The agricultural sector in Norway has undergone structural changes over the past 50 years. The objective of this study was to analyze the distribution of concerns about farm economy, work time, and mental complaints among Norwegian farmers. In a sample of single principal owner-operators (n = 2,676), we calculated the unadjusted and adjusted odd ratios (ORs) for concerns about the farm economy, concerns for insufficient time to complete work, and high symptom load of mental complaints. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to explore the associations between farm characteristics, concerns, and mental health. Farmers had a high probability for an increased symptom load of mental complaints. The level of farm income was more strongly associated with economic concerns and mental health concerns when a major part of total household income resulted from farming. The high workload required in farming combined with off-farm supplemental employment was additionally associated with higher levels of time concerns and mental complaints. Norwegian farmers have a relatively high workload both in farming and in off-farm work but are able to make sustainable plans for their individual workload needs. The high individual workload in both these arenas poses a challenge, but was not associated with a greater probability for a high symptom load of mental complaints.
BackgroundIn the Job Demand-Control (JDC) model and the Job Demand-Resource (JDR) model, the individual worker's potential to influence their work, through job control, is associated with better health. Among self-employed farmers, this job control dimension could be analogous to a sense of independence as this occupational group often highlights this as the best thing about the profession. AimsTo analyse how work demands, sense of independence and number of close friends, and the interaction between independence and work demands predicted mental health among male farmers in Norway. MethodsThe sample consisted of male farmers working 1700 h or more on the farm annually in 2012. We used the Lisrel structural equation modelling to estimate the direct effects and the interactive effect of independence and work demands. ResultsThere were 926 participants. Decrease in work demands, a strong sense of independence and a high number of close friends predicted lower levels of mental complaints. A strong sense of independence buffered the adverse consequences of work demands on mental health. ConclusionsIn this sample of self-employed full-time male farmers in Norway, we found that sense of independence was important for their mental health; farmers with a high sense of independence seemed to be able to manage high work demands more effectively, thus reducing the level of mental health problems. In addition, we also found that work demands and social relationships were associated with mental health outcomes.
IntroductionThe purpose of this article is to investigate whether and to what degree participation in physical activity among adolescents is associated with area economic deprivation in the municipality where they live. In the study we took account of aggregated informal social capital at the municipality level and compositional effects due to spatial concentration of individual variables known to be associated with physical activity. These include informal social participation, participation in other cultural activities, and family affluence.MethodsThe study was based on a secondary analysis of data from the Norwegian HUNT study and municipality characteristics from the Norwegian Social Science Data Service ‘Commune Database’ from 2006. The sample consisted of 8114 adolescents whose ages ranged from 13 to 19. The explanatory power of the independent variables on the dependent variable was assessed using a multilevel analysis in which individuals comprised the first level and were nested within the municipality level.ResultsThe average level of physical activity was not negatively associated with the level of area economic deprivation when we adjusted for informal social participation at the community level. Adjusting for area economic deprivation, we found that informal social participation at the community level was associated with a higher level of participation in physical activity at p< .01.ConclusionFor adolescents in a given municipality, informal social participation is more strongly associated with a higher level of physical activity than the degree of area economic deprivation. This finding supports our social capital hypothesis, which states that the amount of social capital is strengthening the individual’s ability to take part in physical activity.
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