Exploring barriers and promoters of CRC screening use among agricultural operators: a pilot study of an application of concept mapping.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of the study was to identify barriers and facilitators of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening use among agricultural operators in Nebraska, US. METHODS: The concept mapping approach was used to engage participants and enhance the generation of ideas and opinions regarding CRC screening. Two focus groups (seven women and seven men) were conducted. RESULTS: Among women, the cost domain was most agreed upon as important, followed by experiencing symptoms, awareness, and family. Among men, the important concepts related to CRC screening were family and friend support, feeling too young to get CRC, family or personal history of CRC, and lack of awareness of the need to be screened. Some gender differences regarding barriers were observed, such as women were more concerned about the cost of screening while men were far more concerned about the embarrassment associated with CRC screening. CONCLUSION: These findings will be crucial to developing educational materials to increase knowledge of risk factors for CRC and of CRC screening in the agricultural population.

A Diagram of the Social-Ecological Conditions of Opioid Misuse and Overdose.

The United States is experiencing a crisis of opioid misuse and overdose. To understand the underlying factors, researchers have begun looking upstream to identify social and structural determinants. However, no study has yet aggregated these into a comprehensive ecology of opioid overdose. We scoped 68 literature sources and compiled a master list of opioid misuse and overdose conditions. We grouped the conditions and used the Social Ecological Model to organize them into a diagram. We reviewed the diagram with nine subject matter experts (SMEs) who provided feedback on its content, design, and usefulness. From a literature search and SME interviews, we identified 80 unique conditions of opioid overdose and grouped them into 16 categories. In the final diagram, we incorporated 40 SME-recommended changes. In commenting on the diagram's usefulness, SMEs explained that the diagram could improve intervention planning by demonstrating the complexity of opioid overdose and highlighting structural factors. However, care is required to strike a balance between comprehensiveness and legibility. Multiple design formats may be useful, depending on the communication purpose and audience. This ecological diagram offers a visual perspective of the conditions of opioid overdose.

Substance use disorders in the farming population: Scoping review.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this scoping review is to summarize the current knowledge base in order to make recommendations for prevention and treatment of substance use disorders among the farming populations. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review of peer-reviewed articles published between January 1989 and September 2019. The search yielded 3,426 citations and the final review was conducted on 42 articles. The full review was conducted by 4 authors to extract information about the target population, data collection methods, and main results. FINDINGS: There were 21 articles on farmers and 21 articles on farmworkers. The majority of the articles were about alcohol. Overall, farmers had higher prevalence of risky alcohol consumption patterns than nonfarmers. The prevalence of risky alcohol consumption was also high among farmworkers compared to the general population. Risk factors for risky alcohol consumption included male gender, lower socioeconomic status, and psychological problems (eg, depression). Recommendations for prevention and intervention of alcohol disorders included policy development and implementation to curb alcohol access by taxation, screening of alcohol-related problems, and alternative means of recreation instead of alcohol consumption. CONCLUSIONS: This review confirmed that alcohol-related problems are prevalent among farmers and farmworkers. More population-based research is called for to understand the additional risk factors of alcohol disorders and the prevalence of other substance-related disorders. Also, interventions should be tailored to the unique culture of farmers and farmworkers.

Occupational Injuries among Latino/a Immigrant Cattle Feedyard Workers in the Central States Region of the United States.

Agriculture is a dangerous industry with high rates of occupational injuries. Immigrants comprise the majority of the hired agricultural workforce in the United States, and these workers may be at a higher risk for job-related injuries. This study addressed the frequency, characteristics, and risk factors of occupational injuries among Latino immigrant cattle feedyard workers. Data were collected through structured interviews with Latino immigrant cattle feedyard workers in Kansas and Nebraska (n = 243; 90.9% male). Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to identify risk factors for injury. Nearly three-fourths of participants (71.2%) reported having experienced one or more injuries in the past while working on a cattle feedyard. The most frequent types of reported injuries, including those not requiring medical care, were bruises/contusions (40%), cuts/lacerations (21%), and sprains/strains (12%). These injuries were mainly caused by animals/livestock (33%), chemicals (23%), falls (12%), and tools (9%). Significant risk factors for injury included male gender (OR 5.9), being over age 35 (OR 2.6), working on a large or an extra-large feedyard (OR 5.4), having 11 or more employees on the feedyard (OR 3.6), and working more than eight hours a day (OR 4.7). Having received safety training was also associated with greater risk of injury in a univariable model (OR 2.6). Cattle feedyard workers are at high risk for injury and require more effective preventive measures.

