Agricultural health and medicine education—Engaging rural professionals to make a difference to farmers’ lives

Despite continued higher rates of workplace injuries, earlier morbidity and mortality and challenging climatic environments, few formal programs focus on the health, well‐being and safety of farmers. The agricultural health and medicine unit, developed in 2010, was designed to increase cultural competence and empower rural professionals to improve the health, well‐being and safety outcomes of farming populations in Australia. This study aimed to understand the extent to which graduates (2010‐2018) use the knowledge and skills gained in their current occupations and identify barriers and enablers faced in implementing them.

2020-08-18: Rural snapshot competition – Stock and Land

Express yourself with photos, videos, poetry, a tune or even a meme in the #SnapshotRuralVic competition run by the National Centre for Farmer Health.

Snapshot online project officer, Hilary McAllister said #SnapshotRuralVic encouraged all forms of creativity, from TikToks to haikus.
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There will be a weekly vote for the People’s Choice entry, who will receive a voucher to a rural business of their choice.

“This initiative hopes to share the stories of everyday Victorians who are sadly no stranger to challenging times,” she said.

“Whilst we navigate the coming months, #SnapshotRuralVic aims to unite Victorians through storytelling, humour and creativity.”

“From the local CFA meetings embracing Zoom technology, to people learning the art of mask making and getting their hands dirty in the vegetable garden, I hope #SnapshotRuralVic can help educate, inspire and hopefully provide some insight into rural life during these troubling times”.

#SnapshotRuralVic launched on Monday August 3rd 2020 and will run for 10 weeks.

Visit the campaign on Instagram at @SnapshotRuralVic and Facebook on the @Farmer_Health page to connect with the community.

A coffee-table style book will be published in digital and hard copy formats at the end of the program.

For further information, visit www.farmerhealth.org.au/snapshotruralvic.

The Ripple Effect: A digital intervention to reduce suicide stigma among farming men

Compared with the general population, Australian farmers—particularly men—have been identified as at greater risk of suicide. A complex range of factors are thought to contribute to this risk, including the experience of Stigma. stigma also impacts those who have attempted suicide, their carers, and those bereaved by suicide—manifesting as shame, guilt, social isolation, concealment of death, reduced help seeking and ongoing risk of suicide. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of an intervention, tailored for the farming context, designed to reduce stigma among farming men with a lived experience of suicide.

Suicide in Rural Australia: Are Farming-Related Suicides Different?

Rural Australians experience a range of health inequities—including higher rates of suicide—when compared to the general population. This retrospective cohort study compares demographic characteristics and suicide death circumstances of farming- and non-farming-related suicides in rural Victoria

Research Engagement Changes Attitudes and Behaviours towards Agrichemical Safety in Australian Farmers

There is limited research that evaluates the effect of farmer involvement in agrichemical exposure surveillance on their attitudes and behaviour towards pesticide handling and use of personal protective equipment. This limited follow-up study aimed to (i) evaluate attitudes/behaviours towards the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) among farmers who participated in the In-Field Personalised Cholinesterase Assessment Project (PCAP) (2016/17); and (ii) qualitatively assess the effect of monthly presentation of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) testing results on farmer agrichemical safety practices and behaviours prior to, and following participation in PCAP.

Organophosphate exposure and the chronic effects on farmers: a narrative review

Organophosphates are a class of insecticides used globally by the agricultural industry for insect control. Acute consequences of organophosphate exposures are well known, while there has been limited research on their long-term effects. The objective of this review was to discuss the health effects of chronic organophosphate exposure in farmers.

2020-07-20: Focus On Education Programs To Help Make Farms Safer – Press Release Minister for Agriculture

Two new educational programs supported by the Victorian Government will be rolled out for rural and regional school students to start changing attitudes towards safety on farms from an early age.

Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes today announced the programs at the beginning of National Farm Safety Week to reinforce the Government’s commitment towards reducing deaths and injuries on farms.

Kidsafe Victoria will receive a $97,000 grant to support their work preventing unintentional death and injury of children by delivering a farm safety campaign and creative competition in primary schools over three years.

The National Centre for Farmer Health will receive a $108,500 grant to deliver twenty ‘Gear up for Agriculture Health and Safety’ workshops to Victorian secondary school students who have an interest in agriculture.

Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) found that children aged younger than 15 in Victoria’s outer regional areas are four times more likely to die due to injury than children in our major cities.

MUARC recommended addressing this problem through increased education and awareness of known injury hazards such as dams, farm equipment and off-road motorbike use.

Drowning is the leading cause of death of children on farms – providing a fenced play area away from water hazards such as dams is one example recommendation of what can be done to help make farms safer for children.

Teaching children about farms as workplaces as well as homes is a vital part of changing attitudes, with information showing children influence the decisions their parents make, in turn improving farm safety for the whole family.

These grants are part of the Victorian Government’s $20 million Victoria’s Smarter, Safer Farms program which is addressing skills and safety issues in the agriculture sector.

To find out more about the educational programs visit the Agriculture Victoria website.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes

“Increasing education and awareness is crucial in order to change the culture of safety on farms – by partnering with Kidsafe Victoria and the National Centre for Farmer Health, we can do this from an early age.”

“This Farm Safety Week is a good reminder that we all have a role to play in understanding that farms are workplaces as well as homes, and how we behave on them can have significant consequences for every person who works, lives or visits one.”

Quote attributable to Minister for Workplace Safety Jill Hennessy

“The agricultural sector is overly represented in fatality statistics and helping Victorian students understand the role they play in making farms safer will make a difference now and for every person who participates in the agriculture sector over the years to come.”

View Media Release: 2020-07-20: Focus On Education Programs To Help Make Farms Safer – Press Release Minister for Agriculture

Mallee Sustainable Farming Podcast 4 – Looking after your most important farm asset | Child safety on farms

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In this episode we’re talking about Child Safety on Farms!

Welcome to our episode guest speaker, Jacquie Cotton (National Centre for Farmer Health).

We discuss:

Where to start when it comes to discussing child safety on your farm.
Practical safety ideas
School Holiday farm fun – how to approach child safety topics with your family, friends and community.

Handy resources:

https://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/your-industry/agriculture,-forestry-and-fishing/farming/child-safety-on-farms  

https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/children-farms

Farmer Health eNews July 2020

Find out all the latest from the National Centre for Farmer Health

• Online Ag Health Project – get involved!
• Looking after your most important farm asset – New podcast episodes out now!
• Healthy and Sustainable Agricultural Communities (HMF702) unit enrollments CLOSING 10|7|20
• Wellness Wednesday

View the July 2020 eNews

Read past issues of eNews

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Mallee Sustainable Farming Podcast 3 – Why PPE is so important in your farming operations

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Mallee Sustainable Farming Podcast – The things you need to know about Q Fever and other Zoonosis diseases

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Mallee Sustainable Farming Podcast – Health Planning with Morna Semmens

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