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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Collaboration between nurses and agricultural teachers to prevent adolescent agricultural injuries: the Agricultural Disability Awareness and Risk Education Model.

Nearly 2 million children live or work on America's farms and ranches. Despite the increasing mechanization of production agriculture in the United States, children still constitute a considerable portion of the work force on farms and ranches. When adjusted for actual work exposure time, adolescent injury rates on agricultural establishments surpass those of adults (Castillo, D. N., Landen, D. D., & Layne, L. A. (1994). American Journal of Public Health, 84, 646-649). This project, headed by two public health nurses, developed and tested an agricultural safety curriculum [Agricultural Disability Awareness and Risk Education (AgDARE)] for use in high school agriculture classes. Students who participated in AgDARE scored significantly higher in farm safety attitude and intent to change work behavior than the control group. School and public health nurses, working together with agriculture teachers, may make an effective team in reducing injuries among teen agricultural workers.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed1997

Ecological constraints on the ability of precision agriculture to improve the environmental performance of agricultural production systems.

In this paper, I address three topics relevant to the ability of precision agriculture to improve the environmental performance of agricultural production systems. First, I describe the fundamental ecological factors that influence the environmental performance of these systems and address how precision agriculture practices can or cannot interact with these factors. Second, I review the magnitude of the ecological processes that we hope to manage with precision agriculture relative to agricultural inputs to determine whether managing these processes can significantly affect system environmental performance. Finally, I address scale incongruencies between ecological processes and precision agriculture techniques that could limit the ability of these techniques to manage variability in these processes. The analysis suggests that there are significant ecological constraints on the ability of precision agriculture techniques to improve the environmental performance of agricultural production systems. The primary constraint is that these techniques do not address many of the key factors that cause poor environmental performance in these systems. Further, the magnitude of the ecological processes that we hope to manage with precision agriculture are quite small relative to agricultural inputs and, finally, these processes vary on scales that are incongruent with precision management techniques.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2005

"Safety for agricultural educators": evaluation of an intervention to enhance awareness of agricultural hazards.

Safety for Agricultural Educators (SAGE) is a two-sided fact sheet on agricultural hazards that has been distributed by the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH) to Northeastern high school agriculture educators over the past six years. It was intended to supplement and stimulate the teaching of safety principles in agricultural education classes and thus enhance the awareness and knowledge of young people working on farms. This paper describes an evaluation of SAGE's success at achieving these goals. Postal surveys from 29 teachers who had not previously received SAGE gathered data on class demographics and the amount of class time devoted to a variety of agricultural topics including tractor operation and agricultural health and safety. Teachers were asked to assess their students' awareness of safety and health issues and also to estimate the number of students working in the farm environment. Following a year of SAGE mailings, the same information was gathered from the 24/29 post-SAGE responders. Comparison of pre-post responses from the 24 matched responding educators showed: limited increase in the teachers' knowledge of basic agricultural safety information; a decline in the amount of class time devoted to health and safety; a marginal increase in estimated student awareness of health and safety and very little evidence of teacher awareness of SAGE as a safety resource. Most notable was the fact that only 8% of all students were currently working on a farm and teachers estimated that only 6% would be working on farms in five years.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMed1983

[Mortality from respiratory diseases among agricultural and non-agricultural workers in France from 1970 to 1974].

The mortality due to respiratory disease was studied in France between 1970 and 1974 as well as in seven other countries in the European Economic Community. The French results were presented as an index of mortality by cause of death, enabling a comparison of the mortality in different groups of the population. Data was supplied for 7 diagnostic groups defined according to List A of the International Classification of Diseases. The population studied consisted of men and women between 15 to 64 years, classified according to residence (urban or rural) and profession (agricultural worker or not). In addition the indices of mortality for farmers or agricultural employees were compared to men of the same social class, for the same period. The comparisons between the urban and the rural background revealed an excess mortality for respiratory tuberculosis, lung cancer, bronchitis, emphysema and asthma for those in urban areas. In the rural environment an excess mortality was noted for acute respiratory diseases in both men and women; this was also found comparing agricultural to non-agricultural workers. Lastly, if one compared agricultural and non-agricultural workers of the same social class, deaths due to acute and chronic respiratory infections were higher in the agricultural workers. These results show the relative importance already stressed in other studies, of acute respiratory diseases in agricultural workers.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Spinal cord injury rehabilitation outcomes: a comparison of agricultural and non-agricultural workers.