Agrochemical Health Risks Exposure and Its Determinants: Empirical Evidence among Cassava Farmers in Nigeria.

Background: Over the years there has been a change in the dimensions of agricultural health risk exposure among crop farmers in Nigeria due to innovation adoption. This study assessed agrochemical health risk exposures and its determinants among cassava farmers in Nigeria.Method: The study engaged the baseline of a longitudinal study conducted using a standardized questionnaire. Randomly selected and interviewed for the study were 480 small-scale cassava farmers across 24 farming communities in Kogi and Kwara States, Nigeria. Descriptive statistics, binary regression model, and Likert scale were used for analysis.Results: Most of the farmers were exposed to agrochemical health risks in cassava operations. The frequently used chemicals belong to WHO class II and III. There was poor knowledge of safe farm practices among cassava farmers. About 77% of farmers reported not using complete protective equipment while handling farm chemicals. Several risk factors were associated with farm chemical health risks exposure, including inappropriate time of spray (Odd ratio [OR] = 1.21), frequency of spray (OR = 1.06), long hours of daily chemical spray (OR = 1.10), and non-usage of chemical labels (OR = 2.31).Conclusion:The study concluded cassava farmers in some selected communities in Kogi and Kwara States, North-Central Nigeria engage in unsafe farm practices via the use of farm chemicals that expose them to health risks. There is, therefore, a need for efficiently delivered agricultural health education as an intervention tool to alleviate Nigerian crop farmers from being exposed to such health risks.

Mobile technology intervention for weight loss in rural men: protocol for a pilot pragmatic randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Men who are overweight or obese in the rural Midwestern USA are an unrepresented, at-risk group exhibiting rising rates of cardiovascular disease, poor access to preventive care and poor lifestyle behaviours that contribute to sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy diet. Self-monitoring of eating and activity has demonstrated efficacy for weight loss. Use of mobile technologies for self-monitoring eating and activity may address rural men's access disparities to preventive health resources and support weight loss. Our pilot trial will assess the feasibility and acceptability of two mobile applications for weight loss in rural men to inform a future, full-scale trial. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A 6-month randomised controlled trial with contextual evaluation will randomise 80 men using a 1:1 ratio to either a Mobile Technology Plus (MT+) intervention or a basic Mobile Technology (MT) intervention in rural, midlife men (aged 40-69 years). The MT+ intervention consists of a smartphone self-monitoring application enhanced with discussion group (Lose-It premium), short message service text-based support and Wi-Fi scale. The MT group will receive only a self-monitoring application (Lose-It basic). Feasibility and acceptability will be evaluated using number of men recruited and retained, and evaluative focus group feedback. We seek to determine point estimates and variability of outcome measures of weight loss (kg and % body weight) and improved dietary and physical activity behaviours (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption surveys, data from Lose-It! application (kcal/day, steps/day)). Community capacity will be assessed using standard best practice methods. Descriptive content analysis will evaluate intervention acceptability and contextual sensitivity. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This protocol was approved by the University of Nebraska Medical Center Institutional Review Board (IRB# 594-17-EP). Dissemination of findings will occur through ClinicalTrials.gov and publish pilot data to inform the design of a larger clinical trial. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03329079; preresults. Protocol V.10, study completion date 31 August 2020. Roles and responsibilities funder: NIH/NINR Health Disparities Section 1R15NR017522-01.

