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ABSTRACT
Western agriculture, in comparison with Midwestern and Eastern, is more diverse, with a drier climate, mild winters, and different exposures. This randomly selected cohort of 1947 Californian farmers confirmed the usual finding: a lower mortality rate than general population (by 50%). A low smoking prevalence and healthy worker effect are likely contributors. Although farmers were more likely to die from injuries and skin cancer, death was less likely from Alzheimer's and cerebrovascular diseases. Within the cohort, disability and persistent wheeze were associated with increased mortality. The 200 deaths were insufficient to determine the significance of rare diseases.
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Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank Prof. Laurel Beckett for statistical advice and Dr. Suzette Smiley-Jewell for editorial contributions to the manuscript. The University of California, Davis, Farmer Health Study was sponsored through the Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety and funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (grant no. 1U50 OH07550).