This study of Victorian workers who sustained a spinal cord injury aimed to: (i) define the proportion of this population who were employed in an agricultural setting prior to sustaining their injury; (ii) explore the preinjury characteristics and postinjury vocational achievements of agricultural workers; and (iii) compare these with those of non-agricultural workers. Respondents were sampled from patients presenting for review at the participating spinal unit over the 9 months study period (N = 150 with a participation rate of 71%). Results indicated that while those working in agricultural occupations account for between 4 and 4.5% of Victorian workers, 13.3% of respondents reported working in agricultural occupations at the time of their injury. In spite of the physically demanding nature of their workplace many agricultural workers returned to farming postinjury. The rehabilitation experiences and return to work outcomes achieved by the agricultural workers were found to be very similar to those of other workers, despite the additional barriers they were expected to have encountered.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2001

Fatal work related injuries in agricultural production and services to agriculture sectors of New Zealand, 1985-94.

OBJECTIVES: To describe work related fatal injuries to agricultural workers in New Zealand to identify priority areas for further research and injury control measures. METHODS: Injury deaths in New Zealanders aged 15-84 inclusive for the period 1985-94 were identified and the coroner's files for these obtained. These files were then reviewed to determine whether the death arose as a result of work activities. Those deaths considered to be work related were coded for information relating to decedent demographics and the circumstances of the fatal injury. Work related deaths from injury occurring in the agricultural production and services to agriculture sectors were analysed. RESULTS: The rate of fatal injuries to male agricultural workers over the study period was 21.2/100 000, with injury deaths in the agricultural sectors accounting for nearly a quarter of all work related fatal injuries in New Zealand in that time. There was no significant decline in fatal injuries to agricultural workers in the study decade. Workers in the 65-84 age bracket were at substantially higher risk of fatal injury than other age groups. Machinery and motor vehicles were commonly associated with fatal injury, with overturns on or next to embankments and slopes being the most frequent scenario. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study highlight fatal injuries in older workers and machinery incidents (particularly tractors overturning) as priority areas for further research into contributing factors and injury control measures.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) among agricultural extension workers concerning the reduction of the adverse impact of pesticides in agricultural areas in Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: Extension workers are educated locally to enable them to train farmers in using improved local farming methods and imported technology, such as pesticides, to increase crop production. However, the extension workers are not adequately trained in health aspects of pesticides and hence are unable to provide adequate services to farmers with regard to safe use of pesticides. OBJECTIVE: The present study assessed the knowledge, attitudes and practices of agricultural extension workers with respect to health effects of pesticides in order to develop strategies for the control of pesticide exposure and prevention of pesticide poisoning in Tanzania. METHODS: A survey of Tanzanian agricultural extensionists was undertaken in 1991-1994 using a standardized questionnaire in face-to-face interviews. Extensionists who were district agricultural officers, assistant agricultural officers, agricultural assistants, and field assistants, working in the coffee and cotton growing areas (N = 61) within a radius of 15 km of farm, estate or village under farm worker study (reported elsewhere) were included in the survey. RESULTS: The majority of extensionists knew that pesticides could enter the human body but only a quarter perceived pesticides as a major problem in the community they served. The majority showed awareness of potential health hazards of the different pesticides used in their service areas, but they did not recognize what pesticides were responsible for poisoning. A high proportion was familiar with first aid procedures in case of pesticide poisoning; however, many procedures described were not appropriate for pesticide poisoning. CONCLUSIONS: The survey indicated that training of agricultural workers in health aspects of pesticide exposure is an important task for adequate provision of service to farmers with regard to safe use of pesticides in Tanzania. Nevertheless, the appropriate role of extensionists in reducing the health impact of pesticides would be to advocate pesticides of low toxicity or non-chemical pest control.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Agricultural work safety efforts by Wisconsin extension agricultural agents.

This study investigated the agricultural work-related safety and health programming of county-level cooperative extension agents who work through land grant universities to provide a range of educational programs to agricultural producers. A questionnaire was designed and administered to all 89 Wisconsin agriculture and agribusiness extension county faculty. The questionnaire obtained valid responses from 98.9 percent of the agents. Ninety percent of all agents conducted some occupational safety and health promotion programming in the last year. These activities occupied an average of 4.8 days per agent per year. Most of the reported activities were group programs for the agricultural labor force that involved other extension agents and included the use of videotapes. The greatest barrier to more programming was lack of time on the part of both the agricultural work force and the agents. Most extension agents placed greater emphasis on training in how to work safely around hazards than on how to recognize and permanently correct hazards. For future programs agents requested more short format materials to use in programming, such as fact sheets, videotapes, and farm hazard inspection checklists. Agents are important training delivery resources for controlling farm-related injury and disease. Agents could be more effective with more time, better materials, and with more emphasis on hazard correction in workplace safety programs.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗
PubMed2005

Comparison of farmers in the agricultural health study to the 1992 and the 1997 censuses of agriculture.

