Farmer Health eNews February 2021

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A comparison of farming and non‐farming related suicides from the United States’ National Violent Deaths Reporting System, 2003–2016

Farmers are at higher risk of suicide than other occupations and the general population. The complex suicide risk factors have not been examined in a large, population‐wide study across a significant time period. This observational study draws on existing data from the United States’ National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), including 140,523 farming‐ or non‐farming‐related suicide decedents between 2003 and 2016 from across 40 states. “Farming‐related” decedents included 2,801 suicides. Farmers had higher odds of being male, older, less well‐educated, and American Indian/Alaska Native. Farmers had higher odds of using firearms and—when farmers used a gun—higher odds of using a long‐arm weapon. Farmers had lower odds of having a known mental health condition or job problem, and lower odds of having made a previous suicide attempt or leaving a suicide note. Findings highlight the complexity of suicide risk within the context of farming in the United States and reinforce the need for tailored prevention efforts; employing means restriction of firearms; and emphasizing that traditional risk factors may not be as common in the farming population.

Kennedy, A., Cerel, J., Kheibari, A., Leske, S. and Watts, J06 January 2021A comparison of farming‐ and non‐farming‐related suicides from the United States’ National Violent Deaths Reporting System, 2003–2016. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior(early view)Go to page

Farmer Health eNews January 2021

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Directors Blog – Podcast with the University of Iowa: Knowing the territory

This week, Alexis and Steve from the University of Iowa welcome Dr. Susan Brumby to the program. Dr. Brumby is the founding director of the National Centre for Farmer Health, an innovative partnership between Western District Health Service and Deakin University Australia.

She discusses the issues surrounding the health, wellbeing and safety of farmers and agricultural workers and how a practical understanding of rural communities helps create meaningful connections.

Read more about Dr. Brumby: https://www.rrh.org.au/journal/profile/9630/susan_brumby

A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3g5jzn6

Farmer Health eNews December 2020

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2020-11-23: Research looks at early suicide triggers – Farm Weekly

by Bree Swift

RESEARCH to develop more targeted suicide prevention strategies for farmers is being undertaken by the National Centre for Farmer Health.

AgSPACE is an agricultural suicide prevention project that analyses coronial evidence to reduce the reliance of anecdotal reporting of suicide in rural farming communites.

A partnership between Deakin University and the Western District Health Service, Victoria, the project aims to demystify farmer suicide and compare suicide data of Australian farming regions.

“The work is focussed on prevention and early identification of risk factors associated with farming populations, their health, wellbeing and safety,” said National Centre for Farmer Health research fellow Alison Kennedy.

The first stage of research was based on 1298 non-metropolitan suicide deaths, 133 of which were determined as farming related.

The project found that farming related suicides were more likely to occur with people who were identified as employed and less likely to have received mental health treatment more than six weeks before death.

“We found farming related suicides were less likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness and particularly a mood disorder and that may be through lower rates of diagnosis, but it also may be through reduced access to services and the flow-on effect of opportunities to have a condition diagnosed,” Ms Kennedy said.

“When people were seeking support it was more likely to be in that crisis stage.

“People were also less likely to have received mental health treatment from their GP and, we do know, often people in farming communities who struggle with their mental health are more likely to present to a GP with a physical health condition rather than their mental health condition – so that’s something to keep in mind for prevention efforts.

The second stage of the AgSPACE project took a more in-depth look at 820 rural suicide deaths and found that living with physical ill health within a rural area was a common theme, with limited specialist services, long wait times, the requirement for significant travel and cultural barriers to accessing health care (in that people didn’t like to ask for help and seek assistance) was prevalent.

“There was an unwillingness to confide in others about health and sometimes that even extended to family members and people within their friendship groups,” Ms Kennedy said.

“Physical ill health really increased that sense of isolation and that sense of geographic isolation really enhanced the sense of social isolation.”

Injuries often related to work, including farming or vehicle accidents that cause chronic pain were identified as a theme in the second stage of research

“There was a burden of not being able to actively contribute to work (particularly farming), family and society and a real shame and stigma surrounding the inability to manage pain on their psychological capacities,” Ms Kennedy said.

