Farming characteristics and self-reported health outcomes of Irish farmers

Doorn, Diana van; Richardson, Noel; Storey, Aubrey; Osborne, Aoife; Cunningham, Caitríona; Blake, Catherine; McNamara, John

doi:10.1093/occmed/kqy020

Cited by 9 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…According to Table 2, all 21 studies focused on the adult population, although some samples included adolescents 26,33–37 . Most studies included both males and females in the study sample but some articles exclusively studied males or the majority of the participants were males, 33,36,38–42 a reflection of the male‐dominant farmer population. Random sampling methods were used in 7 studies, the census data were used in 2 studies, and remaining studies used convenience sampling methods.…”

Section: Farmer Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In general, the studies we reviewed reported a high prevalence of heavy alcohol use among farmers. For example, a study of 314 Irish male farmers found that 49.8% of respondents drank 6 or more drinks per occasion in the past month 39 . A study of 2,452 tobacco farmers in Brazil reported that 30.8% of male farmers engaged in high‐risk drinking, defined as having more than 2 doses of drinks per day 49 .…”

Section: Farmer Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Substance use disorders in the farming population: Scoping review

Watanabe‐Galloway

Chasek

Yoder

et al. 2021

The Journal of Rural Health

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Purpose The purpose of this scoping review is to summarize the current knowledge base in order to make recommendations for prevention and treatment of substance use disorders among the farming populations. Methods We conducted a scoping review of peer‐reviewed articles published between January 1989 and September 2019. The search yielded 3,426 citations and the final review was conducted on 42 articles. The full review was conducted by 4 authors to extract information about the target population, data collection methods, and main results. Findings There were 21 articles on farmers and 21 articles on farmworkers. The majority of the articles were about alcohol. Overall, farmers had higher prevalence of risky alcohol consumption patterns than nonfarmers. The prevalence of risky alcohol consumption was also high among farmworkers compared to the general population. Risk factors for risky alcohol consumption included male gender, lower socioeconomic status, and psychological problems (eg, depression). Recommendations for prevention and intervention of alcohol disorders included policy development and implementation to curb alcohol access by taxation, screening of alcohol‐related problems, and alternative means of recreation instead of alcohol consumption. Conclusions This review confirmed that alcohol‐related problems are prevalent among farmers and farmworkers. More population‐based research is called for to understand the additional risk factors of alcohol disorders and the prevalence of other substance‐related disorders. Also, interventions should be tailored to the unique culture of farmers and farmworkers.

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Section: Farmer Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Farmer Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Substance use disorders in the farming population: Scoping review

Watanabe‐Galloway

Chasek

Yoder

et al. 2021

The Journal of Rural Health

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“…As previously described [31], socio-demographic information showed that the mean age was 41.07 years (Table 1). Two-thirds (68%; n = 205) of farmers reported as being in full-time farming and engaged in a variety of farm enterprises: beef cattle/breeding cows (31%; n = 98), dairy and beef cattle (27%; n = 86), sheep (25%; n = 81), mainly beef cattle (19%; n = 59), intensive dairy (17%; n = 54), and other including tillage (19%; n = 60).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…The non-probability sampling (convenience) means that the results may not be generalisable to the farming population as a whole. The socio-demographics of this study population are not representative of the national average of Irish famers [31]. Farmers with greater health problems are unlikely to be captured in the study ('healthy worker' effect).…”

Section: Limitations and Strengthsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…This exploratory study builds upon previous research into the self-reported health status of Irish farmers [31], which also included survey questions examining farmers' food intake in the past 24 h. The study objectives were to (1) explore associations between body composition and farmers' perceptions of their weight; (2) examine the dietary habits of farmers in the context of recommended national dietary guidelines [32]; and (3) explore associations between age and lifestyle behaviours (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity) on the one hand and BMI and reported dietary intake on the other.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Investigating the Dietary Habits of Male Irish Farmers to Prevent Mortality and Morbidity

Doorn

Richardson

Storey

et al. 2021

Safety

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Excess mortality and morbidity among Irish farmers from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has been linked to a range of occupational risk factors. Obesity is a key risk factor underpinning this excess burden and unhealthy eating habits are linked to overweight/obesity and to disease occurrence. This study investigated the dietary habits of a sub-group of Irish male farmers and explored how these might potentially impact on health outcomes. Cross-sectional survey research was undertaken using self-reported quantitative data, based on convenience sampling and a 24-h food re-call survey. Data were analysed using frequency and chi-square analysis. Where possible, findings were compared to national survey data for Irish males. Findings revealed that a high proportion of farmers were overweight or obese and that dietary habits consisted of low intake of fruit, vegetables, and dairy and a high intake of meat, fried and processed foods, salt, and sugary and/or salty snacks. Younger farmers reported a significantly higher intake of processed meats; however, no associations were found between age, lifestyle behaviours, and dietary habits. The findings provide a greater understanding of how dietary habits potentially contribute to poorer health outcomes among farmers and underline the need for health promotion interventions, including healthy eating campaigns, aimed at farmers.

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