Agricultural stressors: identification, causes and perceived effects among Nigerian crop farmers.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have focused on agricultural-related health hazards globally; however, little is known about agricultural stressors among crop farmers in the developing countries. This study identified agricultural stressors, their causes and ascribed effects among crop farmers in Nigeria. METHODS: There were 70 crop farmers randomly selected in farming communities across Ekiti State, an agrarian State in South-Western, Nigeria. A structured questionnaire with interview was used for data collection. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Findings from the study showed that about 98% of the farmers were able to identify stressors that are occupational-related. About 80% of the respondents thought they had been mostly affected by agricultural stressors in a number of ways including inability to sleep regularly, relaxation problems, excessive tiredness, back problems, and intense headache. About 98% of these farmers are yet to develop structured means of coping with these stressors. CONCLUSION: We concluded that agricultural stressors affect farmers' well-being. Efforts should be made at initiating a stress management campaign for Nigerian crop farmers. Government and development partners should assist farmers in their challenged areas, and there should be functional integration of mental health focused agricultural health in primary health care.

Social Disparities in Exposure to Point-of-Sale Cigarette Marketing.

While most ecological studies have shown that higher levels of point-of-sale (POS) cigarette marketing are associated with larger proportions of residents from lower socioeconomic and minority backgrounds in neighborhoods, there are no studies that examine individual-level social disparities in exposure to POS cigarette marketing among smokers in the United States. Our aim was to examine these disparities in a Midwestern metropolitan area in the United States. We conducted a telephone survey to collect data on 999 smokers. Cigarette marketing was measured by asking respondents three questions about noticing advertisements, promotions, and displays of cigarettes within their respective neighborhoods. The questions were combined to create a summated scale. We estimated ordered logistic regression models to examine the association of sociodemographic variables with exposure to POS cigarette marketing. Adjusted results showed that having a lower income (p < 0.003) and belonging to a race/ethnicity other than "non-Hispanic White" (p = 0.011) were associated with higher levels of exposure to POS cigarette marketing. The results highlight social disparities in exposure to POS cigarette marketing in the United States, which can potentially be eliminated by banning all forms of cigarette marketing.

Safety and health in biomass production, transportation, and storage: a commentary based on the biomass and biofuels session at the 2013 North American Agricultural Safety Summit.

There is significant interest in biomass production ranging from government agencies to the private sector, both inside and outside of the traditional production agricultural setting. This interest has led to an increase in the development and production of biomass crops. Much of this effort has focused on specific segments of the process, and more specifically on the mechanics of these individual segments. From a review of scientific literature, it is seen that little effort has been put into identifying, classifying and preventing safety hazards in on-farm biomass production systems. This commentary describes the current status of the knowledge pertaining to health and safety factors of biomass production and storage in the US and identifies areas of standards development that the biomass industry needs from the agricultural safety and health community.

Using social marketing to address barriers and motivators to agricultural safety and health best practices.

Social marketing is an intervention development strategy that pays considerable attention to barriers to and motivators for behavioral change or adoption of recommended behaviors. Barriers are obstacles that prevent individuals from changing or adopting behaviors and are often referred to as the "cons" or "costs" of doing something. Motivators, on the other hand, are factors that encourage individuals to change or adopt behaviors and are often referred to as the "pros," "benefits," or "influencing factors" of doing something. Importantly, social marketing does not target education or knowledge change as an end point; rather, it targets behavior change. Studies across several types of desired behaviors (e.g., smoking cessation, weight control, more exercise, sunscreen use, radon testing) using the Stages of Change model have found systematic relationships between stages of change and pros and cons of changing behavior. A review of literature identifies numerous research and intervention studies that directly reference social marketing in agricultural safety and health, studies that identify reasons why parents allow their children to be exposed to hazardous situations on the farm, and reasons why youth engage in risky behaviors, but only two studies were found that show evidence of systematically researching specific behavioral change motivating factors. The authors offer several suggestions to help address issues relating to social marketing and agricultural safety and health.