CONTEXT: The Agricultural Health Study (AHS) is a large, prospective cohort study in the states of Iowa and North Carolina that has been developed to better understand how pesticides and other agricultural exposures relate to the occurrence of cancer and other diseases. PURPOSE: This report compares the characteristics of AHS farmers to the Census of Agriculture to evaluate the generalizability of AHS findings. METHODS: We restricted the AHS to private pesticide applicators who enrolled in Iowa (n = 31,065) and in North Carolina (n = 17,239) between 1993 and 1997, and who identified themselves as living or working on a farm. We compared their self-reported data with data from the 1992 and 1997 Censuses of Agriculture. FINDINGS: AHS farmers in Iowa are younger; live or work on larger farms; more frequently apply herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides; and are more likely to raise beef cattle and swine, and grow corn, soybeans, hay, and oats. AHS farmers in North Carolina are also younger, live or work on larger farms, more frequently reported growing crops commonly seen in the state, and are more frequent pesticide users. However, animals raised are similar to those in the North Carolina Census of Agriculture. CONCLUSIONS: AHS farmers likely represent the higher end of pesticide usage in both states in part because AHS farmers have larger farms. Since the health effects of pesticides are best ascertained among pesticide users with the greatest exposure, the AHS cohort should prove to be a valuable resource for health effects research.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Agricultural health in The Gambia II: A systematic survey of safety and injuries in production agriculture.

This study was undertaken to provide baseline information on the injuries and health and safety conditions in Gambian agriculture. The objective was to produce information to guide the formulation of an agricultural health and safety policy for the country, future investigations, prevention and surveillance of the adverse health effects in agriculture. A cross-sectional survey of 20 farmers, 20 nurses, and 20 agricultural extension workers was conducted in the Central and Upper River Divisions of The Gambia. The survey was implemented by the means of questionnaires, walk-through survey and hazard checklist. Seventy percent of farms reported an injury during the past year. Major sources and contributing factors for the injuries were characterized. Predisposing factors to the injuries were climatic conditions, working in static positions, bending and twisting and carrying heavy objects. Cuts and lacerations were identified as the commonest injury types and the most common sources were hand tools (hand hoe, cutlass, axe and knife) and animal-powered carts. A workshop for the major stake holders in the country's agriculture was also held to identify problems and possible solutions for health promotion of Gambian farmers.

Agriculture↗
PubMed1993

The Occupational Health Nurses in Agricultural Communities program: identifying and preventing agriculturally related illnesses and injuries.

1. The Occupational Health Nurses in Agricultural Communities (OHNAC) program is a national surveillance program to identify and prevent agriculturally related illnesses and injuries. Locally based nurses work closely with health departments, hospitals, physicians, and other providers to identify and report sentinel health events. 2. Through OHNAC, sentinel health events are assessed and evaluated to identify occupational risk factors that may be applicable to the larger community of agricultural workers. This information is then disseminated nationally, locally, and to the individual workers. 3. The surveillance and investigation information is used to develop programs to prevent agricultural illnesses and injuries. The use of case based surveillance and subsequent data driven interventions has broad applicability for occupational health nurses in other industrial sectors.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Current United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service research on understanding agrochemical fate and transport to prevent and mitigate adverse environmental impacts.

Environmentally and economically viable agriculture requires a variety of cultivation practices and pest management options as no one system will be appropriate for every situation. Agrochemicals are some of the many pest control tools used in an integrated approach to pest management. They are applied with the intent of maximizing efficacy while minimizing off-site movement; however, their judicious use demands a practical knowledge of their fate and effects in agricultural and natural ecosystems. Agrochemical distribution into environmental compartments is influenced by the physical and chemical properties of the agrochemical and environmental conditions, ie soil type and structure, and meteorological conditions. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) researchers working in the area of agrochemical fate have focused on accurately describing those processes that govern the transport, degradation and bioavailability of these chemicals under conditions reflecting actual agronomic practices. Results from ARS research concerning the environmental fate and effects of agrochemicals have led to the development of science-based management practices that will protect vulnerable areas of the ecosystem. The new challenge is to identify these vulnerable areas and the temporal and spatial variations prior to use of the chemical by predicting how it will behave in environmental matrices, and using that information, predict its transport and transformation within an air- or watershed. With the development of better predictive tools and GIS (Geographic Information System)-based modeling, the risks of agricultural management systems can be assessed at the watershed and basin levels, and management strategies can be identified that minimize negative environmental impacts.

Agrochemicals↗
PubMed2005

Neurobehavioral performance in preschool children from agricultural and non-agricultural communities in Oregon and North Carolina.

