Prevalence of respirator/dust mask use among U.S. primary farm operators with asthma: Analysis of the 2006 Farm and Ranch Safety Survey

OBJECTIVES: To estimate prevalence of respirator/dust mask use among U.S. primary farm operators with asthma, and to estimate this prevalence by operator and farm characteristics. METHODS: In 2006, a regionally stratified telephone survey of 25,000 farm operations was conducted. The survey objective was to address the health and safety concerns of primary farm operators. Self-reported data on 12,278 active farm operators (adjusted response rate of 75.1%) were analyzed. Weighted prevalences with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Prevalence differences (PD) between groups were evaluated using a t-test. RESULTS: An estimated 2.1 million primary operators worked on active farms. Of these, 4.9% (95%CI: 4.4–5.4%) had current asthma. Significantly more operators with current asthma (49.5%; 95%CI: 44.2–54.7%) had used a respirator/dust mask in the last 12 months than operators without asthma (36.7%; 95%CI: 35.6–37.8%). Among subsets, this difference remained significant and was higher for males (PD=14.7%, p<0.001); 35+ year-olds (PD=12.7%, p<0.001); part-time operators (PD=14.3%, p<0.001); Midwest operators (PD=17.6%, p<0.001); livestock operations (PD=16.5%, p<0.001); and large farms (PD=14.2%, p<0.001). Among operators with current asthma, respirator/dust mask use in the last 12 months was more likely among those who had experienced asthma attacks while doing farm work than among those who had not experienced asthma attacks while doing farm work (PD=13.3%, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings contribute to the limited information on respirator use and asthma among farm operators. Further studies should evaluate respiratory protection programs and asthma management among farm operators.