Authors: D. Castillo, D. Hard, J. Myers, T. Pizatella and N. Stout

The problem of children being injured as a result of living, visiting or working on a farm has been recognized for several decades. Although many individuals and groups have crusaded for the prevention of childhood agricultural injuries over the years, until recently, there has not been a national coordinated effort. In fiscal year (FY) 1997 the U.S. Congress provided targeted funding to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to implement a National Childhood Agricultural Injury Prevention Initiative. NIOSH goals for the initiative are to fill critical data needs; establish an infrastructure which facilitates the use of data to develop and improve upon prevention efforts; encourage the use of effective prevention strategies by the private and public sectors; and, to increase the involvement of the private sector in both prevention and research efforts. A panel of experts in agricultural injury surveillance was convened to evaluate existing surveillance programs and identify the most promising strategies for surveillance. NIOSH has funded research grants in a number of priority areas, including: etiology; outcomes of youth farm work and injuries; intervention strategies; and, evaluation of commonly used educational or training programs. Through a cooperative agreement, the National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety was established. The Center will coordinate and promote the use of state-of-the art prevention information and organize multi-perspective teams which will use consensus-building to arrive at recommended guidelines. A government agency task force will work toward facilitating a coordinated and informed public response, and a workshop will be held to begin exploring mechanisms for involving the private sector in research and prevention efforts.