TY - GEN
T1 - Work-Related Stress as a Risk Factor for Farm Injuries in the Central United States
AU - Bai, He
AU - Beseler, Cheryl
AU - Baccaglini, Lorena
AU - Rautiainen, Risto Heikki
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was conducted as part of the Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (CS-CASH) Surveillance project, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cooperative agreement award U54-OH010162.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 ASABE.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - This study evaluated the association of self-reported occupational stress and injury among farm and ranch operators in the central United States. Randomly sampled operators received mail surveys with questions related to injuries, chronic health conditions, work exposures, and preventive measures in 2018 and 2020. Injury risk factors were analyzed using Poisson regression analysis. Out of 6,744 participants, 836 (12%) reported at least one injury in the past 12 months and 1,766 (26%) reported work-related stress. The percentage of those reporting stress was 24% among those with no injuries, 36% among those with one injury, and 66% among those with two or more injuries. Similar percentages across the three injury categories were found for sleep deprivation (21%, 30%, and 51%) and fatigue (25%, 39%, and 66%). A high perceived stress level was a risk factor for injury in the final adjusted model (adjusted Rate Ratio (aRR): 1.93, 95% CI: 1.65 to 2.25) when controlling for hearing loss (aRR: 1.25, CI: 1.25 to 1.75) and exposure to animal and/or chemical based allergens (aRR: 1.49, CI: 1.17 to 1.91). With musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS) in the model, the association of stress and injuries was attenuated (aRR: 1.54, CI: 1.32 to 1.79) while MSS had a strong association with injuries (aRR: 3.79, CI: 3.00 to 4.78). Stress, sleep deprivation, and fatigue were associated with injuries in a dose-response manner. Preventing injuries among farmers and ranchers requires a focus on stress reduction and related health conditions.
AB - This study evaluated the association of self-reported occupational stress and injury among farm and ranch operators in the central United States. Randomly sampled operators received mail surveys with questions related to injuries, chronic health conditions, work exposures, and preventive measures in 2018 and 2020. Injury risk factors were analyzed using Poisson regression analysis. Out of 6,744 participants, 836 (12%) reported at least one injury in the past 12 months and 1,766 (26%) reported work-related stress. The percentage of those reporting stress was 24% among those with no injuries, 36% among those with one injury, and 66% among those with two or more injuries. Similar percentages across the three injury categories were found for sleep deprivation (21%, 30%, and 51%) and fatigue (25%, 39%, and 66%). A high perceived stress level was a risk factor for injury in the final adjusted model (adjusted Rate Ratio (aRR): 1.93, 95% CI: 1.65 to 2.25) when controlling for hearing loss (aRR: 1.25, CI: 1.25 to 1.75) and exposure to animal and/or chemical based allergens (aRR: 1.49, CI: 1.17 to 1.91). With musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS) in the model, the association of stress and injuries was attenuated (aRR: 1.54, CI: 1.32 to 1.79) while MSS had a strong association with injuries (aRR: 3.79, CI: 3.00 to 4.78). Stress, sleep deprivation, and fatigue were associated with injuries in a dose-response manner. Preventing injuries among farmers and ranchers requires a focus on stress reduction and related health conditions.
KW - Agriculture
KW - Fatigue
KW - Hearing Loss
KW - Injury
KW - Musculoskeletal discomfort
KW - Stress
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85151022187&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85151022187&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.13031/jash.14951
DO - 10.13031/jash.14951
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85151022187
SN - 1074-7583
VL - 29
SP - 1
EP - 32
JO - Journal of agricultural safety and health
JF - Journal of agricultural safety and health
ER -