Farmer Health eNews August 2017
Find out all the latest from the National Centre for Farmer Health
- Dowerin Machinery Field Days – 30-31st August
- Run 4 Farmer Health
- Director’s Blog – Farm Safety Target Zero!
- Wellness Wednesday Topics
Translating agricultural health and medicine education across the Pacific: a United States and Australian comparison study
Populations in agricultural communities requirehealth care that is interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral to address the high rate of workplace deaths, preventable injuries and illness. These rates are compounded by limited access to services and the distinctive personal values and culture of farming populations, which both health and rural practitioners must be aware of to reduce the gap between rural and urban population health outcomes. To address the unique health and medical characteristics of agricultural populations, education in agricultural medicine was established through the College of Medicine and the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa in the USA. The course was initially developed in 1974 for teaching medical students, family medicine residents and nurses, and a postgraduate curriculum was added in 2006 to develop medical/health and rural professionals’ cultural competence to work in agricultural communities. This article reviews the adaptation of the US course to Australia and the educational and practice outcomes of students who completed the agricultural medicine course in either Australia or the USA.
Chronic Disease and Health Risk Behaviours Among Rural Agricultural Workforce in Queensland
Little is known of the lifestyle behaviours and prevalence of chronic disease in the Australian agricultural workforce. This study aimed to assess behavioural risk factors and the prevalence of chronic disease among attendees of agricultural events in rural Queensland.
2017-08-03: Alarming farm health statistics – The West Australian
Nurse and National Centre for Farmer Health representative Jody Morton is based in Eneabba. Picture & article: Jo Fulwood
Being a farmer is the most dangerous occupation in the country.
While it may be a startling claim, National Centre for Farmer Health representative Jody Morton said the statistics don’t lie.
Speaking to more than 130 farmers at the GenAg2017 conference, Ms Morton said 27 per cent of all Australian workplace fatalities were in the farming industry.
She said statistics on agricultural industry injuries did not paint a full picture given many farmers did not report workplace injuries.
“The flow-on effect of these injuries is significant, not only to the person injured but to the business, in terms of cash flow and profitability, the family and even to the community,” she said.
In 2015, there were 16.7 deaths per 100,000 people involved in the agricultural industry, and Ms Morton said this had increased from 16.4 in 2003.
“When we compare this to the mining industry there were 12.4 deaths per 100,000 in 2003, reducing significantly to 4.4 per 100,000 in 2015,” she said.
“All of the other major industries are seeing decreasing death statistics, some quite dramatically — but agriculture is not.
“This is really scary stuff, and often the injuries we see in agriculture are catastrophic.”
Ms Morton said quad bike accidents were the leading cause of deaths on farms, with 11 deaths recorded on farms in 2015.
“Thankfully this number reduced just slightly in 2016, with 10 deaths on farms as a result of quad bikes — but that number is still unacceptable,” she said.
The majority of deaths occur when a quad bike falls on top of the rider, Ms Morton said. “The centre of gravity of a quad bike is quite different than a trail bike,” she said.
“Since 2001, more than 150 Australians have died in quad bike incidents.”
Research also shows the prevalence of cardiovascular health risks for farmers is higher than the national average.
“Farming is perceived as a very active occupation, but it has become a lot more sedentary,” she said.
In terms of emotional health and wellbeing, Ms Morton said people living in rural areas had similar rates of diagnosed mental illness when compared with those living in urban environments but much higher rates of suicide.
“WA and Tasmania have much higher rates of suicides in rural areas,” she said.
Farmers had an increased risk of being involved in unhealthy behaviours such as binge drinking, and an increased risk of injury as a result of the heavy physical demands of farming.
But Ms Morton said implementing simple strategies could change these statistics.
“There is a lot of research showing that health issues in agriculture are cumulative, meaning we can reduce this long-term health impact by doing simple things like not repeatedly jumping off machinery, using respiratory masks, getting enough sleep, not working excessively long hours, and even just looking out for our neighbours and mates,” she said.
The National Centre for Farmer Health provides research outcomes, education, information and service delivery to improve health, wellbeing and safety for farmers and farm workers.
View Article: 2017-08-03: Alarming farm health statistics – The West Australian
2017 July – Director’s Blog – Target Zero!
Target Zero!