Following the outcomes of the AgSPACE research, the National Centre for Farmer Health has recommended the need for a culturally competent rural health workforce that understands the risks faced by those living in rural communities and the culture and context in which they live and work.

“We need methods where we can engage with people early in the piece so we can look after their physical and psychosocial health,” Ms Kennedy

Alternative support delivery is an area which the organisation plans to focus on through its MH4Ag program.

The program is focussed on developing a framework to deliver peer supported psychological therapy to farm community members experiencing depression or psychological distress by taking a pragmatic approach to therapy that ties into how farming communities operate.

The second aim of the project is to work with farmers and stakeholders to develop a personalised, practical action plan to help improve farmers and farming community members’ ability to proactively focus on what to do in a challenging situation, rather than what not to do.

“We’re in the co-design stage of this project and we are running some workshops to determine what the peer-supported delivery will look like, who would be most effective to deliver it, what training would be required and what are the most effective methods of engaging the community,” Ms Kennedy said.

“We have also engaged a working group to help us develop the action plan.”

For more information visit the National Centre for Farmer Health website https://farmerhealth.org.au

view full article here

Ideas to help manage the holiday and harvest season

In what has already been a challenging few years, we are approaching a season predicted to challenge us all even further. Managing the ‘end of year rush’, farm-related fatigue, over-indulgence in food and alcohol, and the challenges of social interaction (or isolation) means this is not always the joyful time portrayed.

Farmer Health resources:

Practical ways to support your mental health:

Fact sheets which are particularly helpful at this time of the year:

support contact numbers – click here

Learn where you live – Agricultural Health and Medicine goes online in 2021

For the first time in twelve years Australia’s only postgraduate agricultural health and medicine unit is going online for 2021. This internationally recognised, multidisciplinary course better equips health providers, rural professionals and our rural communities with the knowledge and skills they need to live, work and prosper. To date, over 230 professionals working in agriculture, medicine, allied health, and nursing from across Australia, New Zealand, India, Indonesia, Africa and the UK have undertaken the unit which confronts the high rate of injuries, fatalities and non-communicable diseases experienced by farming families and their communities.

Unit chair Dr Jacquie Cotton says “The global pandemic event of 2020 has changed the way we teach and work. This means that you can now learn where you live, and by moving the course online enable our international and interstate students to study with us in 2021.”  

The exciting 5-day intensive will be held online from February 22nd – 26th 2021 as a key part of the online unit. Agricultural Health and Medicine unit (HMF701) offered through Deakin University, School of Medicine. The presenters cover a broad range of health, safety and wellbeing issues ranging from mental illness and addiction through to emergency medicine, agrichemicals, zoonotic disease, non-communicable disease and agricultural trauma.

The course material shifts focus with the changing nature of adversity and health challenges faced by rural and remote agricultural communities, providing graduates with the necessary skills and knowledge to improve the social, physical and mental health of agricultural workforces and farming women, men and children across Australia.

NCFH Agrihealth professional, RN, and Agricultural Health and Medicine graduate, Amelia Cottrell from NSW is one of a team of rural nurses using their expert understanding of Agricultural Health to work with farmers and agricultural workers across the country. “The National Centre for Farmer Health has helped me fulfil my passion to improve the health and wellbeing of rural communities through conducting health assessments and educating farmers about the health risks associated with the agricultural industry and to make a positive change to farmers’ lives.” RN Amelia Cottrell said

Dr Cotton says “Registered nurses who successfully complete Agricultural Health and Medicine and meet requirements, are also ideally placed to join Australia’s only AgriSafe™ network.

To find out more about scholarships, AgriSafe™ career opportunities or apply for the Graduate Certificate of Agricultural Health and Medicine, visit www.farmerhealth.org.au/education, contact Dr Jacquie Cotton 03 5551 8533 or email j.cotton@deakin.edu.au.

 
*** ENDS ***

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: 

National Centre for Farmer Health:
Dr Susan Brumby
Phone: 03 5551 8460
or
Dr Jacquie Cotton
Phone: 03 5551 8585, 0409 287 497
Email: j.cotton@deakin.edu.au

Farmer Health eNews November 2020

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Women’s Health Week – catch up with Jodie Leske

Jodie Leske is a mum, business owner and farmer living in the Western District of Victoria, 259 kilometres west of Melbourne.

