Health hazards and preventive measures of farm women. Emerging issues

Currently, an increasing number of farms are family owned and women are directly involved in the farming operations as an independent manager or partner. Women play an important role in farm management by marketing farm products, purchasing materials, and financial planning. Because of this involvement, women can be exposed to potential health hazards that can result in chronic illness, debilitation, or death. This study explored and described health hazards affecting farm women in southeast Louisiana, preventive measures used by farm women, and their consistency in using protective equipment with varying levels of time commitment toward farm operations. This cross sectional study included women older than 18 whose family participated in farming operations. A stratified, random sample design with parishes comprising the strata and simple random selection without replacement within each stratum was used to select family addresses. A total of 519 women who met the criteria completed a structured 30 minute telephone interview conducted using The Louisiana Farm Health and Injury Survey instrument. Information elicited included farm work characteristics, prevention practices, and demographics. Results showed that women working 1 to 20 hours per week were less likely to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) than women working more than 20 hours per week. This included wearing seat belts on tractors; using hearing, eye, or breathing protection; and wearing gloves or boots. No differences were found between groups for use of skin protection, hair holders, or helmets on all terrain vehicles (ATVs). The researchers concluded that if nursing interventions such as teaching and counseling related to prevention methods could be provided, the incidence of acute and chronic illnesses and traumatic injury would decline.