As farm safety week comes to an end, I have been pondering again why the agriculture, forestry and fishing fatality rate has remained unchanged over the last decade, ranging from 16.0 to 17.8 (per 100,000 workers) since 2003[1]. This is despite substantial and significant advances being made in other areas which previously experienced high rates of workplace death. For example, mining’s rate was 12.4 in 2003 and dropped to 4.4 in 2015. Transport and warehousing also dropped from 14.6 in 2003 to 6.6 in 2015. Our work with farmers reinforces this experience of high rates. One only needs to ask a group of farmers if they know someone seriously or fatally injured from a farm accident and usually all hands in the group go up. Further questioning on how many people they have personally known, sadly often reveals two hands with 6 or 7 fingers raised, often including children deaths. In my experience, there is no other occupation that shares this high rate of fatalities at work.
In positive news, we have managed to reduce tractor roll overs—previously the highest cause of death on farm—through roll over protection (ROPS) and improved manufacturing of new tractors. More recently, we have seen the quad bike become a major cause of on-farm and recreation fatalities and replace the tractor as the likely cause of farm injury and death on farm. This too has now seen some state governments provide rebates for crush protection or contribution towards purchasing a safer alternative to the quad bike.
Any death is one too many.
Farm fatalities are a major problem all over the world regardless of whether it is a developed or developing country. According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations, agriculture employs over a billion people globally[2].
What can we do?
One country—Sweden—had a national injury prevention program running during 2009-2013 and managed to have zero fatalities in 2013[3]. Sadly after the program ended it came back up and in 2015, seven (7) adults were killed and 3 children.
We have been using the Worksafe 15 minutes Farm safety check [4] in our work with farmers for years, with positive feedback on the changes they have made. It is simple, quick and gets you started. Good business relies on good people who are healthy, well and safe.
Other industries have done it – let’s make farming next.
Target Zero – zero incidents, zero deaths, zero harm.
Kind Regards,
Dr Susan Brumby
Director – The National Centre for Farmer Health
Clinical Professor, Deakin University
The National Centre for Farmer Health can be contacted via email: ncfh@wdhs.net or phone: +61 (03) 5551 8533.
You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
——
References
[1] Safe Work Australia. (2016). Work-related traumatic injury fatalities 2015.
[2] Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2011). FAOSTAT-Trade. Countries by commodity. Retrieved from FOASTAT
[3] Lundqvist, P. (2016, 10 March, 2016). [Sweden Farm Fatalities]
[4] 15 Minute Farm Safety Check
Farmer Health eNews July 2017
Find out all the latest from the National Centre for Farmer Health
- CROP HARVEST Research Project
- National Centre for Farmer Health spreading the word
- Help seeking for social & emotional wellbeing in young rural adults
- Wellness Wednesday Topics
Farmer Health eNews June 2017
Find out all the latest from the National Centre for Farmer Health
- Healthy & Sustainable Agricultural Communities HMF702 – Enrolments Open
- Run 4 Farmer Health 2017 – The early bird gets the worm (or cheaper entry!)
- Over 75% of social & emotional wellbeing issues occur before the age of 25 – Take part in our latest research by completing this survey
- Wellness Wednesday Topics
2017-05-28 Listen: taking care of farmers’ health, Aussie style – Irish Farmers Journal
From left: David Meredith, senior research officer, rural economy, Teagasc; Maura Canning, farm family chair, IFA; Diana Van Doorn, researcher, National Centre for Men’s Health, Carlow IT; Susan Brumby, National Centre for Farmer Health, Australia; and John McNamara, health and safety specialist, Teagasc; at the conference on farmers’ health in Teagasc Oak Park.
Speaking at Tuesday’s conference on farmers’ health at Teagasc Oak Park, Prof Brumby drew several parallels between the health of farmers in Ireland and in Australia. In both countries, they are older than the general population and tend to go see the doctor later than other people when they have a complaint.
“We do have a health safety net, but it’s not always easy to access because of distance and pressure to keep the family farm going even when the farmer is sick,” she said.
What farming people really value is people who can walk in their shoes, who know the industry
The National Centre for Farmer Health works to remedy this situation by involving farmers and other members of the agricultural industry. It runs farmer health training sessions for a range of professionals, from agricultural advisers to feed merchants, and raises awareness through community events such as fun runs.
