2014-09-10 In it heart and sole – Weekly Times

RUNNING in saturated shoes along the sodden shoulders of a bitumen road lined with fresh wintry dew has given dairy farmer Tania Nevill the best preparation for next month’s Melbourne Marathon.

The Mepunga East resident has responded to her 5am alarm clock nearly every day since February, averaging up to 60km a week in preparation for her first marathon.

But the mother of four says her grueling regimen has been a walk in the park compared to the challenges farmers face.

“It’s easy to make the effort to get out of bed when you have a goal in mind,” Ms Nevill said.

…

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2014-09-10 In it heart and sole – The Weekly Times

Source: The Weekly Times

2014-08-28 Christel Smit-Kroner discusses farmers and sun exposure – ABC Riverina

Christel Smit-Kroner who is currently enrolled in the Graduate Certificate of Agricultural Health and Medicine, and completed core units HMF701 & HMF702 in 2013, speaks to Simon about a research project looking at farmers and sun exposure. Christel is heading up round table discussions with farmers to understand their sun protection habits. If you would like to participate please contact Christel below.

Listen to the interview below:

2014-08-28 Christel Smit-Kroner discusses farmers and sun exposure – ABC Riverina

Contact details:
Dr Christel Smit-Kroner
Phone: 0427 405 255

Download SunSmart UV App
Google Play | Samsung Apps

2014-08-20 Promote farm safety culture – Stock and Land

A LECTURER from the National Centre for Farmer Health at Hamilton has told a farm safety conference that safety issues extend beyond the property gate.

Dr Jacqui Cotton spoke on communities as role models for farm safety in a paper titled “Children See, Children Do”.

“From a young age they mimic adults,” Dr Cotton said.

“In the nought to four age-group is where a lot of injuries occur and it’s where most care needs to be taken.”

Dr Cotton said the greatest issue was encouraging a culture of safety throughout the whole farming community.

…

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2014-08-20 Promote farm safety culture – Stock and Land

2014-08-18 Canada adopts Australian farmer health program in global collaboration to ‘change the way farmers think’ – ABC Rural

A farmer health program developed by the National Centre for Farmer Health (NCFH) in regional Victoria is being rolled out to farmers in Canada.

The Sustainable Farm Families (SFF) program was designed to empower Australian farmers to change concerning health statistics within their own communities.

Its results on home soil sparked interest from the Canadian Government and three delegates visited the centre in Hamilton, Victoria, last year.

The Alberta Government has now funded the centre to train 12 agri-health professionals, who will roll the program out to about 100 farmers in the coming months.

Project manager Jordan Jensen says the plan is to continue expanding into other regions of Canada.

…

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2014-08-18 Canada adopts Australian farmer health program in global collaboration to ‘change the way farmers think’ – ABC Rural

Suicide and accidental death in Australia’s rural farming communities: a review of the literature

Australia’s farmers constitute a heterogeneous group within the rural population. This literature review incorporates four broad areas: an understanding of farming communities, families and individuals and the contexts in which they live and work; an exploration of the challenges to morbidity and mortality that these communities face; a description of the patterns of suicide and accidental death in farming communities; and an outline of what is missing from the current body of research. Recommendations will be made on how these gaps may be addressed.

Making Connections: The 2014 Libby Harricks Memorial Oration [Monograph]

This is a story of engagement. Engagement with people who live in areas where access to services is difficult; people who live on farms and who have noise induced hearing loss. As they produce food and fibre for domestic and international consumption they also experience other health, wellbeing and safety challenges.

Cholinesterase Research Outreach Project (CROP) – Measuring Cholinesterase Activity of Australian Farmers

Q-fever and Australian farmers: is the health system paying enough attention? A literature review

Q-fever is caused by Coxiella burnetii, a Gram-negative bacterium
and Rickettsia-like organism. Transmitted from wild and domestic animals to humans, the most common route is inhalation of contaminated dust; however the oral route can be considered as a second pathway.