Like many women on the land, finding the time to look after her health is a constant challenge. Between juggling the usual daily demands of work and family, and on top of this, the distances needed to travel to some health services, Jodie’s health can take a back seat.

“It’s very easy to get caught up in being really busy getting the job done,” says Jodie. But Jodie acknowledges that her health and wellbeing are also really important, so she makes sure she finds time for herself. Whether it’s getting off the farm to see other people, doing some physical activity or finding down time. “It’s easy to get caught up, but it’s also important to stop.”

Jodie also knows her health is important not just to her, but her family and community. “With my health, I find if I’m not feeling right everyone feels it. It’s really important to look after yourself as well as everybody else around you.”

2020-10-06: Rural life in the spotlight – Sentinel Times

Greg Beal captured this photo of South Gippsland for the #SnapshotRuralVic campaign.

#SNAPSHOTRURALVIC, an initiative of the National Centre for Farmer Health, is bringing country Victorians together to tell a unique story of rural life during the second wave of COVID-19 lockdown.
Since launching over seven weeks ago, more than 1000 people have shared their photos and stories of everyday rural life over a number of social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the farmerhealth.org website.

During a time when people are more disconnected than ever, it proved to be a valuable outlet for people to connect and share aspects of how life goes on during lockdown.

One participant noted #SnapshotRuralVic “picked me up when feeling down and I enjoyed the positive and motivating pictures.”

Social media analytics show both rural and metropolitan areas are joining in with feedback received from the participants overwhelmingly positive.

Project officer Hilary McAllister said it had been encouraging to see the simple act of sharing a photo or story was keeping other people motivated during this lockdown.

Each week, there was a new theme, such as COVID cooking, masks on farms and stories from the shed.
“Some of the photos of the projects that people have been doing have been simply amazing,” Ms McAllister said.
A weekly shortlist of the entries also go in the running to win the People’s Choice award with the lucky winner receiving a $100 voucher to a local Victorian business of their choice.

With only a few weeks remaining, the National Centre for Farmer Health is hoping to see the community continue to grow. The campaign will culminate at the #SnapshotRuralVic Awards which will take place virtually in early November.

All submissions across the 10 weeks of the campaign will be considered for judging, with categories including ‘Celebrating the Next Generation’, ‘Lamb of the Year’ and ‘Best COVID-Kitchen Creation’. The campaign will conclude on Friday, November 6.

For further information, visit farmerhealth.org.au/snapshotruralvic or reach out to the Snapshot Online project officer, Hilary McAllister, directly at hmcallister@wdhs.net or on 0490 483 548 for more information.

Farmers, Suicide Literacy and Suicide Stigma – The Ripple Effect

Background: Globally many farming populations have been identified as having higher rates of suicide, in comparison to those living in metropolitan, rural and regional communities. The reasons for this are unclear although occupational risk and stigma are considered risk factors. This Australian study sought to understand the role of suicide literacy and suicide stigma in farming and rural populations and the relationship between these.

Methods: A mixed-methods online intervention was developed. This presentation reports on baseline quantitative data of suicide literacy, stigma and suicide effect collected from male and female rural Australian participants (N = 536) with an experience of suicide (attempted, considered, bereaved by, cared for, or any other experience).

Results: Our cohort demonstrated higher levels of stigma and significantly higher levels of suicide literacy when compared with previous Australian community samples. Males were also more likely to have considered suicide than females. Females were more likely than males to report a devastating and ongoing effect of suicide bereavement/s.

Conclusion: This study reiterates the clear need for much improved understanding of the risk factors for suicide and the experience of suicide that occurs within the life and work in farming communities. Importantly it identifies that increased literacy (intended to decrease risk) does not necessarily correspond with decreased rates or experience of suicide. How can we apply and adapt ‘best practice’ in farmer suicide prevention to reduce stigma and improve prevention efforts.

Brumby, S., Kennedy, A. and Versace, V.2020Farmers, Suicide Literacy and Suicide Stigma – The Ripple EffectIndian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine24(Sup4): S3Go to page