Accident involvement and attitudes towards hazards and countermeasures in a Swedish rural population

Research on the resistance to implementation of effective injury control measures is needed. An important task is to identity factors or circumstances that influence the possibilities of taking active safety measures, and also factors that may limit or hinder such efforts. The objective of this study was to describe the farmers' own attitudes towards farm accident hazards and their interest in participating in preventive measures. The study is part of a project to develop systems for injury surveillance and control in Swedish emergency care. A standardised questionnaire for telephone interviews was used. All patients who had consulted an emergency department during a one-year period for injuries caused by accidents on 2,454 farms in two Swedish rural municipalities were interviewed. The results demonstrated that adults, especially young adults with small children, seem to be most conscious of accident risks and best motivated for participation in active safety measures, e.g. safety education.