“What farming people really value is people who can walk in their shoes, who know the industry,” said Prof Brumby, who has lived on a sheep farm herself. However, she warned of the risk that people familiar with farming might reinforce stereotypes the wrong type of message, such as “She’ll be all right, mate”, or “It’s just a flesh wound.” This is where the National Centre for Farmer Health steps in.
Read more: 2017-05-28 Listen: taking care of farmers’ health, Aussie style – Irish Farmers Journal
2017-05-24: Australian farmer health specialist Susan Brumby – Irish Farmers Journal Podcast
Teagasc organised a conference on farmers’ health this Tuesday where researchers said farmers have poorer health than their active lifestyle would suggest, especially in terms of heart disease. There, Thomas Hubert met Professor Susan Brumby of Australia’s National Centre for Farmer Health. She said many problems were similar in our two countries.
Click here to listen to the podcast: 2017-05-24: Australian farmer health specialist Susan Brumby – Irish Farmers Journal Podcast
2017-05-13: Sewing up the city-country divide to support farmer health – Invisible Farmer ABC Open
Melbourne fashion week was a defining moment for Leila Sweeny McDougall.
As a young fashion design graduate with a farming background, Leila held a show at Melbourne fashion week, to raise money for farmer health.
‘We lost heaps of money, because the people that came wouldn’t pay the entry fee. They didn’t see how farmers had anything to do with it.’
Frustrated, Leila set about changing attitudes towards agriculture and supporting farmer health.
“More needs to be done about people understanding that if farmers didn’t do what they do, city people wouldn’t live the life they do,” she says.
Growing up on a merino farm at Walcha in NSW, Leila has experienced farmings ups and downs, impacts of drought and mental illness, and the lack of support.
Now farming at Tatyoon in Victoria, Leila and her husband Sean founded ‘Live Rural’, a charity promoting agriculture and supporting farmer health.
Their annual event, ‘Mellow in the Yellow’ raises money to support the National Centre for Farmer Health.
2017-05-12: Speaking the unspoken – RM Williams Outback Magazine
A new research project is tackling one of the most taboo subjects in the bush.
Story by Amanda Burdon Photo Neil Newitt
Rural suicide rates are double that of metropolitan areas and men in remote Australia are up to three times more likely to suicide than their urban counterparts. These figures meant very little to Jen Irrgang until April 3, 2013 – the day her larrikin husband of 25 years, Mark, became one of the statistics.
“Mark was an ordinary bloke. There were no signs, nothing,” says Jen, of Sedan, north-west of Adelaide. “Even his best friend didn’t know he had been suffering from depression. I am still shocked, years later. You never come to terms with it. You just come to accept it.
“Suicide is a very difficult subject for people to broach. At first, people asked me did I want others to know how Mark died. Right from the outset, we never covered it up. There’s no hiding it and I am not ashamed of Mark. It’s a tragedy, that’s all.”
Still, there’s no escaping the unanswered questions that Jen and her two teenage daughters were left with – especially why a popular, sociable man who could “talk the leg off a table” could not tell anyone he was hurting. “That’s the hardest thing,” she says. “I just wish he’d spoken up and asked for help.”
Jen is bravely sharing her family’s heartache courtesy of a National Centre for Farmer Health research project that aims to reduce the stigma associated with suicide, curb suicide rates in rural Australia, and provide more effective support to those affected. The Ripple Effect gives those who have been touched by suicide an opportunity to share their experiences and insights, to help others and themselves. It is hoped that their short videos and deeply moving postcards – recalling suicide attempts and the distressing fallout of suicide but also delivering messages of hope and support – enable participants to see that they are not alone.
Click here to read more: 2017-05-12: Speaking the unspoken – RM Williams Outback Magazine
2017-05-06: Rural Bank gives farmers health check ups at Agfest – The Examiner
Farmers visiting Agfest were reminded about the importance of putting themselves before livestock, machinery and crops.
Rural Bank, in partnership with the registered nurses from National Centre for Farmer Health, checked farmer’s body mass index, cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose levels and more.
Read more: 2017-05-06: Rural Bank gives farmers health check ups at Agfest – The Examiner