2014-08-15 Exploring the ripple effect of rural suicide – ABC Bush Telegraph

It’s often said that country people are a resilient lot. Alison Kennedy has attempted to test this theory in an area that many people find difficult to discuss.

She’s researching the way that rural communities deal with the aftermath of suicide and other sudden deaths.

Along the way she’s interviewed dozens of people who’ve opened up about the effect of suicide on them and their community.

She says participants in the study were motivated by the desire to get things off their chest.

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2014-08-15 Exploring the ripple effect of rural suicide – ABC The Bush Telegraph

Listen to the audio – Exploring the ripple effect of rural suicide

2014-08-13 Life after suicide in farming communities, shaping targeted health policy for the bereaved – ABC Rural News

It’s now widely known that suicide and accidental deaths are far more common in farming communities than in the general population.

There is much research around the cause of such deaths but very little is known about the effect.

Many of the challenges unique to farmers who suicide – isolation, financial pressure, a macho culture of silence – continue to plague those that are left behind.

…

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2014-08-13  Life after suicide in farming communities, shaping targeted health policy for the bereaved – ABC Rural News

2014-08-07 Mechanised modern farming puts Australian primary producers at greater risk of high blood pressure and abdominal obesity – ABC Rural News

Australian farmers are at greater risk of high blood pressure and have higher rates of obesity than the general population.

That’s according to Deakin University associate professor Dr Paul Lewandowski who is studying farmer health.

He also found that poor physical health has strong links to poor mental health among farmers.

“The hypothesis that we’re working on was that individuals who were suffering from poor mental health would be having other aspects of their life affected.

…

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 2014-08-07 Mechanised modern farming puts Australian primary producers at greater risk of high blood pressure and abdominal obesity – ABC Rural News

Tinea

Tinea is a highly contagious fungal skin infection that affects the feet (athlete’s foot/tinea pedis), groin (jock itch/tinea cruris), scalp and skin underneath the breasts, fingernails and toenails.

The fungus thrives in warm, moist environments and it can be spread by skin-to-skin contact or indirectly via clothing, towels, linens and floors.

Symptoms

Infection is not usually serious but can be uncomfortable and have the following symptoms: 

• Itching and stinging in the affected area. 
• A red scaly patch that sometimes looks like a ring – this is often called ringworm (tinea corporis), however there is no worm involved. 
• Blistering, cracking, splitting and peeling skin, particularly between the toes.  
• Nails may develop a yellow or white discolouration (onychomycosis).  
• Bald spots can appear on the scalp (tinea capitis).  

Treatment

Treatment with antifungal medicines and good hygiene will help clear the infection.  

• Anti-fungal creams and ointments can be purchased across the counter in a pharmacy, however speak to your pharmacist first. 
• Use creams as directed – it can take weeks or months for the infection to clear and remember to continue the treatment even after the tinea appears to have gone.
• Some infections may not clear or keep coming back – this may require antifungal medication in tablet form from a doctor. 
• Wash your hands after applying treatments.
• Keep the infected area dry and clean. 
• Change your clothing such as socks, stockings and bra each day. 

Prevention

Good hygiene can prevent tinea from recurring, such as drying skin thoroughly, particularly between toes, the groin and under breasts. You should never share bathmats, towels, shoes etc. when you have tinea because it is highly contagious. It will also help to: 

• Wear thongs in public areas to prevent infection from floor surfaces such as wet areas in public showers, gyms and pools. 
• Expose skin to as much air as possible. 
• Wear cotton socks and using antiperspirants to control excessive sweating.  

Find out more about this topic on Better Health Channel.

Fast facts:

• Tinea is a highly contagious fungal skin infection that thrives in warm, moist environments.
• A red patch can appear, and the skin can become uncomfortable and itchy.
• Anti-fungal creams and tablets typically heal the infection.