International perspectives on psychosocial working conditions, mental health, and stress of dairy farm operators

Dairy farm operators-farmers, workers, and family members-are faced with many demands and stressors in their daily work and these appear to be shared across countries and cultures. Dairy operators experience high psychosocial demands with respect to a hard work and production ethos, economic influences, and social and environmental responsibility. Furthermore, both traditional and industrial farms are highly dependent on external conditions, such as weather, fluctuating markets, and regulations from government authorities. Possible external stressors include disease outbreaks, taxes related to dairy production, and recent negative societal attitudes to farming in general. Dairy farm operators may have very few or no opportunities to influence and control these external conditions, demands, and expectations. High work demands and expectations coupled with low control and lack of social support can lead to a poor psychosocial work environment, with increased stress levels, ill mental health, depression, and, in the worst cases, suicide. Internationally, farmers with ill mental health have different health service options depending on their location. Regardless of location, it is initially the responsibility of the individual farmer and farm family to handle mental health and stress, which can be of short- or long-term duration. This paper reviews the literature on the topics of psychosocial working conditions, mental health, stress, depression, and suicide among dairy farm operators, farm workers, and farm family members in an international perspective

Agricultural Safety Education: Formative Assessment of a Curriculum Integration Strategy

The purpose of this study was to assess an agricultural tractor and machinery safety curriculum for teacher training that focused on hands-on integration activities to assist with training youth in machinery safety skills. Teachers attended a single ten-hour summer training seminar hosted in Montana, South Dakota, or Utah during 2017. Teachers completed the National Tractor and Machinery Safe Operation (NSTMOP) exam to measure their existing knowledge prior to beginning the training. Upon seminar completion, teachers took an NSTMOP post-test to measure their knowledge gain of agricultural safety practices and hazard recognition associated with machinery and tractors. A total of 116 teachers completed the training. Fifty-three participants (45.7%) identified as female, and 63 (54.3%) identified as male. The average participant was 35 years old (SD = 11.3) and had 9.5 years of teaching experience (SD = 9.2). The average NSTMOP pre-test score was 35.2 out of 48 (SD = 3.3), and the average NSTMOP post-test score was 40.3 out of 48 (SD = 4.1). Participants‘ scores increased by ten percentage points. A paired-samples t-test was used to determine statistical significance. The difference between pre-test and post-test was significant (t(109) = 11.9, p \u3c 0.001). Open responses indicated continuation of hands-on activities that focused on “how to teach” skills training that is relevant to the students. Teachers suggested developing new activities each year with a rotation of topics for upcoming seminars. Research is needed to determine the training‘s influence on the behaviors of young workers in agriculture

Risk factors for brain health in agricultural work: a systematic review

Includes bibliographical references.Certain exposures related to agricultural work have been associated with neurological disorders. To date, few studies have included brain health measurements to link specific risk factors with possible neural mechanisms. Moreover, a synthesis of agricultural risk factors associated with poorer brain health outcomes is missing. In this systematic review, we identified 106 articles using keywords related to agriculture, occupational exposure, and the brain. We identified seven major risk factors: non-specific factors that are associated with agricultural work itself, toluene, pesticides, heavy metal or dust exposure, work with farm animals, and nicotine exposure from plants. Of these, pesticides are the most highly studied. The majority of qualifying studies were epidemiological studies. Nigral striatal regions were the most well studied brain area impacted. Of the three human neuroimaging studies we found, two focused on functional networks and the third focused on gray matter. We identified two major directions for future studies that will help inform preventative strategies for brain health in vulnerable agricultural workers: (1) the effects of moderators such as type of work, sex, migrant status, race, and age; and (2) more comprehensive brain imaging studies, both observational and experimental, involving several imaging techniques

Suicide and Pesticide Use among Pesticide Applicators and Their Spouses in the Agricultural Health Study

Background: An association may exist between pesticide exposure and suicide

Príručka ku genealogickému výskumu na Slovensku a v slovacikálnom zahraniči

Рецензія на збірник: Príručka ku genealogickému výskumu na Slovensku a v slovacikálnom zahraniči / Zostavil a zredigoval Milan Šišmiš. – Zväzok 2. – Martin: Slovenská genealogicko-heraldická spoločnosť, 2009. – 270 s. ISBN 978-80-970196-1-7

Work-related pesticide poisoning among farmers in two villages of Southern China: a cross-sectional survey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Pesticide poisoning is an important health problem among Chinese farm workers, but there is a paucity of pesticide poisoning data from China. Using the WHO standard case definition of a possible acute pesticide poisoning, we investigated the prevalence and risk factors of acute work-related pesticide poisoning among farmers in Southern China.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A stratified sample of 910 pesticide applicators from two villages in southern China participated in face-to-face interviews. Respondents who self-reported having two or more of a list of sixty-six symptoms within 24 hours after pesticide application were categorized as having suffered acute pesticide poisoning. The association between the composite behavioral risk score and pesticide poisoning were assessed in a multivariate logistic model.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 80 (8.8%) pesticide applicators reported an acute work-related pesticide poisoning. The most frequent symptoms among applicators were dermal (11.6%) and nervous system (10.7%) symptoms. Poisoning was more common among women, farmers in poor areas, and applicators without safety training (all p < 0.001). After controlling for gender, age, education, geographic area and the behavioral risk score, farmers without safety training had an adjusted odds ratio of 3.22 (95% CI: 1.86-5.60). The likelihood of acute pesticide poisoning was also significantly associated with number of exposure risk behaviors. A significant "dose-response" relationship between composite behavioral risk scores calculated from 9 pesticides exposure risk behaviors and the log odds of pesticide poisoning prevalence was seen among these Chinese farmers (R²= 0.9246).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study found that 8.8% of Chinese pesticide applicators suffered acute pesticide poisoning and suggests that pesticide safety training, safe application methods, and precautionary behavioral measures could be effective in reducing the risk of pesticide poisoning.</p