Health of farmers in Southland: an overview

Aim. To describe the health of farmers in Southland. Methods. Coss-sectional study of a random sample of farmers in Southland. Results. 586 individuals were interviewed from 286 farms with a response ra te of 65.4%. The prevalence of at least one injury in the last twelve month s which prevented normal farm work was 17.1%. Low back pain was common with 54.6% reporting such an episode in the last twelve months. Noise-induced h earing loss was prevalent among men with 28.7% of those 45 years and over b eing affected. Levels of asthma appeared low with a point prevalence of 6.8 %, with 4.6% on medication. There were 19.3% of male farmers who were obese . The prevalence of alcohol use disorder among men aged 15-24 years was 57. 4%, and 39.0% among farm workers. Similarly, 32.0% of men in this age-group smoked, with 35.6% of farm workers being smokers. Conclusions. Farmers experienced high levels of injury, low back pain and n oise-induced hearing loss. Community intervention programmes to prevent inj ury remain a priority for farmers, although lifestyle factors should also b e addressed, particularly among farm workers.