Down on the farm: preventing farm accidents in children

Agriculture continues to rank as the most dangerous industry in the United States. The objectives of this pilot study were to identify the incidence of care provided to children involved in farm accidents, examine barriers to utilization of farm safety materiaJs by primary health care practitioners (PHCPs), and determine the percentage of PHCPs who provide anticipatory guidance related to farm safety. Pender's revised Health Promotion Model (2006) was used. A survey was developed and mailed to 110 PHCPs of all levels in North West Pennsylvania. The return rate was 20%. Types of injuries identified by the PHCPs included lacerations and musculosketal injuries caused by animals and farm equipment. Forty-five percent of the PHCPs reporting asked new patients/families if their children lived or worked on a farm. Eighteen percent specifically focused on farm-related injury prevention. Fourteen percent were aware of farm injury prevention materials and 73% were interested in receiving such materials. A larger study needs to be conducted to validate these findings.