220788 Case-Control Study of Consequences of Injuries among Youth and Burden on Agricultural Operations

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Susan G. Gerberich, PhD , MCOHS/RIPRC/CVPC, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Bruce H. Alexander, PhD , Regional Injury Prevention Research Center, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Andrew D. Ryan, MS , Reg Inj Prev Res Center/Center Violence Prev and Control, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Colleen M. Renier, BS , Division of Research, Essentia Institute of Rural Health, Duluth, MN
Timothy R. Church, PhD , Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Ann S. Masten, PhD , Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Patricia M. McGovern, PhD, MPH , Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Steven J. Mongin, MS , Reg Inj Prev Res Center/Center Violence Prev and Control, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Children/youths, as well as adults, are at risk of injury on agricultural operations where occupational and residential environments overlap. This study was conducted to determine the short- and long-term physical, psychosocial, and economic consequences of injuries occurring among children/youths living in households with agricultural operations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska – Midwestern states characteristic of major types of agricultural production in the United States (US). From a random selection of 32,000 agricultural operations, generated from the states' operations by the US Department of Agriculture, 1,474 of 3,443 eligible households with children participated. Baseline and follow-up data on physical and mental health, agricultural and other injury disability, and economic status, were collected by trained interviewers using computerized assisted telephone interview (CATI) data collection instruments; two six-month injury data collection periods followed baseline collection. Among all household members, a total of 584 injuries were incurred with 250 related to their own agricultural operation. Respective child/youth case and control households, identified for these two six-month periods were: 1) 100 cases (122 Injuries), 366 controls; 2) 115 cases (138 injuries), 414 controls. Follow-up evaluation data were collected annually for each set, for the subsequent two years. Analyses focus on short-/long-term consequences, by examining changes between baseline, and follow-up data, comparing case and control households. Confounders are selected for multiple logistic regression analyses using directed acyclic graphs; reweighting adjusts for response and eligibility biases. This effort addresses a serious deficiency in knowledge about the burden of agricultural and other injury consequences.

Learning Areas:
Environmental health sciences
Epidemiology
Occupational health and safety
Other professions or practice related to public health
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
• Identify the burden of injuries to youth on agricultural operations. • Describe the methods used to adjust for potential bias. • Discuss the importance of the study design to this effort.

Keywords: Rural Health, Children and Adolescents

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Mayo Professor, Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota with extensive research and teaching experience
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.