Farm Activities and Agricultural Injuries in Youth and Young Adult Workers

ABSTRACT

Youth and young adults who work in the agricultural sector experience high rates of injury. This study aimed to investigate relations between high-risk farm activities and the occurrence of agricultural injuries in these vulnerable groups. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using written questionnaire data from 1135 youth and young adults from the Saskatchewan Farm Injury Cohort. The prevalence of agricultural injury was estimated at 4.9%/year (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.7, 6.2). After adjustment for important covariates, duration of farm work was strongly associated with the occurrence of injury (risk ratio [RR] = 8.0 [95% CI: 1.7, 36.7] for 10–34 vs. <10 hours/week; RR = 10.3 [95% CI: 2.2, 47.5] for those working 35+ hours/week). Tractor maintenance, tractor operation, chores with large animals, herd maintenance activities, and veterinary activities were identified as risk factors for agricultural injury. Risks for agricultural injury among youth and young adults on farms relate directly to the amounts and types of farm work exposures that young people engage in.

KEYWORDS:

• Agriculture
• epidemiology
• farming
• occupational injury
• trauma (wounds and injuries)

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR; grant number: 200109MOP-230156-PHI-CEAA-56847), the CIHR Public Health and Agricultural and Rural Ecosystems Strategic Graduate Training Program, and the Empire Life Child Research Fellowship.