Using the socio-ecological model to frame agricultural safety and health interventions

Abstract

The Socio-Ecological Model (SEM) is a conceptual framework depicting spheres of influence over human behavior that has been applied in public health settings for nearly five decades. Core principles of all variations of the SEM are the multiple influences over an individual's behaviors, the interactions of those influences, and the multilevel approaches that can be applied to interventions intended to modify behaviors. A project team modified the standard SEM to address interventions for protecting children from agricultural disease and injury. The modified SEM placed the "child in the farm environment" at the core with five interrelated levels (spheres) of influence over the child. This framework provides guidance on how a multifaceted, multilevel intervention can maximize the potential for impact on behaviors and decisions made by parents/adults responsible for the safety of children on farms. An example of how this model could work to safeguard youth operating tractors is provided.

Towards a deeper understanding of parenting on farms: A qualitative study

“…Although water sources were not identified as a risk factor, drownings are a known cause of pediatric farm injury in Canada [ 4 ]. Benefits of farm life have been described less often in the literature, but still acknowledged [ 8 ]. These include meeting family needs, developing skills and culture, building character, experiences and opportunities, pride in accomplishment, and positive health impacts [ 6 , 7 ].…”

“…Zepeda and Kim [ 7 ] conducted focus groups of parents on dairy farms to identify perceived benefits to children working on farms. Lee et al [ 8 ] have taken a theoretical approach to the issue of child farm safety by applying the socio-ecological model’s ‘spheres of influence’. Nilsson used interviews with farm parents to identify themes of risks to children on farms, children’s farm tasks, and farm risk education for children [ 9 ].…”

Overloaded and Unrestrained: A Qualitative Study with Local Experts Exploring Factors Affecting Child Car Restraint Use in Cape Town, South Africa

“…These three factors were then broken down further to highlight important behavioural distinctions that inform the Behaviour Change Wheel [ 20 ]; see the first two columns of Table 1 for the full definition for each different category as it relates to car restraint use. The social-ecological model originally developed by Bronfenbrenner [ 23 ] has been applied to describe factors influencing injury and to plan injury prevention programs including agriculture safety [ 24 ], violence prevention [ 22 ], older driver safety [ 25 ] and general road safety [ 26 ]. The model recognises that behaviour is influenced by the interplay of several factors including those related directly to the individual, their relationships, their community and society.…”

Balancing incomplete COVID-19 evidence and local priorities: risk communication and stakeholder engagement strategies for school re-opening

“…A number of approaches have emerged that can help educational leaders and their partners identify and prioritize stakeholders in the engagement process. The socialecological model, for example, provides one high-level framework for identifying stakeholders within key five key spheres of influence: policy, community, organizational, interpersonal, and individual [61]. Which spheres are most important for prioritizing strategies to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2 within educational institutions?…”