Children's Safety on American Indian Farms: Information and Recommendations

Abstract

It is estimated that 1.2 million youth younger than age 20 live on farms; American Indian children constitute an important but understudied subset of this at-risk group. Despite documented risks of injuries and death among children who live and work on farms and a descending trend in the overall reported fatalities among youth who live and/or work on farms, very little is known about the agriculture-related injury and fatality experience of American Indian youth. Limited data indicate that drowning, motor vehicles, and poisonings are leading causes of unintentional mortality and morbidity for this group, although the attribution to agricultural exposure is not evident. The scant available data indicate a need to look more closely at agricultural work, bystander exposures, and other farm events that put American Indian youth at risk of illness, injury, or death compared to factors more fully reported for majority youth in the agriculture population, in order to guide intervention and prevention programs that are appropriate and acceptable to this vulnerable population.

Current State of Child Health in Rural America: How Context Shapes Children's Health

“…Children do not have to be engaged in agricultural work to be exposed, as children who play near or during farm operations can also be injured, with the rate of such injuries being highest among children younger than 5 years . Within minority farm children, American Indian children were more likely than others to be injured, with an estimated injury rate of 7.86 per 1,000, compared to 5.15/1,000 among black children and 5.5 among Hispanic youth …”

“…52 Within minority farm children, American Indian children were more likely than others to be injured, with an estimated injury rate of 7.86 per 1,000, compared to 5.15/1,000 among black children and 5.5 among Hispanic youth. 53 Pesticide exposure, with uncertain long-term effects, 54 is more common among children in agricultural families, and particularly among children of farmworkers. 55 While farmworkers recognize the importance of protecting their children's health and most avoid holding young children while wearing work clothes, many do not employ other practices to reduce contamination, such as washing hands after work or removing shoes/boots on entering the home.…”

Work-Related Injuries with Child Labor in Iran

“…[3][4][5] Although the majority of these reports confirmed child labor in developing countries with high poverty and poor schooling opportunities, it is still prevalent in more developed countries. 6,7 The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that at least 950,000 injury deaths occur annually in children who are 17 years and younger. 8 The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that the worldwide number of employed children, 5 to 17 years of age, was 306 million in 2008, with 115 million of them engaged in hazardous labor.…”