G.
Olson and R. Dodds
NIOSH Education and Information Division
Lee
County, Iowa is located in the southeast tip of Iowa, bordered
by both the Mississippi and Des Moines Rivers. The flood of
1993 caused a great deal of damage to farmland and many displaced
farm family operations. Lee County was designated one of Iowa's
flood centers. Farmers from Lee County also participated in
a series of focus groups looking at the safety and health
implications of the flood to farm families, research that
was sponsored through special funding from NIOSH to the University
of Iowa's Center for Agricultural Disease and Injury Research,
Education and Prevention.
After
spending nine months working with immediate health, housing,
income and community needs, Iowa State University Extension
in conjunction with the Lee County Public Health Planning
Committee conducted a survey of families in Lee County to
determine health needs as perceived by the residents of the
county, particularly in regard to stress and environmental
health concerns. A similar survey (excluding environmental
health) had been conducted in Lee County in 1988, providing
some baseline information.
The
survey instrument was developed using the 1988 instrument
as much as possible for comparison reasons. Additional items
related to environmental health were added with assistance
from extension agricultural engineers at Iowa State University.
The survey was distributed to 440 Lee County residents randomly
selected from voter registration lists, again to facilitate
comparisons with the 1988 sample. 156 surveys (35%) were returned.
In addition to the overall sample analysis, special populations
that were analyzed separately included rural, elderly, and
low-income residents.
Flood-related
questions indicated stress and depression as major concerns.
Information was collected regarding how respondents cope with
stress in their life. Results also showed a high level of
concern regarding environmental health issues. Questions were
asked about opinions on what health issues should receive
Lee County tax dollars and what respondents would change about
health care in the county.
Survey
results are being used in program planning efforts by the
agencies involved in the Lee County Health Planning Committee.
In addition, public efforts are being undertaken to publicize
the results of the survey. Currently under consideration are
methods of collecting information from populations under-represented
in this sample.
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not represent
NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears by permission
of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
This
research abstract was extracted from a portion of the proceedings
of "Agricultural Safety and Health: Detection, Prevention and
Intervention," a conference presented by the Ohio State University
and the Ohio Department of Health, sponsored by the Centers
for Disease Control/National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health.
The
authors noted above are from: Iowa State University Extension,
Mt. Pleasant, Iowa and Iowa State University Extension, Donnelson,
Iowa respectively.
|