P.
D. Elkind and S. Marsh
NIOSH Education and Information Division
Farming
continues to be a hazardous occupation despite efforts to
educate farmers on health and safety methods. The literature
indicates that some of these hazardous activities may be related
to the stress farmers experience, which in turn influences
decision-making processes regarding health and safety measures.
Farmers experience a range of specific occupational stressors
according to focus groups in eastern Washington state. They
indicate that these stressors may be a primary cause of unsafe and unhealthy farm practice.
In order
to identify the significant farm stressors impacting the population
in eastern Washington, a questionnaire was designed. It measured
self reported effects of a range of stressors most significant
in farmers' lives. The responses to these questionnaires administered
at the regional Agricultural Exposition were factor analyzed.
It was found that a large potion of the stress farmers experience
is related to economic stressors. There is some diversity
by farm production type and degree of stress experienced. The
analysis is presented in the poster materials.
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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.
P.
D. Elkind and S. Marsh, Eastern Washington University, Cheney,
WA.
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