INTERVENTION RESEARCH IN AGRICULTURE - EXAMPLES FROM THE SWINE CONFINEMENT AND RESPIRATORY HEALTH PROJECT

The ''Measurement and Analysis in Agricultural Interventions'' worksho p session of the ''Intervention Research in Occupational Health and Sa fety: Science, Skills, Strategies'' conference considered a variety of approaches to safety and health interventions in agriculture. The ''R espiratory Health in Swine Confinement Project'' in Iowa, an education al intervention to improve respiratory health and safety in swine conf inement workers, was presented as a case study for the discussion. Res ults from the project were used to illustrate the advantages and disad vantages of a variety of research techniques in interventions and prog ram evaluation, including specific issues related to measurement and a nalysis. The discussion reflects comments from workshop participants a long with summary observations reported to conference attendees. Theme s of the session include the complementary nature of quantitative and qualitative techniques, and the importance of developing interventions that are community based. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.