Background Farmers have been previously reported to have higher rates of depression and suicide compared to other occupations. Comparisons of depressive symptoms and risk factors for states should increase understanding of depression in farmers. Methods Representative samples of 385 Iowa and 470 Colorado male principal farm operators in the respective state Farm Family Health and Hazard Surveillance projects were evaluated for depressive symptoms by using the CES‐D scale. Risk factors were determined by using weighted multiple logistic regression analyses. Results Iowa farmers were 1.74 times (P < 0.05) more likely to have had depressive symptoms than Colorado farmers. Being unmarried (odds ratio=3.46), having negative life events within the past year [legal problems (4.67), substantial income decline (2.71), loss of something of sentimental value (3.20)], and lower perceived general health status were risk factors (P < 0.05) for depressive symptoms for male Iowa and Colorado farmers. Higher levels of most risk factors for Iowa farmers, almost twice the frequency of substantial income decline, accounted for the majority of the difference in depressive symptoms between Iowa (12.2%) and Colorado (7.4%). Conclusions Although Iowa farmers had 1.74 times higher level of depression symptoms than Colorado farmers, this difference was not significant after adjusting for the higher levels of most risk factors for Iowa farmers. Am. J. Ind. Med. 37:382–389, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Previous studies have reported high rates of depression and suicide for farmers compared to other occupations. From a representative sample of 390 Iowa farmers in the Iowa Farm Family Health and Hazard Survey, we found that 12.1% of Iowa principal farm operators had depressive symptoms based on a cut-off point of 16 on a standardized questionnaire for depressive symptoms (the CES-D Scale). A weighted multiple logistic regression model yielded the following risk factors for depressive symptoms: had legal problems (adjusted odds ratio = 7.35, 95% confidence interval = 3.09-17.48); not married (3.89, 1.10-13.73); sentimental value loss (2.96, 1.03-8.54);

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A rapid, subjective health and safety assessment tool was developed and applied to 121 farm operations visited during a cross-sectional, on-farm industrial hygiene (IH) study of the Iowa Farm Family Health and Hazard Surveillance Project (IFFHHSP). The study utilized a single field investigator who conducted visits of farm operations from August 1995 to July 1996. The farm operations visited were randomly selected from a stratified, two-stage cluster sample of Iowa farm operations. The tool developed and applied to each farm operation--the Site Rank System--was based on the average of scores assigned to four different farm characteristics, which we believed would predict the health and safety status of the farm operations. Two of these characteristics were based on an assessment of each farm's operator (operator attitude and operator practices) and the other two were based on weighted scores assigned to physical components of the farm operation (status of facilities and status of equipment). The Site Rank System was found to have been assigned consistently, but an analysis comparing the Site Rank System scores to initial in-depth medical and environmental data gathered from the visited farm operations via self-reported questionnaires showed little correlation with outcomes. However, self-reported injuries (11 total) which occurred to the principal farm operators of the farm operations visited during the on-farm IH study phase (August 1995 to July 1996) correlated with low Site Rank System scores.

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