Organophosphate (OP) pesticides produce acute toxic effects but little is known about low-level chronic exposures. Latino children of agricultural workers have a high risk of exposure to pesticides because of the close proximity of their homes to fields where pesticides are applied and from take-home exposure. Neurobehavioral performance of preschool children from agricultural (AG) communities was compared to performance of those from non-agricultural (Non-AG) communities in Oregon and North Carolina. Seventy-eight children aged 48-71 months completed a battery of neurobehavioral tests two times, approximately 1 month apart. Multiple regression revealed that the AG children performed poorer on measures of response speed (Finger Tapping) and latency (Match-to-Sample) compared to the Non-AG children. These results demonstrate modest differences in AG children compared to Non-AG children that are consistent with functional effects seen in adults exposed to low concentrations of OP pesticides. Just as was the case following early research on adults poisoned by pesticides, this study points to the need for additional investigations to test the hypothesis that low-concentration OP exposures affect acquisition of test performance, response speed and latency in children of agricultural workers.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2002

How sustainable agriculture can address the environmental and human health harms of industrial agriculture.

The industrial agriculture system consumes fossil fuel, water, and topsoil at unsustainable rates. It contributes to numerous forms of environmental degradation, including air and water pollution, soil depletion, diminishing biodiversity, and fish die-offs. Meat production contributes disproportionately to these problems, in part because feeding grain to livestock to produce meat--instead of feeding it directly to humans--involves a large energy loss, making animal agriculture more resource intensive than other forms of food production. The proliferation of factory-style animal agriculture creates environmental and public health concerns, including pollution from the high concentration of animal wastes and the extensive use of antibiotics, which may compromise their effectiveness in medical use. At the consumption end, animal fat is implicated in many of the chronic degenerative diseases that afflict industrial and newly industrializing societies, particularly cardiovascular disease and some cancers. In terms of human health, both affluent and poor countries could benefit from policies that more equitably distribute high-protein foods. The pesticides used heavily in industrial agriculture are associated with elevated cancer risks for workers and consumers and are coming under greater scrutiny for their links to endocrine disruption and reproductive dysfunction. In this article we outline the environmental and human health problems associated with current food production practices and discuss how these systems could be made more sustainable.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2006

Agricultural health in The Gambia I: Agricultural practices and developments.

This manuscript reports results of our study to characterize the historical developments of agricultural practices in The Gambia and related health risks of farm workers. It surveys the various factors that shape production agriculture in the country and examines the degrees to which hand tools, animal traction, motorized traction and manual labour all contribute to the inherent hazards of farm work. The principal objective of this study is to lay the ground work for detailed research of occupational health hazards in Gambian agriculture; and development of policies and programmes to promote the health of Gambian farmers. The authors of this paper assume the belief that one must first understand the industry and its people before effective policies and programmes can be developed. The study concludes by highlighting the need for the integration of epidemiological investigations in the country's agricultural research programme.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2000

Reliability of reporting on lifestyle and agricultural factors by a sample of participants in the agricultural health study from iowa.

PURPOSE: Information on agricultural practices has been obtained by questionnaire in several epidemiologic investigations. This project evaluated the reliability of self-reported information on pesticide use and various demographic and lifestyle factors among a group of farmers from Iowa.METHODS: 2,921 Iowa farmers participating in the Agricultural Health Study completed enrollment questionnaires approximately one year apart. Responses on the two questionnaires were compared for percent agreement and by Kappa statistics to evaluate reliability.RESULTS: Percent agreement for ever/never use of specific pesticides and application practices was quite high and generally ranged from 70% to over 90% and did not vary by age or educational level. Kappas were typically in the 0.50 to 0.60 range. Agreement was lower (typically 50% to 60%) for duration or frequency of use of specific pesticides. Agreement on lifestyle and non-agricultural factors was comparable to that reported in other studies.CONCLUSIONS: Level of agreement regarding pesticide use in this population is similar to that found for diet, physical activity, and medical conditions, which have been successfully evaluated in many epidemiologic studies. Information on agricultural practices from self-completed questionnaires has sufficient reliability for use in epidemiologic investigations.

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Invasive species research in the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service.

Invasive pests cause huge losses both to agricultural production systems and to the natural environment through displacing native species and decreasing biodiversity. It is now estimated that many thousand exotic insect, weed and pathogen species have been established in the USA and that these invasive species are responsible for a large portion of the $130 billion losses estimated to be caused by pests each year. The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has responded with extensive research and action programs aimed at understanding these problems and developing new management approaches for their control. This paper provides an overview of some of the ARS research that has been conducted on invasive species over the past few years and addresses both different categories of research and some specific pest systems of high interest to the US Department of Agriculture.

Agriculture↗