farm injury risk. Overall, girls demonstrated greater knowledge than boys on both the pre- and post-tests. Based on these findings, farm safety day camps appear to improve the knowledge of children about the injury risks associated with the farm environment. Refinements to the camp structure may foster greater knowledge gain of children attending the camps. While education of children about farm safety is not the sole answer to decreasing injury, it is a key component that should not be discounted.

Farm safety through the camera's eye.

Farms and ranches constitute one of the most hazardous work environments in America, and perhaps in the world, yet farm scenes are often portrayed as tranquil, picture-perfect settings. A review of 293 photographs that included persons and tractors, livestock, powered equipment, all-terrain vehicles, or bodies of water was undertaken by two independent reviewers. Predetermined criteria that captured best safety practices in agriculture were applied to each photograph. A rating of 1 (best practices), 2 (unsafe practices) or 3 (mixed messages) was given to each photograph. Three popular farm periodicals with various geographic distribution areas across the U.S. were examined. Issues from June 2005 through October 2006 were included in the review. Results revealed that only 56.7% of the photographs illustrated best practices for safety. Of the 27 photographs that included children, only 18.5% depicted best practices. Photographs in advertisements, where the settings can be staged, illustrated best practices 56.5% of the time. Editors, photo-journalists, and advertisers should take every opportunity to promote safety in this high-risk industry through portrayal of safe work practices and safe work environments in photographs that are used in farm periodicals.

Instructional practices at Farm Safety 4 Just Kids (FS4JK) safety day camps.

The instructional methods used with 1,347 youth in seven Farm Safety 4 Just Kids (FS4JK) day camp sessions conducted in five states during the summer and fall of 2002 were videotaped. The videotapes, instructor questionnaires, and day camp materials were analyzed using an observation protocol that focused on instructional practices and an interaction analysis of instructor-student talk during the sessions. Results showed that instruction focused on hazard recognition, a high level of participant attention during all the sessions observed, and safety day camp content relevant to rural participants regardless of whether they live or work on a farm. Recommendations for improving instructional practice include better use of print materials, more interactive, participatory activities for students, and reduction of instructor-centered, didactic approaches. Given the high level of students' attention, increased involvement of students in active, participatory approaches might enhance the effectiveness of the instruction by: (1) further engaging students through personalizing hazard recognition, (2) contextualizing reports of injuries, (3) examining the complexities of choosing safe behaviors, and (4) paying more attention to the consequences of injury events. Role-playing, narrative simulations, and other types of interactive and collaborative exercises are instructional approaches that support the inclusion of the pre-event contingencies and post-event consequences that are part of all injury events.

Nonfatal farm injury incidence and disability to children: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the literature on farm child nonfatal injury incidence and the subsequent disability to children. SEARCH STRATEGY: We used a systematic process to search the following databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, ERIC, NTIS and NIOSHTIC. The reference lists from each potentially eligible study were checked and experts in the field contacted for additional reports. SELECTION CRITERIA: Studies for selection had to meet the following criteria: published in the last 20 years (1979-1998); located in North America; and include nonfatal farm injury cases for children under age 20. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Thirty-two studies met the inclusion criteria and were examined for study design, location, sample size, injury rate, injury sources, and functional outcomes. RESULTS: Among the 32 studies, there were 9 case series, 11 secondary analyses of administrative databases, 2 case-control studies, 6 cross-sectional surveys, one mixed-method study, 2 prospective case series reports, and 1 cohort study. Twenty-two of the studies confined the sample to agriculture, but nine of these combined children within a larger sample, creating considerable difficulty in examining only agricultural injuries to children. Only one study focused on outcome measurement. Although nearly all the reports provided some discussion about injury severity, these comments were generally limited to injury severity scores or injury type. CONCLUSIONS: Despite increasing attention on farm-related child injury, the literature continues to report primarily descriptive studies that rely on small samples focusing on the nature of the injury event and immediate consequences. Analysis of larger databases, such as worker compensation claims, trauma registries, and agricultural injury surveillance, still lacks valid denominators; thus, incidence rates cannot be calculated. Very little was found regarding disability among children who experienced agricultural injury, even though the literature clearly proclaims the severity and seriousness of child injury on farms. To complete the portrait of the burden of this continuing problem, research must include functional outcome measures.