The effects of arthritis, mobility, and farm task on injury among older farmers

Abstract

Abstract:The current study was conducted by performing secondary analysis of data drawn from a study of sustained work indicators of older farmers. The primary outcome variable was the reported occurrence or non-occurrence of injuries because of farm work in the past year. There were three explanatory variables of interest: (1) whether respondents reported ever having been diagnosed with arthritis/rheumatism by a medical doctor; (2) whether participants reported having mobility problems; and (3) a farm task injury risk index. Additional explanatory variables included the estimated number of days spent on farming activities in the past year, as well as demographic characteristics such as age, sex, and race. Institutional review board approvals were obtained for the original study prior to data collection, and for the current study prior to secondary analysis of data. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the outcome and explanatory variables. Initial multivariable longitudinal models for the occurrence of injuries were fitted with the explanatory variables. Odds ratios for the effects of interest were calculated using the final models. A longitudinal model was fitted using data in waves 1, 3, and 5, with a farm task injury risk index as outcome variable and wave, sex, age, race, and estimated number of days spent on farming activities in the past year as explanatory variables for exploration of the relationship between the farm task injury risk index and these variables. In this group of older farmers, aging was protective for injury, and was associated with decreased farm task injury risk index. Arthritis/rheumatism was associated in our study with occurrence of injury because of farm work across all four waves. Our results indicated that farmers with mobility problems were twice as likely to experience injuries because of farm work compared to farmers with no mobility problems. Increased farm task injury risk index was associated with a 40% increase in odds for the occurrence of injury due to farm work. In this study of older farmers, the type of work, and not the amount of work was significantly associated with injury risk. Implications for future studies of farm injury include the need for nurse researchers and others to incorporate objective validated measures of mobility and health care provider diagnoses of arthritis, and arthritis type. Nurse researchers should proceed with ongoing evaluation of the farm task injury risk index to determine its validity, reliability, and usefulness as a predictor of farm injuries. In the practice setting, nurses may apply findings from this study to provide injury prevention teaching to older farmers and their families. For example, discussions of the more risky farm tasks, injury prevention strategies, and treatment modalities including those that promote improved mobility should be targeted to older farmers with arthritis and actual or potential mobility issues. Ultimately, these nursing research and practice efforts may lead to preservation of function, and decreas...

Summary of Indiana Farm Fatalities Involving Individuals 55 Years and Older—1988–2017

“…Older farmers, however, have generally been shown to have a lower risk of obtaining a non-fatal injury as compared to younger farmers [12][13][14]. In a study of farmers 50 years and older, Marcum et al (2011) found that an incremental increase of 10 years for a farmer reduced their non-fatal injury risk by 15% [13].…”

“…It has also been reported that common aging related changes in the body, such as arthritis, hearing and vision impairment, and mobility or medication usage, could increase the risk of sustaining specific types of farm-related work injuries [13,14,20,21]. In the study of how arthritis, mobility, and farm tasks affected injuries among older farmers, Heaton et al (2012) found that farmers with mobility issues were twice as likely to be injured by a farm-related task [14].…”

Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Senior Farmers

“…From those articles, it was clear that although farmers may decrease the number of offseason hours worked on the farm each week, they are still engaged in various strenuous farm tasks in a part-time capacity that increases their risk for injury or death (Amshoff & Reed, 2005;Voaklander et al, 2010). Farmers, age 70 years and older, may reduce their work hours and thus decrease their exposure to farm hazards and resulting injuries (Heaton, Azuero, Phillips, Pickens, & Reed, 2012;Mariger et al, 2009). However, comorbidities (e.g., arthritis) in the 70 years and older age group may also increase the risk of injury if these workers continue to lift heavy objects independently (Heaton et al, 2012;Marcum et al, 2011).…”

“…Farmers, age 70 years and older, may reduce their work hours and thus decrease their exposure to farm hazards and resulting injuries (Heaton, Azuero, Phillips, Pickens, & Reed, 2012;Mariger et al, 2009). However, comorbidities (e.g., arthritis) in the 70 years and older age group may also increase the risk of injury if these workers continue to lift heavy objects independently (Heaton et al, 2012;Marcum et al, 2011).…”

Protecting Ourselves from Harm: Voices of Aging Farmers

“…Senior farmers reporting chronic bronchitis/emphysema, arthritis, and sleeping problems have been found to have significantly higher odds of sustaining a farm-related injury (Heaton et al, 2010;Heaton et al, 2012;Marcum et al, 2011b). Older farmers with mobility problems are twice as likely to experience a farm work injury compared to those without mobility problems (Heaton et al, 2012). Functional cognitive declines associated with aging may decrease older adults' ability to comprehend and act in risky situations, such as farm work.…”